Droplet SP2 User manual

Setup Guide for the SP2 with
APEX 2Q Nebulizer
2400 Trade Centre Avenue
Longmont, CO 80503 USA
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C O N T E N T S
Specifications ................................................................................................................. 4
1.1 General Specifications for the APEX 2Q Nebulizer................................................................ 4
1.2 Electrical Specifications for the APEX 2Q Nebulizer.............................................................. 4
1.3 Physical Specifications of the APEX 2Q Nebulizer................................................................. 4
General Information....................................................................................................... 5
1.4 Safety Information ................................................................................................................ 5
1.5 Brief Theory of Operation ..................................................................................................... 5
Introduction................................................................................................................... 7
Part 1: Unpacking, Setup, Installation, and Power Up...................................................... 8
1.6 Contents ................................................................................................................................ 8
SP2 Set-up.....................................................................................................................10
Nebulizer Set-up............................................................................................................11
1.7 APEX 2Q Nebulizer used with the SP2 (Refer to APEX 2Q Manual).................................... 11
Mass Flow Controller Set-up..........................................................................................11
1.8 Connecting the Mass Flow Controller................................................................................. 11
1.9 Set communication between SP2 and Flow controller....................................................... 12
Part II: Turning the System On and Off...........................................................................14
SP2, and Nebulizer system.............................................................................................14
1.10 SP2 Pre-sampling warm-up ................................................................................................. 14
1.11 Powering up the Nebulizer system ..................................................................................... 18
Turning off the System ..................................................................................................21
Additional Questions.....................................................................................................23
Appendix A: Warranty and Contact Information ............................................................24

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F i g u r e s
Figure 1: Diagram of Flow and Gas Connections for operation of APEX 2Q with SP2......... 5
Figure 2: Plumbing Tee connection from Nebulizer to SP2 ............................................... 6
Figure 3: Check Critical components................................................................................ 8
Figure 4: Unpacking the Nebulizer, Documentation, Power cords, and Alicat................... 9
Figure 5: Using the zero filter ........................................................................................ 10
Figure 6: Connecting the Mass Flow Controller.............................................................. 11
Figure 7: SP2 Software icon and Device Manager Tab.................................................... 12
Figure 8: Finding COM port with device manager .......................................................... 12
Figure 9: Unplugging power to Alicat flow Control......................................................... 13
Figure 10: ZERO filter attached...................................................................................... 14
Figure 11: SP2 Program launch Icon............................................................................... 14
Figure 12: Config Tab, and Program Subtab ................................................................... 15
Figure 13: Plug in the Alicat controller and verify flow................................................... 15
Figure 14: Enabling the Alicat, Save and Restart the program ........................................ 16
Figure 15: Turn on the SP2 Pump................................................................................... 16
Figure 16: Turning the laser on...................................................................................... 16
Figure 17: Sample Flow Stabilizing................................................................................. 17
Figure 18: Waste container, and Turning on the Nebulizer............................................. 18
Figure 19: Working Nebulizer and Temperature indicators ............................................ 18
Figure 20: Turning on the Laser from the Control tab..................................................... 19
Figure 21: Verifying Particle Response........................................................................... 20
Figure 22: Reconnecting the Nebulizer to the SP2.......................................................... 21
Figure 23: Turning the Laser Off .................................................................................... 21
Figure 24: Turning off the Nebulizer .............................................................................. 22
Figure 25: Remove sample tube from sample container ................................................ 22

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Specifications
Specification are subject to change without notice.
1.1 General Specifications for the APEX 2Q Nebulizer
Operating Temperature Range
15°C to 25°C (59° - 77°F); 20 ± 2°C for optimum performance
Operating Humidity
35 to 85% non-condensing
Supply Gas Requirements
Compressed Air
•0 –1200 mL/min
•2 –9 bar (29 –130 psi)
1.2 Electrical Specifications for the APEX 2Q Nebulizer
Power Requirements
100 –240 / 50-60 Hz with supplied power supply
Input Current
4.5A
Output Voltage
24 VDC
Output Current
11.67A
1.3 Physical Specifications of the APEX 2Q Nebulizer
Weight:
6.8 Kg (15 lbs)
Dimensions:
21.6 cm W x 22.6 cm H x 25.9 cm L (Actual) including inlet hardware
and fuses.

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General Information
In no event will Droplet Measurement Technologies, LLC (DMT) be liable for direct, indirect, special,
incidental or consequential damages resulting from any defect or omissions in this manual.
DMT reserves the right to make changes to this manual and the products it describes at any time, without
notice or obligation. Revised editions are found on the manufacturer’s website.
All DMT product names and the Droplet Measurement Technologies Logo are trademarks of Droplet
Measurement Technologies, LLC.
All other brand and product names are trademarks, or registered trademarks, of their respectiveowners.
1.4 Safety Information
Please refer to the APEX 2Q Nebulizer section 1 for all safety information associated with that
product.
1.5 Brief Theory of Operation
To measure a sample using the Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2), you must ensure that the
sample under test is aerosolized. In instances when the sample to be tested is not already
aerosolized, we recommend using the APEX 2Q manufactured by Elemental Scientific to achieve
aerosolization. The setup to connect the APEX 2Q to the SP2 is relatively straightforward and is
depicted in Figure 1.
Figure 1: Diagram of Flow and Gas Connections for operation of APEX 2Q with SP2
NOTE: Contrary to the APEX-2Q Installation and Operation Guide, the APEX 2Q requires compressed
air to function with the SP2 rather than Nitrogen or Argon. Therefore, you will only use compressed
air connected to the Nebulizer rather than Nitrogen or Argon gas in this setup.

