Impact of haze and fog on filter characteristics in the process of monitoring radioactive aerosol

Presented are the results of observations of the impact of fog and haze on the operation of filtering units for the sampling of radioactive aerosols in the process of monitoring radiation conditions in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. It is revealed that the performance of installations decreases in the case of the formation of fog and mist (as a rule, at the relative air humidity of more than 90%). This is associated with the settling of finest water droplets on the fibers and with the clogging of the filter. As the fog disappears, the droplets evaporate from the filtering fibers and the performance of the unit increases. In the case of fog and haze at night in November 2012, the performance of AURA-02.11 installation decreased almost by three times as compared with the initial one. To reduce the negative impact of fog and haze on the operation of units, it is reasonable to use the filters made of hydrophobic fibers.