POPS - Handix Scientific Inc.

POPS

Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer

Purpose

The Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS) is a light-weight, high-performance, and relatively low-cost particle counter. It is the ideal tool for measuring aerosol size distributions using unmanned platforms and ground-based sensor networks.

POPS countng efficiency as a functon of diameter for size-selected ammonium sulfate (RI = 1.53) partcles.

Features

Diameter range: single particle in the diameter range
0.13 - 3 μm in user-specified number of sizing channels
Diameter resolution: ~5% of diameter
Adjustable flow rate for different concentration regimes
Built-in data acquisition and logging capability

One System, Many Configurations

• POPS core system installed in foam
enclosure designed for
unmanned platforms.

• Ready for: Aerosol profiling on
radiosonde balloons, tethered
balloons, unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs), and other platforms.

• Physical Dimensions: 255 x 235 x 120mm

• Weight: 1050g with battery
900g without battery

• Includes: All elements of POPS
core system, POPS is installed into
customized foam enclosure, iMET cable,
Li-ion rechargeable battery with
POPS-specific wiring harness
and charger

• POPS core system
installed in weatherproof hard plastic enclosure

• Ready for: Outdoor and lab
deployments, fixed-site monitoring

• Physical Dimensions: 274 x 248 x 140mm

• Weight: 2.2 kg

• Includes: All elements of POPS core system, POPS is installed into customized hard plastic enclosure, Li-ion rechargeable battery with POPS-specific wiring harness and charger, external enclosure power cable and USB flash drive

POPS-1100
Core Configuration

• POPS core system

• Ready for: Custom integrations,
research platforms, lab experimentation

• Physical Dimensions: 175 x 162 x 88mm

• Weight: 600 g

• Includes: POPS instrument, power
supply, USB drive with Calibration
files, user manual, and Viewer
software.

• Optional Field Calibration Tools:
Portable Aerosol Generation System (PAGS), In-Field Calibration Kit
(POPS-CAL-KIT)

POPS-1110
Free-Balloon Configuration

POPS-1120
Weatherproof Configuration

Specifications

Operation

Sample aerosol is drawn into the measurement region and surrounded by filtered sheath air. The sample flow is monitored using a laminar flow element and feedback controlled. Particles are illuminated by a 405 nm diode laser. Light scattered by the particle is focused onto a photomultiplier tube by a spherical mirror (38° - 142° collection angle). The intensity of the scattered light pulse is proporitional to the diameter of the sampled particle. The POPS is calibrated using NIST traceable polystyrene latex spheres (PSL).

Diagram of the POPS Measurement Chamber

Yu, P., et al., Efficient transport of tropospheric aerosol into the stratosphere via the Asian summer monsoon anticyclone, PNAS, 6972-6977, 2017.

Michael A. Todt, et al. Baseline Balloon Stratospheric Aerosol Profiles (B2SAP) — Systematic Measurements of Aerosol Number Density and Size, Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 2023.

Reference:

Particle Size Range	Min. Detectable (D50) 130 nm Max. Sizable 3.0 μm
Particle Concentration Range	Minimum limited by counting statistics Max. with <10% coincidence error (for 0.1 LPM sample flow rate) 1250 #/cm3
Particle Concentration Accuracy	+/- 10% < 1000 #/cm3 (for 0.1 LPM sample flow rate)
Flow	Min. Sample Flow Rate 0.05 LPM Max. Sample Flow Rate 0.35 LPM
Environmental Operating Conditions	Min. Temperature. -40 C Max. Temperature. +35 C Ambient Humidity 0-95% non-condensing
Data Logging and Storage	On-board 32 GB micro-SD.
Laser	Wavelength 405nm Power ~70mW
Logging Interval	1 Hz
Power Requirements	+12VDC(AC adapter or battery) Average power consumption 5W
Communications	Ethernet Interface: 8-wire, RJ-45, 10/100 BASE-T, TCP/IP Serial: RS-232 USB (diagnostic mode): USB
Physical Dimensions	Core system: 175 x 162 x 88 mm
Detector Geometry	Collection angle: 38°-142°
Inlet	1/8″ OD

Specifications subject to change without notice.

Resources

POPS Calibration Kit
(POPS-CAL-KIT)

Portable Aerosol Generation System (PAGS)

POPS References

Calibrant PSL beads (4 sizes), filter tee assembly, gain adjustment tool, and carrying case for ease of in-field calibration of POPS

Convenient, battery-powered field nebulizer for generating POPS calibrant aerosol

Visit our References page to see POPS use cases like Todt et al. 2023.
(pictured above, 51 vertical POPS profiles)