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Once you have connected the compressed air to the APEX 2Q (via a filter between tank and an
included mass flow controller), all you need to do is (1) connect the mass flow controller to the COM
port on the back of the SP2-D, and (2) connect the APEX 2Q to the inlet of the SP2 using a plumbing
“Tee” (Figure 2) and then you will be up and running.
Figure 1: Plumbing Tee connection from Nebulizer to SP2
While you are setting up the system, you should have two reference documents available and close
by for reference: 1) The SP2 Operators Manual (included with your SP2), and 2) the APEX 2Q
Operation and Installation Guide (included with your APEX 2Q).

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Introduction
Black carbon, or soot particles, are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and are emitted by combustion
processes. They play a major role in climate forcing by absorbing solar radiation and re-radiating the
energy as heat. Black carbon aerosol can also deposit onto snow and ice surfaces, which affect the
albedo. These light absorbing impurities lower the surface albedo, accelerating melting at the
surface. The radiative forcing caused by this snow albedo effect, has been estimated to be greater
than the effect of forcing by CO2(Flanner et al., 2007).
Traditional methods for measuring the black carbon impurities in snow and ice are performed using
filters. In addition to analytical artefacts, filter-based techniques require a large sample volume, and
therefore have poor temporal resolution.
The SP2 is the ideal alternative to these traditional techniques. It requires very little sample volume
resulting in high time resolution. Furthermore, the SP2 will measure both black carbon mass
concentrations and size distributions without significant sensitivity to the media in which it is
suspended or its mixing state. The SP2, however, does require nebulization of the liquid or ice sample
for analysis in the instrument. For this reason, coupling the SP2 with the high efficiency APEX 2Q
nebulizer has proven to be the ultimate solution for quantifying black carbon in snow and ice (Wendl
et al., 2014).
Flanner, M. G., Zender, C. S., Randerson, J. T., and Rasch, P. J.: Present-day climate forcing and response from black
carbon in snow, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 112, D11202, doi:10.1029/2006JD008003, 2007.
Wendl, I.A., Menking, J.A., Farber, R., Gysel, M., Kaspari, S.D., Laborde, M.J.G., and Schwikowski M.: Optimized method
for black carbon analysis in ice and snow using the single particle soot photometer, Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 2667-268,
doi:10.5194/amt-7-2667-2014, 2014.

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Part 1: Unpacking, Setup, Installation, and Power
Up
1.6 Contents
The box contains all of the components, connectors, and tubing needed to run the APEX 2Q nebulizer
with your SP2-D. Check for documentation as well; DMT provides this setup guide and the APEX 2Q
Nebulizer comes with its own Installation and Operating Guide along with the APEX 2Q Packing list
which are both included with the kit.
Figure 3 shows the kit and critical components for the APEX 2Q Nebulizer.
Figure 3: Check Critical components

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Figure 4 shows the main components of the system, including the Nebulizer, Alicat flow controller,
required tubing, and Operator Manuals. Unpack carefully, and alert DMT Immediately of any damage
that might have occurred during shipment.
Figure 4: Unpacking the Nebulizer, Documentation, Power cords, and Alicat

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SP2 Set-up
Ensure that you have set the SP2 up according to the SP2 Operator Manual that was shipped with the
instrument. In addition, to mitigate the risk of contamination of the optical cavity of the SP2 by unfiltered
air while the instrument is not running and/or in the start-up sequence of stabilization, add a zero filter to
the sample inlet of the SP2 (see Figure 5).
Figure 5: Using the zero filter

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Nebulizer Set-up
1.7 APEX 2Q Nebulizer used with the SP2 (Refer to APEX 2Q Manual)
Please refer to Chapter 3 of the APEX 2Q Installation and Operator Guide
Mass Flow Controller Set-up
1.8 Connecting the Mass Flow Controller
1. Connect clean source of compressed air to the Alicat flow controller on the “IN” tubing side
(Figure 6 #1)
2. Connect the ¼” Poly tubing from the Alicat “OUT” port to the inline filter (Figure 6 #2).
3. Connect the power supply for the Alicat flow controller (figure 6 #3).
Figure 6: Connecting the Mass Flow Controller
4. Depending on the model of SP2, you will connect the Alicat flow control to the SP2 with either
a RS-232 connector (COM ports 1 or 2), or USB to serial adapter. (Figure 6 #4).
5. Basic connections should be complete, but the SP2 software will need to recognize the Mass
Flow Controller by selecting the correct port before the unit can be used.
Compressed Air
(Clean source)

