A sniffing tour at the airport
What impact do sustainable fuels have on air quality at airports? This article from the DLR Magazine takes you to Copenhagen Airport - and provides an insight into our research activities on this topic.
Emission measurements with a focus on particles
Particle measurement system
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The release of pollutants from combustion processes and their impact on the environment are an important area of research in the Chemical Kinetics and Analytics department.
The sources of emissions range from exhaust gases from combustion processes to abrasion from mechanical brakes. In addition to the determination of gaseous pollutants (e.g. NOx, CO, hydrocarbons), the investigation of ultrafine particles (UFP) is a core competence of the department. A key objective of the research activities is to improve local air quality by identifying relevant emission sources and developing mitigation measures.
The determination of airborne particles requires a great deal of equipment. For this purpose, the department has modern instruments at its disposal that allow the characterisation of released particles and gaseous compounds. The modular use of the scientific measuring devices allows them to be used in laboratories and implemented in the DLR "Forschung unterwegs" measuring laboratory. The devices themselves determine particle number concentrations in the size range between 2.5 nm and 10 µm. It is also possible to determine the soot mass of particles with a diameter of less than 100 nm down to the trace range. Size-selective deposition also allows subsequent chemical analysis of the deposited particles using the scanning electron microscope of the Chemical Kinetics and Analytics department.
Contact
Dr. Markus Köhler
Head of Department Chemical Kinetics and Analytics Department
German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Institute of Combustion Technology
Pfaffenwaldring 38-40, 70569 Stuttgart