Portable aerosol collector with liquid circulation mounted on a drone

摘要

Early detection of pathogens is crucial for ensuring safe living conditions. Conventional sampling methods do not ensure the sustainability of captured microorganisms. Cyclone-based liquid absorptive samplers are the most promising devices in this regard. Most samplers have limited application scope as they are intended for laboratories. In the study we developed a special liquid-based sampler for mounting on a drone. A structure and base values of a cyclone collector were determined. The chosen design provides maximum particle capturing efficiency in terms of low air flow rate and small size of the collector. Projected capturing efficiency for particles of the size of lmcm is approximately 20%, for particles of the size bigger than 2,5mcm is 100%. Mathematical modeling proved the correctness of theoretical considerations. This made it possible to design and fabricate a prototype of a sampler device which also includes a fan, a peristaltic pump, valves, a sensor for liquid levels monitoring, a display for operation mode controlling. Outdoor sampling on a drone has successfully proved performance efficiency at close to zero temperatures. A study on capturing efficiency was carried out by sampling sucrose aerosol with a fluorescein dye in a microbiological safety box. Specific efficiency of our sampler is 1,18 [relative units/(litre/min)], which is over twice s.e. of 0,43 [r.u./(l/min)] of existing laboratory devices. The device provides for the issuance of collected samples on standard immunochemical test strips for the analysis of adenovirus, rotavirus, influenza and other respiratory diseases with a full analysis time of 10 minutes.