Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument
Abstract We report on the proof-of-concept of a low-mass, low-power method for collecting micron-sized sulfuric acid aerosols in bulk from the atmosphere of Venus. The collection method uses four wired meshes in a sandwich structure with a deposition area of 225 cm2. It operates in two modes: passiv...
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Nature Portfolio
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80847-8 |
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| author | Iaroslav Iakubivskyi Sara Seager Christopher E. Carr Janusz J. Petkowski Rachana Agrawal M. Regina A. Moreno Snigdha Nellutla |
| author_facet | Iaroslav Iakubivskyi Sara Seager Christopher E. Carr Janusz J. Petkowski Rachana Agrawal M. Regina A. Moreno Snigdha Nellutla |
| author_sort | Iaroslav Iakubivskyi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We report on the proof-of-concept of a low-mass, low-power method for collecting micron-sized sulfuric acid aerosols in bulk from the atmosphere of Venus. The collection method uses four wired meshes in a sandwich structure with a deposition area of 225 cm2. It operates in two modes: passive and electrostatic. During passive operation, aerosols are gathered on the deposition surface by aerodynamic force. During electrostatic operation, a tungsten needle discharges a high voltage of − 10 kV at the front of the grounded mesh structure. The discharge ionizes aerosols and attracts them to the mesh by Coulomb forces, resulting in improved efficiency and tentative attraction of submicron aerosols. We describe the instrument construction and testing in the laboratory under controlled conditions with aerosols composed of 25%, 50%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 98%* concentration by volume of sulfuric acid, the rest water. We demonstrated the following: (i) both modes of operation can collect the entire range of sulfuric acid solutions; (ii) the collection efficiency increases steadily (from a few percent for water to over 40% for concentrated sulfuric acid) with the increased concentration of sulfuric acid solution in water in both modes; (iii) the relative improvement in the collection of the electrostatic mode decreases as the sulfuric acid concentration increases. We also demonstrated the operation of the instrument in the field, cloud particle collection on Mt. Washington, NH, and crater-rim fumaroles’ particle collection on Kīlauea volcano, HI. The collection rate in the field is wind-speed dependent, and we observed collection rates around 0.1 ml $$\cdot \hbox {min}^{-1}$$ in low wind environments (1–2 m $$\cdot \hbox {s}^{-1}$$ ), and around 1 ml $$\cdot \hbox {min}^{-1}$$ in stronger wind (7–9 m $$\cdot \hbox {s}^{-1}$$ ). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dd5ec8416ab34b5b8d675a09d09293c4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-dd5ec8416ab34b5b8d675a09d09293c42024-12-08T12:28:52ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111610.1038/s41598-024-80847-8Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrumentIaroslav Iakubivskyi0Sara Seager1Christopher E. Carr2Janusz J. Petkowski3Rachana Agrawal4M. Regina A. Moreno5Snigdha Nellutla6Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologySchool of Aerospace Engineering, Georgia Institute of TechnologyAbstract We report on the proof-of-concept of a low-mass, low-power method for collecting micron-sized sulfuric acid aerosols in bulk from the atmosphere of Venus. The collection method uses four wired meshes in a sandwich structure with a deposition area of 225 cm2. It operates in two modes: passive and electrostatic. During passive operation, aerosols are gathered on the deposition surface by aerodynamic force. During electrostatic operation, a tungsten needle discharges a high voltage of − 10 kV at the front of the grounded mesh structure. The discharge ionizes aerosols and attracts them to the mesh by Coulomb forces, resulting in improved efficiency and tentative attraction of submicron aerosols. We describe the instrument construction and testing in the laboratory under controlled conditions with aerosols composed of 25%, 50%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 98%* concentration by volume of sulfuric acid, the rest water. We demonstrated the following: (i) both modes of operation can collect the entire range of sulfuric acid solutions; (ii) the collection efficiency increases steadily (from a few percent for water to over 40% for concentrated sulfuric acid) with the increased concentration of sulfuric acid solution in water in both modes; (iii) the relative improvement in the collection of the electrostatic mode decreases as the sulfuric acid concentration increases. We also demonstrated the operation of the instrument in the field, cloud particle collection on Mt. Washington, NH, and crater-rim fumaroles’ particle collection on Kīlauea volcano, HI. The collection rate in the field is wind-speed dependent, and we observed collection rates around 0.1 ml $$\cdot \hbox {min}^{-1}$$ in low wind environments (1–2 m $$\cdot \hbox {s}^{-1}$$ ), and around 1 ml $$\cdot \hbox {min}^{-1}$$ in stronger wind (7–9 m $$\cdot \hbox {s}^{-1}$$ ).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80847-8Venus cloudsSulfuric acid aerosolsCloud collection |
| spellingShingle | Iaroslav Iakubivskyi Sara Seager Christopher E. Carr Janusz J. Petkowski Rachana Agrawal M. Regina A. Moreno Snigdha Nellutla Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument Scientific Reports Venus clouds Sulfuric acid aerosols Cloud collection |
| title | Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument |
| title_full | Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument |
| title_fullStr | Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument |
| title_full_unstemmed | Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument |
| title_short | Venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument |
| title_sort | venus cloud catcher as a proof of concept aerosol collection instrument |
| topic | Venus clouds Sulfuric acid aerosols Cloud collection |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-80847-8 |
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