What Is a Mixing Chamber?

In the 1970s and 1980s, China used a small hybrid cloud chamber of 3 to 35 L, commonly known as the Bigg type cloud chamber. It was used for the detection and research of Agl anti-aircraft shells, small rockets, and organic ice cores. Its operation is simple and convenient to carry on-site detection, but its small size and short fog maintenance time make it difficult to control some of the main parameters, resulting in a large dispersion of measurement results.

In the 1970s and 1980s, China used a small hybrid cloud chamber of 3 to 35 L, commonly known as the Bigg type cloud chamber. It was used for the detection and research of Agl anti-aircraft shells, small rockets, and organic ice cores. Its operation is simple and convenient to carry on-site detection, but its small size and short fog maintenance time make it difficult to control some of the main parameters, resulting in a large dispersion of measurement results.

After the fog is created in the cloud chamber, the length of the fog's maintenance time and the droplet concentration will directly affect the ice core test results. Because the fog maintenance time is too short, the ice nucleus has not had time to nucleate, the fog has dissipated, and the detection value of the ice nucleus must be low. In addition, the droplet concentration also affects the detection results. ^[1]

3L portable hybrid cloud chamber, the volume of the cloud chamber is 3 L, the main body of the cloud chamber is a double-layer jacket structure, and the jacket is filled with coolant, and it is first adjusted to the lower limit temperature of detection. Starting from the lowest temperature, the activation temperature spectrum of the ice nucleus is detected during the continuous temperature rise. Saturated air is introduced into the cloud chamber or an ultrasonic atomizer is used to make the mist at one time, and the maintenance time of the mist is about 2 to 3 minutes.

Cloud chamber structure. The nucleated ice germs settle into the sugar pan at the bottom of the cloud chamber and quickly grow into ice crystals to count. The sugar solution is prepared by sucrose and distilled water in a weight ratio. Sugar concentration varies with temperature. The sugar liquid tray is mounted on a container filled with antifreeze, which can be pushed up and down. The antifreeze container contains glycerine-impregnated foam, which can seal the cloud chamber and evenly apply glycerin to the interior of the cloud chamber to prevent frosting during the push-pull process.

It is difficult to control the temperature and humidity of the hybrid cloud chamber. In the test, the "sampling cooling atmosphere reading was taken. During the process, the disturbance is large, and the accurate determination of the activation temperature is difficult. ^[1]

CAMS's new 15 L hybrid cloud chamber was developed in recent years for field measurements and experiments of new artificial ice-forming nucleating agents in the field of artificial rain enhancement technology research and demonstration projects.

The portable cloud room is convenient to transport, simple to work, and has a low detection limit for ice crystals. Sampling can be replaced by sugar liquid and broken pieces, and it can be heated by electric heating. However, its supercooled mist has a short maintenance time and difficult to detect the activation temperature, and the mist will disturb the gas sample. It is suitable for artificially affecting the characteristics of catalysts in external field tests. The results should be compared with the results of isothermal cloud chambers. ^[1]