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1.9 Set communication between SP2 and Flow controller
Turn on power to the SP2 find the ICON for the SP2 Software and start the program. The following
steps will verify that the Flow Controller is installed correctly, and it is recognized by the software.
Figure 7: SP2 Software icon and Device Manager Tab
1. Make sure the Alicat control cable is connected to the SP2 on the back panel of the unit.
2. Open Windows “Device Manager” (Figure 7)
3. Look for the list of devices and COM ports (Figure 7). If USB to Serial adapter is being used
then select “SeaLINK +232 USB to RS-232 Converter” COM port. On the other hand, if
connecting directly to one of the serial ports, use COM1 or COM2.
4. On the Config/flow tab, change the “Com Port” value on the Alicat flow controller section
(Figure 8) to the determined selection.
Figure 8: Finding COM port with device manager

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5. Check to make sure that the correct COM port is selected by changing the flow (Figure 8) to
900vccm. Save the change, Restart the Program. Enable the Alicat (Figure 8) and then check
the setpoint on the Alicat display, it should say “.9”. If the setpoint did not change, plug in
to the other COM port and verify that the Alicat is connected correctly.
6. Once the COM port is verified, change the flow on the Alicat flow controller section to
“960”. Be sure to Save Changes and Restart Program to initiate the update, (Figure 8).
7. Once the computer has the correct COM port, be sure to switch to “Disable Alicat Control”,
and unplug the power (Figure 9)
Figure 9: Unplugging power to Alicat flow Control

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Part II: Turning the System On and Off
Make sure your system is correctly set-up as described in Part 1. It is important to let the SP2
Instrument run for about 20 minutes by itself to warm up and stabilize. Never turn the laser on before
the pump is active, this can damage the instrument, turn on the pump and let it run for some time
before the laser is activated. Once the system is warmed up and working properly, you can replace
the nebulizer cover and secure it using the two back-panel screws.
SP2, and Nebulizer system
Steps for powering up the system and general use.
1.10 SP2 Pre-sampling warm-up
1. Make sure the Zero Filter Setup is attached (Figure 10).
Figure 10: ZERO filter attached.
2. Switch on the Computer for the SP2.
3. Switch on the SP2 System Power.
4. Start the SP2 software by double-clicking on the SP2 icon (Figure 11) on desktop.
Figure 11: SP2 Program launch Icon

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5. Once the software is up and running, go to Config tab and Program sub-tab (Figure 12).
Figure 12: Config Tab, and Program Subtab
6. Check to ensure Config File Being Viewed is SP2 Configuration.ini.
7. Double-check to make sure the correct file is loaded.
8. If a different file is listed, press the Load a File button (Figure 12). Navigate to the directory:
C:\DMT\SP2 Support. Select the SP2 Configuration.ini and click OK.
9. Next, make sure the flow controller is set-up correctly and recognized by the SP2 software. See
section 1.9 for flow controller set-up.
10. Plug the power cord into the Alicat flow controller (Figure 13) and set compressed air pressure
to between 20-50 psi.
Figure 13: Plug in the Alicat controller and verify flow

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Figure 14: Enabling the Alicat, Save and Restart the program
11. Go to Config / Flow tab and Enable the Alicat. Save Changes and Restart the program (Figure
14).
12. In the Control tab, turn ON the Sample Pump in the SP2 software (Figure 15). You should hear
the pump start. Do Not turn on the Laser until you complete the following steps.
Figure 15: Turn on the SP2 Pump
13. Make sure the flow has time to stabilize this step usually takes about 5 minutes. To check this,
go to the SP2 tab in the software. Sample Flow LFE should be approximately 120 vccm.
14. Turn the laser to the “ON” position (Figure 16).
Figure 16: Turning the laser on

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15. The SP2 should be allowed to warm up and stabilize for about 20 minutes while sampling the
filtered air (Figure 17).
Figure 17: Sample Flow Stabilizing

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1.11 Powering up the Nebulizer system
Before turning on the Nebulizer, be sure the waste tubes are inserted into the waste container and
that the container has been emptied recently, toggle power to “ON” (Figure 18).
Figure 18: Waste container, and Turning on the Nebulizer
1. Once the Nebulizer has been powered up, let the machine run for 5-10 minutes to allow the
temperature controllers to pre-heat and cool. Then, start the Omega UI program which is the
Nebulizer program. Once the Omega UI program is running, press the connect button and wait
for the 2 temperatures (Spray Chamber and Peltier Cooler) to stabilize; the program will
indicate when the temperatures have stabilized by turning the representative indicator boxes
green (Figure 19).
Figure 19: Working Nebulizer and Temperature indicators

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2. Make sure that both the SP2 pump and laser are powered on. Once verified, click on the
Control tab in the SP2 software. (Figure 20).
Figure 20: Turning on the Laser from the Control tab
3. Remove the Filter from the inlet.

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4. Go to the SP2 tab in the software and verify the particle response (Figure 21)
Figure 21: Verifying Particle Response