On volatile particle formation in aircraft exhaust plumes

Abstract

In this article, the effect of the size bin resolution in a discrete aerosol dynamic model which predicts the formation of particles in an aircraft plume is examined. The model includes plume dilution and both the effect of neutral and charged particles on coagulation, with coefficients which vary with particle size and charge. A comparison of the model results is made with the in-flight experimental data collected in the plume of the ATTAS aircraft during the SULFUR-5 mission (Schröder, 1998). From this comparison, it appears that the choice of the value to be used for the “volume ratio” in the coagulation scheme is crucial to correctly determine the size distribution of the particles, especially for the larger sizes, as well as the emission indices for volatile particles.