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Laboratory and Calibration studies |
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Coordinator:
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Laboratory studies of physical and chemical atmospheric processes are important to further our understanding of the atmosphere and the behaviour of pollutants therein. Studies of dynamical and chemical processes as well as cloud-aerosol interactions are on-going at the chamber facilities.
Calibration of instruments used within our observatories, airborne and field observations as well as the wider community is an important goal of our work. The continuity of staff within the facility means we are ideally placed to perform calibration exercises and ensure accuracy and comparability of measurements is maintained.
A selection of recent highlights, developments and activities from our Laboratory and Calibration studies are summarised here. More details of individual Laboratory and Calibration facilities is available below.
♦ Latest Laboratory and Calibration news:
FAGE HO2 interference tests - Results from investigations into the interferences in measurements of HO2 caused by VOCs
Ozone Calibrator used by Leeds Atmospheric Chemistry Group and FGAM colleagues
EnFlo Tunnel - Current Project is investigating the wakes of wind turbines in a stable boundary layer
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EnFlo has a Meteorological wind tunnel at Surrey University, with the capability of setting a vertical temperature profile at the inlet to the working section, and can heat or cool the tunnel floor panels to achieve the computer controlled setpoint temperatures. These systems can be used to simulate the atmospheric boundary layer in neutral, stable and unstable conditions. |
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Manchester Ice Cloud Chamber
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The new ice cloud chamber facility consists of three large cold rooms arranged vertically above each other on three floors of the building |
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HIRAC chamber
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The Highly Instrumented Reactor for Atmospheric Chemistry, HIRAC, is a NERC funded atmospheric simulation chamber developed with the ability to control temperature, pressure and photolysis rates during experiments. HIRAC may be used to test instruments under a range of atmospherically relevant conditions, providing, for example, a calibration facility for FGAM airborne instrumentation at a range of temperatures and pressures consistent with conditions experienced during airborne measurements.
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Ozone calibrator
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A number of ozone monitors are operated by individual University research groups and monitoring sites throughout the UK, each with their own operating protocols and calibration procedures. The facility aims to link each of these instruments to a common, certified calibration scale by coordinating the use of a portable ozone primary standard to maintain accuracy of observations and allow direct comparisons to be drawn between the datasets collected.
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