The DustScan Sentinel Aerosol Monitor is a flexible tool for assessing the ambient particulate matter (PM) concentration using an advanced light scattering technique.

The DustScan Sentinel Aerosol Monitor is a flexible tool for assessing the ambient particulate matter (PM) concentration using an advanced light scattering technique. The instrument is housed in a weatherproof enclosure for operation in indoor or challenging outdoor environments.

Product Details

Applications

With its battery- or solar-powered capability, the monitor is especially adept at assessing the particulate matter loading at “difficult” locations at which the supply of mains power is difficult or impossible, or where space limitations do not allow for the istallation of a conventional air monitoring station.

Technology

The DustScan Sentinel Aerosol Monitor contains the handheldDustScan Scout unit, adding several features. These include the control of heating at the sample inlet tube in response to high humidity conditions, a wind vane/anemometer input for meteorological information, and an optional modem.Regulatory Status Not applicable.Details

Flexible Outdoor PM Assessment...

The DustScan Sentinel Aerosol Monitor is a flexible tool for generating particulate matter (PM) trending information. The units weatherproof enclosure permits its use in a variety of challenging outdoor environments, and its battery operation permits siting independent of a mains power source.

Applications for the monitor include land fills, material handling facilities, and hazardous waste clean-up sites. Space-constrained urban sites and traffic corridors are other locations that can benefit from the monitors features.

Features for Outdoor Measurements

The DustScan Sentinel unit builds upon by the DustScan Scout Model 3020 Aerosol Monitor. It houses the hand-held unit in an outdoor enclosure, and adds a number of features:

 • A built-in humidity sensor monitors the air stream flowing out of the DustScan Scout unit. The monitor also contains a heated air inlet that operates under microprocessor control. When the exit humidity level exceeds the value entered by the user in the monitors firmware, the sample tube heater turns on. This feature is designed to minimize the effect that changing outdoor relative humidity levels exert upon the mass concentration readings from the monitor.

 • A wind vane/anemometer connection permits the capture of meteorological information. These data are stored in the monitors internal buffer along with the mass concentration readings. This can provide a convenient means of determining whether relationships exist between wind speed/direction and ambient PM loading.

 • Size-selective inlets developed by the Harvard School of Public Health providePM-2.5 andPM-10 cut point characteristics similar to those of the USEPA rererence inlets. A rain cap is available for applications that do not require size-selective sampling.

 • An optional modem with a wide temperature range permits bi-directional data transmission.

 • The DustScan Sentinel unit provides convenient, weatherprotected access to connection points for contact closure and 0-5 VDC outputs.

 • The unit includes mounting hardware for flexible installation.

 • The waterproof enclosure permits consitent operations in the ambient temperature range of -15 to 60 degrees C. For indoor installations, optional sample tube extensions can bridge the distance between the monitor and the outdoor-mounted sample inlet.

Optional modem for wide temperature range

Wind vane/anemometer input for connection to optional met gear

Operating Principle

At the heart of the DustScan Sentinel unit is a transducer that uses near-forward light scattering to assess the concentration of particulate matter in ambient air. The light source is a safety-interlocked laser that operates at a wave length of 670 nm. The scattered light received by a sensor forms the basis of the particle loading results (in milligrams per cubic meter) generated by the monitor. The sensor is located at a 180 degree angle from the light source.

Data Generation

Users can select the data averaging/storage interval to be between 2 seconds and 30 minutes. In each record, the monitor stores the minimum and maximum concentrations with time stamps, along with the average for the period. With an optional wind vane/anemometer attached to the monitor, the DustScan Sentinel unit includes meteorological information along with PM concentration in each stored record.

Solar Power Configurations

for information on solar power configurations available for the DustScan Sentinel Aerosol Monitor.