Faculty
Pui, David Y.H. (Laboratory Director)
E-mail: dyhpui@umn.edu
Telephone: (612) 625-2537
Education: Ph.D., 1976, M.S., 1973, B.S., 1970 Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Research: Research is in the field of aerosol science and technology, including studies on nanoparticle production and measurement, micro- and nano-contamination research, filtration and separation technology, aerosol instrumentation, as well as aerosol charging, sampling, transport, and deposition mechanisms. Current research projects include: protection schemes for EUVL masks from nanoparticle contamination, nanoparticle filtration, physicochemical characteristics and toxicological properties of nanoparticles, measurement of nanoparticle surface area deposited in the lung, experimental and theoretical investigations of dust loading on air filters, behavior of fine particles in vacuum, as well as instrumentation for nanoparticles measurements and nanobiotechnology applications.
Professor Pui has approximately 250 publications on the subjects and has developed or co-developed several widely used aerosol instruments. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and is a recipient of the Smoluchowski Award in 1992, the Max Planck Research Award in 1993, the International Aerosol Fellow Award in 1998, Humboldt Research Award for Senior U.S. Scientists in 2000 and the AAAR David Sinclair Award (2002). He served as President of the American Association for Aerosol Research (AAAR) 2000-01 and has organized several international symposia to promote research cooperation especially among young scientists.
E-mail: kitte001@umn.edu
Telephone: (612) 625-1808
Education: Ph.D., 1972, Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, England, M.S., 1966, B.S., 1964, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Research: Research interests include sampling and characterization of particles from high-temperature, high-pressure streams; characterization of devices for removing particulate matter from combustion products; energy conversion and the production and use of alternative fuels; dynamics of diesel exhaust and other carbonaceous aerosols; electronic engine control; measurement and control of spark ignition engine knock; engine sensors, control, and on-board diagnostics. Performance of alcohols and other alternate fuels in engines; continuous measurement of airborne particulate sulfur, carbon, and nitrogen; measurements of ultrafine particles in gases and liquids; and megasonic cleaning of silicon wafers.
E-mail: kuehn001@umn.edu
Telephone: (612) 625-4520
Education: Ph.D., 1976, M.S., 1973, B.S., 1971 Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Research: Research interests include basic studies of fluid mechanics and heat and mass transfer, bioaerosols, and other topics related to energy use and indoor environments in buildings.
Experimental measurements are being performed in the laboratory to test how efficiently building ventilation filters remove airborne particles of biological origin including viruses and fungal and bacterial spores. Fungal growth on loaded filters is also being investigated to determine the influence of environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity and air flow, and to quantify the efficacy of various antimicrobial methods. Protocols have been developed to use loaded ventilation filters to determine background levels of selected airborne bacteria and viruses in buildings. Analytical methods include culturing and identifying viable bacteria and live viruses and screening for selected microorganisms using PCR and RT-PCR.
A significant amount of research has been conducted on commercial kitchen equipment. Particulate and vapor effluents from various commercial cooking appliances and corresponding food products have been characterized. The rate of grease particle and vapor deposition inside exhaust ducts has been determined at various exhaust velocities. The results showed that lower velocities are better than the widely used minimum design value of 1500 ft/min. The minimum exhaust velocity in NFPA 96 was changed as a result of our work. A recent study developed a test protocol for the particulate capture performance of commercial grease filters. This was adopted by ASTM as a standard method of test and has been published as ASTM F2519-05.
E-mail: marple@me.umn.edu
Telephone: (612) 625-3441
Education: Ph. D., 1970, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota, M.S., 1965, Mechanical Engineering, University of Southern California, B.S., 1962, Mechanical Engineering, University of Minnesota
Research: Research interests lie in the areas of particle technology and aerosol science. Specific research areas include the development, evaluation, and calibration of instruments that monitor the size distribution of aerosol particles, especially non-ideal aerosols such as those found in the mining industry.
Basic research includes studies of particle separation by inertial classification. This work primarily deals with real and virtual inertial impactors and cyclones and has led to the development of several devices, including respirable impactors and uniform deposition impactors.
Additional research areas include both two- and three-dimensional modeling of fluid flow fields and particle trajectories in aerosol sampling devices, the analysis of anisokinetic particle sampling, and the study of fugitive dust emissions.
E-mail: mcmurry@me.umn.edu
Telephone: (612) 624-2817
Education: Ph.D., 1977, M.S. 1973, Environmental Engineering Sciences, California Institute of Technology, B.A., 1969, Physics, University of Pennsylvania
Research: Research interests include theoretical and experimental studies of aerosol systems and aerosol instrumentation. Current work focuses on atmospheric aerosols and synthesis of novel materials formed from deposited nanoparticles produced in thermal plasma reactors.
Atmospheric aerosol research includes instrumentation development, atmospheric observations, and studies of atmospheric aerosol processing. A recent highlight of our work is the discovery that large numbers of new particles are produced photochemically on about 20% of days in many locations. We are currently developing new experimental techniques to study chemical and physical mechanisms of particle nucleation and growth and are carrying out field campaigns at both urban and background continental sites. We have also developed real-time techniques to measure particle properties including refractive index, hygroscopicity, volatility, density and shape.
Our invention of aerodynamic lenses is another highlight. These devices enable particles to be concentrated into tightly collimated beams. Aerodynamic lenses are used to efficiently deliver particles into particle mass spectrometers where they can be analyzed chemically, or to substrates where they can accumulate to form nanophase deposits.
E-mail: hogan@me.umn.edu
Telephone: (612) 626-8312
Education: Ph.D., 2008, Energy, Environmental, & Chemical Engineering, Washington University in Saint Louis, B.S., 2004, Biological & Environmental Engineering, Cornell University
Research: Research interests are in the area of aerosol physics and chemistry. Current research focuses on the design of new instrumentation to produce molecular ions from aerosol nanoparticles and clusters, particle-particle and particle-ion interactions in the gas-phase, high temperature gas-phase synthesis of agglomerated, fractal-like nanoparticles, and the dispersion of fractal agglomerates in liquid suspensions for the preparation of enhanced thermal conductivity nanofluids.
AFFILIATED FACULTIES
- Traian Dumitrica (Mechanical Engineering)
- Sean C. Garrick (Mechanical Engineering)
- Steven L. Girshick (Mechanical Engineering)
- Sagar M. Goyal (College of Veterinary Medicine)
- Joachim Heberlein (Mechanical Engineering)
- Uwe Kortshagen (Mechanical Engineering)
- Gurumurthy Ramachandran (School of Public Health)
- Peter C. Raynor (School of Public Health)
- Jeffrey T Roberts (Chemistry)