They're Not Just for Camping Anymore

Scientists and technicians working together in DRI's Energy and Environmental Engineering Center have developed an advanced tool with greatly improved capabilities for sampling the chemicals in smoke going up flues, chimneys, and stacks.

Known as a "dilution tunnel," its purpose is to mimic processes that occur in an exhaust plume in the "real world." This device gives DRI scientists the unparalleled ability to collect valid samples from an exhaust stream in a controlled environment. These samples are representative of exhaust once it mixes--dilutes--with outside air. The DRI dilution tunnel is based on a design developed by scientists at the California Institute of Technology.

The new DRI-designed and fabricated tunnel debuted on an analysis of firewood smoke from using a wood-burning stove set up next to DRI's Stead Science Center. Next, the tunnel was transported to the University of California, Riverside's experimental kitchens where it wowed the local research crew with its ability to sample the smoke from hundreds of pounds of grilled hamburger, chicken, and steak.

While conducted in Nevada and California, the objective of these first sampling missions was to improve the understanding of how these and other pollutant sources contribute to air quality in the greater Denver metropolitan area as part of the Northern Front Range Air Quality Study. The project, referred to in previous phases as the "Denver Brown Cloud Study," is a major evaluation of the Mile-High City's air quality. It is one of the most comprehensive such studies ever undertaken and involves numerous state, local, federal, and university entities in addition to DRI scientists.

University of California, Riverside's "cooks" churning out hamburgers in the test "kitchen".