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Access

Access to the HIRAC chamber can be arranged for independent instrument testing and calibration, consultancy and research projects. If you are interested in using the chamber please refer to the information below and contact us for further information.

Instrument testing

HIRAC offers an ideal test bed for new atmospheric measurements techniques and instrumentation. With the combined ability to vary temperature and pressure we can offer instrument testing across the range of conditions experienced by field instruments with the ability to compare to our suite of fully calibrated instruments.

In 2009, in collaboration with co-workers in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, HIRAC was used to test a prototype high frequency O3 sensor. The Fast Lightweight Ozone Sensor (FLOS) uses a highly sensitive chemiluminescent reagent and miniature-package photomultiplier tube to detect O3 via chemiluminescence. HIRAC offered the ideal test bed to validate the prototype FLOS instrument (detection limit = 1 ppbv for t = 0.05 s) over a range of O3 mixing ratios, pressures and in the presence of NO2 (a potential interfering speices for FLOS) whilst comparing measurements to a commercial UV absoprtion based Thermo Fischer 49C O3 analyser (detection limit = 1 ppbv for t = 10 s).

Fast Lightweight Ozone Sensor (FLOS) undergoing tests in HIRACA picture of the School of Earth and Environment Fast Lightweight Ozone Sensor (FLOS)
undergoing tests in HIRAC

EUROCHAMP-2 Transnational Access scheme

The EUROCHAMP-2 project offers transnational access (TA) to 15 European atmospheric simulation chambers including HIRAC. Funding for EUROCHAMP-2 TA projects can be gained by submitting a proposal to the continuous call.

In the spring of 2011 HIRAC was involved in a successful TA project working with Dr Terry Dillon and Christoph Groß from Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, Germany. The collaboration involved a project to study OH recycling from the HO2 + CH3C(O)O2 (acetylperoxy) reaction building upon a number of previous studies by providing the first direct OH and O3 yields as a function of pressure and temperature. This project took full advantage of the HIRAC instrument suite (using FAGE, FTIR, GC-FID and commercial analysers) and the ability to simultaneously control the chamber pressure and temperature.

The MPI and HIRAC teamThe MPI and HIRAC team during the spring 2011 project funded by
the EUROCHAMP-2 Transnational Access Scheme.