* Download datasheet *
* PM Co-location field study *
Where is it found?
Particles are emitted from a wide range of man-made sources. The most significant are road transport, non-combustion processes, industrial combustion plants and processes, commercial and residential combustion, and power plants.
Natural sources are less important and include volcanoes and dust storms.
Why is it harmful?
Particles may be seen as one of the most critical of all pollutants. Particulate matter is the generic term used to classify air pollutants comprising suspended particles in the air. The size, surface, number and composition of particles play an important role in human health effects. The upper respiratory tract is affected by PM10, while lung alveoli are affected by ultrafine particles (< 0.1 µm diameter).
Particles can cause premature mortality in patients suffering from lung or heart disease, provoke heart attacks, aggravate asthma, reduce lung functionality, and cause irritation in airways, coughing and difficulty breathing.
PM sensor
The particle sensor consists of sensors based on laser scattering technology. To cover different applications, two particle sensors are available:
- Type A (specific for Kunak AIR Pro stations): An OPC (Optical Particle Counter) capable of measuring particles from 0.3 µm up to 40 µm thanks to 24 bin channels. PM1, PM2.5, PM4, PM10, Total Suspended Particles (TSP) and Total Particle Counter (TPC) are calculated assuming a particle density profile. Field co-location studies have shown similar field performance to equivalence instruments based on the same technology, even when monitoring coarse particles (Certified Product for Indicative Ambient Particulate Monitors).
- Type B (specific for Kunak AIR Lite stations): A sensor with a measurement range from 0.3 µm up to 10 µm. The sensor accurately monitors PM1 and PM2.5 concentrations, while the expected error for PM10 is higher in the presence of coarse particles.
The effect of humidity is corrected in both sensors with the embedded algorithm, achieving high accuracy under environmental conditions except fog or condensation, where the data is automatically invalidated by the Kunak AIR Cloud software to prevent data noise.
Besides, the remote Kunak calibration tool allows you to adjust the correction factor to the specific location where the device is installed. Additionally, particle size distributions are available in Kunak AIR Cloud.
Specifications
Type A (only for Kunak AIR Pro)
| Type | Optical particle counter |
| Unit of measurement | µg/m3 |
| Measurement range (1) |
0–1,000 µg/m3 (PM1) 0–2,000 µg/m3 (PM2.5) 0–2,000 µg/m3 (PM4) 0–10,000 µg/m3 (PM10) 0–15,000 µg/m3 (TSP) 0–8,000 counts/cm3 (TPC) |
| Resolution (2) |
1 µg/m3 1 count/cm3 (TPC) |
| Operating temperature range (3) |
-20 to 50 °C -40 to 50 °C with heater** |
| Operating RH range (4) | 0 to 99 %RH |
| Recommended RH range (5) | 0 to 95 %RH |
| Operating life (6) | > 24 months |
| Guarantee range (7) | — |
| Limit of Detection (LOD) (8) |
0.5 µg/m3 (PM1) 0–0.5 µg/m3 (PM2.5) 0–0.5 µg/m3 (PM4) 0–1 µg/m3 (PM10) 0–6 µg/m3 (TSP) |
| Repeatability (9) |
2 µg/m3 (PM1) 3 µg/m3 (PM2.5) 3 µg/m3 (PM4) 5 µg/m3 (PM10) 6 µg/m3 (TSP) |
| Response time (10) | < 10 sec |
| Typical accuracy (12) |
± 2 µg/m3 (PM1) ± 3 µg/m3 (PM2.5) ± 3 µg/m3 (PM4) ± 4 µg/m3 (PM10) ± 6 µg/m3 (TSP) |
| Typical precision R2 (11) |
> 0.9 (PM1) > 0.8 (PM2.5) > 0.8 (PM4) > 0.7 (PM10) > 0.7 (TSP) > 0.8 (TPC) |
| Typical slope (11) | 0.85–1.18 |
| Typical intercept (a) (11) |
-1.8 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +1.8 µg/m3 (PM1) -2 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +2 µg/m3 (PM2.5) -2 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +2 µg/m3 (PM4) -3 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +3 µg/m3 (PM10) -4 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +4 µg/m3 (TSP) |
