On the effects of hydrocarbon and sulphur-containing compounds on the CCN activation of combustion particles

A. Petzold (1) , M. Gysel (2) , X. Vancassel (3) , R. Hitzenberger (4) , H. Puxbaum (5) , S. Vrochticky (5) , E. Weingartner (6) , Urs Baltensperger (6) , P. Mirabel (7)

1 IPA - DLR Institut für Physik der Atmosphäre = DLR Institute of Atmospheric Physics
2 SEAES - School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences [Manchester]
3 AOPP - Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics [Oxford]
4 Institute for Experimental Physics
5 Institute for Chemical Technologies and Analytics
6 LAC - Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry [Paul Scherrer Institute]
7 Université Louis Pasteur - Strasbourg I

The European PartEmis project (''Measurement and prediction of emissions of aerosols and gaseous precursors from gas turbine engines'') was focussed on the characterisation and quantification of exhaust emissions from a gas turbine engine. A comprehensive suite of aerosol, gas and chemi-ion measurements were conducted under different combustor operating conditions and fuel sulphur concentrations. Combustion aerosol characterisation included on-line measurements of mass and number concentration, size distribution, mixing state, thermal stability of internally mixed particles, hygroscopicity, cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation potential, and off-line analysis of chemical composition. Modelling of CCN activation of combustion particles was conducted using microphysical and chemical properties obtained from the measurements as input data. Based on this unique data set, the role of sulphuric acid coatings on the combustion particles, formed in the cooling exhaust plume through either direct condensation of gaseous sulphuric acid or coagulation with volatile condensation particles nucleating from gaseous sulphuric acid, and the role of the organic fraction for the CCN activation of combustion particles was investigated. It was found that particles containing a large fraction of non-volatile organic compounds grow significantly less at high relative humidity than particles with a lower content of non-volatile OC. Also the effect of the non-volatile OC fraction on the potential CCN activation is significant. While a coating of water-soluble sulphuric acid increases the potential CCN activation, or lowers the activation diameter, respectively, the non-volatile organic compounds, mainly found at lower combustion temperatures, can partially compensate this sulphuric acid-related enhancement of CCN activation of carbonaceous combustion aerosol particles.

Domaines: Océan, Atmosphère

A. Petzold, M. Gysel, X. Vancassel, R. Hitzenberger, H. Puxbaum, et al.. On the effects of hydrocarbon and sulphur-containing compounds on the CCN activation of combustion particles. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, 2005, 5 (3), pp.2599-2642. ⟨hal-00327886⟩