The carrier gas pressure effect in a laminar flow diffusion chamber, homogeneous nucleation of n-butanol in helium.

Homogeneous nucleation rate isotherms of n-butanol+helium were measured in a laminar flow diffusion chamber at total pressures ranging from 50 to 210 kPa to investigate the effect of carrier gas pressure on nucleation. Nucleation temperatures ranged from 265 to 280 K and the measured nucleation rates were between 10(2) and 10(6) cm(-3) s(-1). The measured nucleation rates decreased as a function of increasing pressure. The pressure effect was strongest at pressures below 100 kPa. This negative carrier gas effect was also temperature dependent. At nucleation temperature of 280 K and at the same saturation ratio, the maximum deviation between nucleation rates measured at 50 and 210 kPa was about three orders of magnitude. At nucleation temperature of 265 K, the effect was negligible. Qualitatively the results resemble those measured in a thermal diffusion cloud chamber. Also the slopes of the isothermal nucleation rates as a function of saturation ratio were different as a function of total pressure, 50 kPa isotherms yielded the steepest slopes, and 210 kPa isotherms the shallowest slopes. Several sources of inaccuracies were considered in the interpretation of the results: uncertainties in the transport properties, nonideal behavior of the vapor-carrier gas mixture, and shortcomings of the used mathematical model. Operation characteristics of the laminar flow diffusion chamber at both under-and over-pressure were determined to verify a correct and stable operation of the device. We conclude that a negative carrier gas pressure effect is seen in the laminar flow diffusion chamber and it cannot be totally explained with the aforementioned reasons.