Aerosol Sampling Estimator
Sample collection time from aerosol & flow parameters
About this tool

This tool estimates the aerosol sample collection time required to reach a defined target mass load on an EMILIE™ chip. In the default mode it assumes a monodisperse aerosol of spherical particles with uniform diameter and density.

The collection time follows from:

t = M​​target / (Q · N · CE(d, Q) · mp)

where Mtarget is the target chip load, Q the volumetric flow rate, N the number concentration, and mp = ρ · (π/6) · d³ the single-particle mass.

The size and flow dependent collection efficiency CE(d, Q) is described by an exponential fit calibrated from experimental data:

CE(d, Q) = CEmax(Q) · [1 − exp(−d / λ(Q))]

Calibrated at three flows: 0.3 and 0.6 L/min from Surdu et al. (2026); 1.0 L/min (maximum) from unpublished data provided by Gisinger. CEmax is interpolated linearly and λ log-linearly between adjacent calibration points. Particles below 10 nm are excluded as they are not reliably captured by the chip.

Surdu et al., Sci. Adv. 12, eaeb2254 (2026)

EMILIE™ Chip settings
ng
L / min
Surdu et al. (auto)
Aerosol parameters
kg / m³
nm
# / cm³
or upload distribution
Size distribution
Accepts SMPS Excel files from TSI instruments (.xls / .xlsx), Brechtel SEMS results files (.dat), DOY-format SMPS CSV files (DOY_start, Size_bin_1…), and two-column CSV files (diameter in nm, dN/dlogDp in #/cm³). If multiple scans are detected, select a specific scan or the mean in the top right of the plot. The instrument reports dN/dlogDp values; the actual bin concentration is recovered as ΔNi = (dN/dlogDp)i · Δlog(Dp,i), where Δlog(Dp,i) = log10(di+1) − log10(di). The collection time integrates each bin weighted by CE(di, Q) from Surdu et al. & Gisinger.
Results
Estimated sample collection time
in seconds
—
in minutes
—
in hours
—
Size distribution & collection efficiency Collection efficiency CE(d, Q) from Surdu et al. & Gisinger — particles below 10 nm excluded
Use for estimate: