The STORM (Simplified Test On Resuspension Mechanism) facility was designed and operated by JRC-Ispra to work with high concentration of soluble and insoluble aerosol materials (up to 25 g/m3), a wide range of aerosol compositions, size distribution and density and high carrier gas and steam flow rate (about 1kg/s).
The test section was located downstream of the mixing vessel; it consisted of four steel pipes connected in series and/or parallel. The first pipe between the mixing vessel exit and the test pipe inlet (total length ≈4 m) was thermally insulated in order to reduce thermophoretic deposition and heat losses as well as to avoid steam condensation. The 63-mm inner diameter test pipe was 5 m long and was surrounded by an oven to keep the pipe wall temperature at the required levels during the deposition and resuspension phases. In the deposition phase, the carrier gas and aerosols pass through the mixing vessel a first straight pipe into the test section and then straight to the wash and filtering system. In the resuspension phase, the clean gas was injected through the resuspension line directly into the test section and the resuspended aerosols were collected in the main filter before the gas goes through the wash and filtering system.