Status
NO is measured using a chemiluminescence detector. One of the four NO detectors is used for the NO measurements. NOy is measured simultaneously by catalytically converting it to NO on the surface of gold tubes heated to ±° C, with carbon monoxide (CO) acting as a reducing agent. The converter system is contained in a pod mounted outside the cabin to minimize the length of the inlet tubes. Gas phase-NOy measurements are made by sampling air through the rearward facing inlet which discriminates against particles of diameter larger than 1 mm. The mixing ratios of total NOy (gas phase-NOy + amplified particulate-NOy) are measured by sampling air through the forward facing inlet which is heated to 100° C. The mixing ratios of gas phase and total NOy are measured independently. A humidifier maintains the H2O mixing ratio in sample flows at a few % in order to stabilize the instrument background against humidity variations in the ambient air. The absolute sensitivities of the NO and NOy channels are measured every 80 minutes by adding NO or NO2 standard gases. The pressure in the gold catalytic converter for gas-phase NOy is maintained at a constant value of about 50 hPa, independent of the ambient pressure. The pressure is held constant by controlling the sample flow using a servo-controlled Teflon valve mounted upstream of the converter tube. All parts of the inlet system upstream of the gold catalyst are made of Perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) Teflon which is temperature controlled at 40˚C. The NO2 conversion efficiency is 99.0611%. The HCN conversion efficiency is lower than 5% for dry air with O3 mixing ratios lower than 100 ppbv. It decreases to 2% for humid air with an H2O mixing ratio of 0.1% and O3 mixing ratios lower than 100 ppbv. This instrument is also equipped with an NO2 photolytic converter combined with an NO detector in our first attempt to access the accuracy of the NO2 measurements.
