Aerosol Charge Conditioner ACC-EL2-63

Produktdetails

The Aerosol Charge Conditioner, manufactured by Atmose Ltd., uses a patent-pending design with a Ni-63 beta particle source to deliver predictable particle charging with significantly reduced regulatory restrictions compared to traditional radioactive charge conditioners. The source emits basically no gamma radiation (less than typical natural background radiation) and has an activity level less than 100 MBq (megabecquerel), making it exempt from additional regulations in many regions. In fact, the product is exempt from radioactive source licensing requirements under Schedule I of the General Safety Requirements (GSR) Part 3, as published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which includes 181 countries as IAEA member states as of December 2025¹. This design helps to overcome licensing barriers, enabling deployment in remote or roadside stations, mobile laboratories, and field campaigns anywhere.

Modern electrostatic classifiers employ rapid scanning techniques, yet conventional charge conditioners often introduce potentially long, uneven transmission delays that degrade measurement accuracy. The ACC's optimized geometry maintains consistent residence time across all particle sizes, ensuring accurate capture of aerosol emission events which is critical for pollution monitoring and dynamic emissions studies.

Laboratory validation shows the ACC-EL2-63 achieves charge fraction distributions similar to those of the traditional TSI Model 3077A Krypton-85 charge conditioner. For example, size distributions of spherical particles agreed within 3% on median size and 5% on number concentrations using reference instruments with the ACC-EL2-63 relative to the 3077A at similar conditions. The Ni-63 source carries a 101-year half-life, ensuring minimal drift over multi-year campaigns and reducing service interruptions. Whether deployed in regulatory networks or research laboratories, the ACC provides a stable, safe, and scientifically rigorous foundation for particle classification.

Performance Validation

• Median diameter agreement within 3% across particle size range
• Total number concentration accuracy within 5% over concentration range spanning 10⁵–10⁷ #/cm³
• Charge fraction distributions show high correspondence with reference charge conditioner
• Consistent size distributions across multiple repeat scans at varying dilution settings

Applications

• Electrostatic Classifiers (inside the TSI SMPS) in regulatory monitoring networks
• Ambient aerosol characterization and source attribution studies
• Roadside and curbside air quality monitoring
• Mobile laboratory deployments for pollution event investigation
• Aerosol generation for laboratory studies
• Neutralization of charged aerosols in filter testing 
• Fast scanning applications for higher time resolution measurements
• General laboratory aerosol research applications 
• Long-duration monitoring campaigns where frequent source replacement or navigating regulatory hurdles is impractical

Features and Benefits

• Patent-pending design with <100 MBq activity source and basically no gamma emissions (less than typical natural background radiation) – helps to overcome licensing barriers
• Optimized internal geometry for uniform fluid dynamics and residence time
• Compatible with TSI Electrostatic Classifier Models used in the SMPS
• External form factor is identical to TSI Kr-85 3077 and 3077A 
• Wide operating ambient condition range for diverse field environments
• 101-year half-life time of Ni-63 for predictable long-term performance
• Solid-state design with no gases or liquids, greatly reducing the potential for leaks
• No changes required to data inversion used in Aerosol Instrument Manager software
• Excellent agreement with traditional Model 3077A charge conditioners