Speck Performs Well in Independent Testing
Researchers at the Center for Air Resources Engineering and Science at Clarkson University recently evaluated the Speck sensor along with three other low-cost PM sensors at their laboratory in Potsdam, NY. In the testing, the four low-cost PM sensors were exposed to Arizona Test Dust (ATD) and particles from cigarette smoke (CS), and their responses compared to the responses of more complex laboratory PM measurement instrumentation. These two particle sources represent extremes in particle sizes with ATD being dominated by large particles and CS being dominated by fine particles. Although all four low-cost PM sensors showed variations in their ability to correctly characterize the number concentrations of the two test particles, the results of PM mass measurements were much more convincing. For PM mass measurements, results of the tests showed that the Speck sensor was the only one to consistently yield PM mass concentrations in agreement with the laboratory instrument data for both sources of PM with consistent coefficients of regression, R2, of 0.92 for cigarette smoke and 0.96 for Arizona Test Dust. The other low-cost PM monitors showed varied responses to the two types of test particles and, generally, lower or inconsistent R2 values. These results demonstrate the Speck’s ability to reliably indicate PM mass concentrations for a wide spectrum of particle sizes and potential sources. The full test results can be found in the following publication - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jaerosci.2016.08.010.
Dave Litton
