The phase separation inlet for droplets, ice residuals, and interstitial aerosols

Abstract

A new inlet for studying the composition of mixed-phase clouds - the phaSe seParation Inlet for Droplets icE residuals and inteRstitial aerosols (SPIDER) - is described. SPIDER combines an omni-directional inlet, a Large-Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor (L-PCVI), a flow tube as evaporation chamber, and a Pumped Counterflow Virtual Impactor (PCVI) to separate droplets, ice crystals, and interstitial aerosols for simultaneous sampling. Verification tests of each individual component of SPIDER were positive, as was the result of investigating that the components work together as a whole setup without flow blockage or choking. SPIDER was installed at Mt. Washington Observatory (MWO), a mountain top research facility in the White Mountains, for a two-week field campaign. There, SPIDER showed promising performance as a field instrument and provided first data that suggest its capability of separating distinct cloud particles. Future design improvements of SPIDER are suggested along with potential locations for field measurements.