| DQO - Typical U(exp) (13) |
< 50% (PM1, PM4, PM10, TSP) < 35% (PM2.5) |
| Typical intra-model variability (14) | < 2 µg/m3 |
** More information on this version on request.
Type B (only for Kunak AIR Lite)
| Type | Optical particle counter |
| Unit of measurement | µg/m3 |
| Measurement range (1) | 0–1,000 µg/m3 |
| Resolution (2) | 1 µg/m3 |
| Operating temperature range (3) | -10 to 60 °C |
| Operating RH range (4) | 0 to 99 %RH |
| Recommended RH range (5) | 0 to 95 %RH |
| Operating life (6) | > 24 months |
| Guarantee range (7) | — |
| Limit of Detection (LOD) (8) |
0.5 µg/m3 (PM1) 0.5 µg/m3 (PM2.5) 0.5 µg/m3 (PM10) |
| Repeatability (9) |
3 µg/m3 (PM1) 3 µg/m3 (PM2.5) 6 µg/m3 (PM10) |
| Response time (10) | < 10 sec |
| Typical accuracy (12) |
± 3 µg/m3 (PM1) ± 3 µg/m3 (PM2.5) ± 6 µg/m3 (PM10)* |
| Typical precision R2 (11) |
> 0.85 (PM1) > 0.8 (PM2.5) > 0.5 (PM10)* |
| Typical slope (11) |
0.80–1.25 (PM1) 0.83–1.20 (PM2.5) 0.75–1.35 (PM10)* |
| Typical intercept (a) (11) |
-2 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +2 µg/m3 (PM1) -3 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +3 µg/m3 (PM2.5) -9 µg/m3 ≤ a ≤ +9 µg/m3 (PM10)* |
| DQO - Typical U(exp) (13) |
< 50% (PM1, PM2.5) < 75% (PM10)* |
| Typical intra-model variability (14) | < 2 µg/m3 |
- Measurement range: Concentration range measured by the sensor.
- Resolution: Smallest unit of measurement that can be indicated by the sensor.
- Operating temperature range: Temperature interval at which the sensor is rated to operate safely and provide measurements. In PM sensor Type A: -40 to 50 °C with heater (more information on this version on request).
- Operating RH range: Humidity interval at which the sensor is rated to operate safely and provide measurements.
- Recommended RH range: Recommended relative humidity range for optimal sensor performance. Continuous exposure outside the recommended range may damage the cartridge.
- Operating life: Time period during which the sensor can operate effectively and accurately under normal conditions.
- Guarantee range: Concentration range covered by Kunak's guarantee.
- LOD (Limit of Detection): Measured at laboratory conditions at 20 °C and 50% RH. The limit of detection is the minimum concentration that can be detected as significantly different to zero gas concentration, calculated according to Technical Specification CEN/TS 17660.
- Repeatability: Measured at laboratory conditions at 20 °C and 50% RH. Closeness of the agreement between the results of successive measurements of the same measurand carried out under the same conditions of measurement, calculated according to Technical Specification CEN/TS 17660.
- Response time: Time needed by the sensor to reach 90% of the final stable value.
- Typical precision – R2, slope and intercept: Statistics obtained between device hourly measurements and reference instruments in field tests between -10 to +30 °C at different locations. (*) For the Type B PM sensor, the expected error for PM10 is higher in the presence of coarse particles.
- Typical accuracy: For criteria pollutants, this is the average Mean Absolute Error (MAE) obtained between device hourly measurements and reference instruments for 1 to 8 months of field tests between -10 to +30 °C in different countries. For other pollutants, it is the expected error of the measurement at the reading.
- DQO - Typical U(exp): Data Quality Objective expressed as the Expanded Uncertainty in the Limit Value obtained between device hourly measurements and reference instruments for 1 to 8 months of field tests between -10 to +30 °C in different countries, calculated according to European Air Quality Directive 2024/2881 and Technical Specification CEN/TS 17660. (*) For the Type B PM sensor, the expected error for PM10 is higher in the presence of coarse particles.
- Typical intra-model variability: Calculated as the standard deviation of the three sensor means in 1 to 8 months of field tests between -10 to +30 °C in different countries.
A, B, C, D superindex: The superscripts refer to different types of cartridges related to the same target pollutant but with different technical specifications.
