SBIR Phase II: Development of Particulate Mass and Count Monitoring Instruments Using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Resonant Balances

SBIR 第二阶段：使用微机电谐振天平开发颗粒质量和计数监测仪器

• 批准号: 1353495
• 负责人: Varun Kumar
• 金额: $ 75万
• 依托单位: FemtoScale Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-04-15 至 2016-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1353495&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Development; Particulate

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project aims to develop small size, light-weight, and affordable personal particulate matter (PM) dosimeters. The targeted battery powered instrument almost the size of a fountain pen can be clipped onto clothing and freely carried around. The instrument can sample the surrounding air, separate airborne particles into several size ranges, and measure the mass of particles collected from the air sample in each size range. The instrument is comprised of a miniaturized cascade impactor with micro-electromechanical resonant balances embedded within, as impaction substrates. The cascade impactor configuration separates airborne particles based on their size and deposits them onto the resonant balance surfaces. Added mass of the deposited particles causes a negative shift in the resonant frequency of the microscale resonant balances. Integrated electronics within the system measure the resonator frequency changes and calculate the deposited mass and consequently PM concentration in the air flow in real-time. Development of such instruments would be a major leap forward, not only in aerosol science and technology, but also in microsystems technology. This product would be the first commercial product using a microscale mass balance in a sensory application and could open the door to other possibilities. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is in industrial hygiene for high dust work environments such as coal mines, underground construction sites, stone and wood cutting facilities, etc. Aerosol particles in the diameter range of a few microns and below pose serious threats to human health. While larger particles are filtered out by human nose and throat, finer particles can reach deep into the lungs and even other organs through the blood stream. It is well established that exposure to high particulate matter concentrations increases risk of various chronic diseases, lowers life expectancy, and in extreme cases leads to severe untreatable conditions such as Silicosis. Currently available particulate monitoring systems cannot address the need for a versatile, convenient, highly portable PM monitor. More importantly, the convenience, affordability, and versatility of the instrument allow tighter monitoring of PM levels and protecting every individual worker from harmful PM exposures. This could be a lifesaver for millions of workers in high risk environments.

这项小型企业创新研究阶段项目旨在发展小型，轻量级和负担得起的个人颗粒物（PM）剂量计。 有针对的电池供电的仪器几乎可以将钢笔的大小夹在衣服上并自由携带。 该仪器可以采样周围空气，将空降颗粒分成几个尺寸范围，并测量每个尺寸范围内从空气样品中收集的颗粒的质量。 该仪器由一个微型级联撞击器组成，带有嵌入在内部的微电机电谐振余额，作为碰撞底物。 级联撞击器的配置根据其大小将空气传播颗粒分开，并将其沉积到谐振平衡表面上。 添加的沉积颗粒质量会导致微观共振平衡的谐振频率发生负变化。 系统内部的集成电子设备测量谐振器频率变化并计算沉积的质量，从而实时在空气流中浓度PM浓度。这种工具的开发将不仅在气雾科学和技术中，而且在微系统技术中是一个重大的飞跃。 该产品将是在感官应用中使用微观质量平衡的第一个商业产品，并可能打开其他可能性的大门。 该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是在工业卫生中对于高尘土地雷，地下建筑工地，石材和木材切割设施等高灰尘工作环境的广泛影响。 虽然较大的颗粒被人体和喉咙过滤掉，但较细的颗粒可以通过血流深入肺部甚至其他器官。 众所周知，暴露于高颗粒物浓度会增加各种慢性疾病的风险，降低预期寿命，并且在极端情况下会导致严重的不可治疗的疾病，例如硅化病。 当前可用的颗粒物监视系统无法满足多功能，方便，高度便携式PM显示器的需求。 更重要的是，乐器的便利性，可负担性和多功能性允许对PM水平进行更严格的监控，并保护每个工人免受有害PM暴露。 对于高风险环境中的数百万工人来说，这可能是一种救生员。