Porous plastic foam filtration media: penetration characteristics and applications in particle size-selective sampling

Porous plastic foam media have been the subject of a number of studies with a view to their practical application as particle collectors, most notably as pre-selectors in particle size-selective aerosol sampling devices. This paper describes a semi-empirical model of the penetration of a filter based on such media, and how it has been tested against available experimental data. The model is demonstrated to be a useful predictor of penetration characteristics for plugs of foam media suitable for use as pre-selectors in personal samplers for the thoracic and respirable aerosol fractions.