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The Fire Research Division (FRD) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Engineering Laboratory provides measurements observed in fire and combustion experiments to enhance the standards and practice of the U.S. firefighting services and other fire-related organizations. The research conducted in FRD requires instrumentation that is utilized in various experiments that observe a wide range of compositions, including particulate matter generated from fires (i.e., soot). One of the tools to extract particulate matter from fires and plumes is a particle-into-liquid-sampler- system (PILS). The PILS’s ability to automatically collect particulate matter would provide a pathway to collect samples to be analyzed on advanced analytical equipment. A PILS with the listed specifications would significantly upgrade the division’s capabilities for performing composition analysis of soot in different fire experiments.

NIST requires a particle-into-liquid sampler system (PILS) that meets or exceeds the draft minimum specifications (See attached).