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Evaluation of Optical Instruments for Real-Time Continuous Monitoring of Smoke Particulates
The evaluation criteria for the study are designed to look at the overall use of the optical instrument, its accuracy, comparisons among instruments, and cost. In future field applications, the instruments will probably be used by field technicians at various locations throughout the burning season. Portability, ease of set up, ease of data collection, and ease of data manipulation are extremely important. Other considerations a smoke manager should consider when deciding which instrument is most appropriate for each application include: power consumption, calibration requirements, reliability, and similar factors. The list of criteria developed for the evaluation includes:
Suitability—The instrument should be able to estimate particulate concentrations generated from smoke at the nuisance level, continuously and in real time. The instrument should be portable, operate on low power, (preferably batteries), be housed in a weatherproof enclosure, and be affordable for a National Forest.
Ease of Use—The instrument should be easy to operate and set up. Data collection and manipulation should be straightforward. Calibration should be simple.
Reliability—The instrument should be reliable and have strong manufacturer support.
Accuracy and Instrument Comparison—Accuracy is based on each instrument's real-time mass concentration estimates compared to a gravimetric standard. Estimates from identical instruments were compared to each other. The instruments should be reasonably stable so that accuracy or precision does not vary markedly for a given instrument.
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