Method and device for the detection, characterization and/or elimination of suspended particles

A device for characterising, separating and/or eliminating suspended particles in a carrier gas of an aerosol wherein the aerosol contains solid suspended particles and volatile suspended particles, comprising:

• a gas supply and a gas discharge,
• further comprising heating means for heating the aerosol to a temperature at which volatile suspended particles evaporate, but the solid suspended particles are unaffected,
• a dilution unit for diluting the aerosol with a dilution gas,
• further comprising a measuring unit arranged downstream of the dilution unit and the heating unit, the measuring unit being capable of measuring either the characteristics of or the quantity of the unaffected solid suspended particles, or both, remaining in the aerosol downstream of the dilution unit and the heating unit, and
• further comprising a saturator downstream of the heating means and of the dilution unit, in which the aerosol may be provided with a volatile substance and a condenser in which conditions prevail by way of which the volatile substance may be brought to supersaturation, a measurement volume in which the suspended particles from the condenser may be guided through a light beam, and detection means for detecting scatter light pulses that are caused by the scattering of light of the light beam on suspended particles, further comprising evaluation means that are designed for evaluating scatter light pulse intensities.