Acoem Aurora™ NE Series Integrating Nephelometer receives ACTRIS approval

04 Dec 2023

Aurora™ NE Series achieves a new milestone

Acoem is delighted to shine a spotlight on the Aurora™ NE series integrating nephelometers (NE-300 and NE-400), which have now been accepted by ACTRIS (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure). This approval represents a significant milestone, underlining our commitment to providing exceptional solutions to the highest quality scientific research.

The Aurora NE series nephelometers represent an evolution based on extensive feedback from users in the research community and Acoem’s desire to make precision monitoring easier and more accessible. 

After its successful pre-production field test under real-life conditions in 2022, it was used by the Cyprus Institute in a scientific campaign aboard a new research vessel as part of a suite of Acoem environmental monitoring equipment and was also evaluated at the World Calibration Centre for Aerosol Physics (WCCAP) earlier this year. This resulted in the acceptance of the Aurora NE-300 and NE-400 for use in ACTRIS stations and laboratories– joining their predecessors, the Aurora 3000 and 4000.

The global standard for aerosol monitoring

Aurora™ has long been recognised as the global standard in integrated nephelometers.

In the field, the Aurora™ is compact enough to fit in the fuselage of a small plane to measure volcanic ash levels over Northern Europe, reliable enough to provide early warnings of imminent dust storms in China’s Gobi Desert, and robust enough to survive years at an Antarctica research station.

The next-generation Aurora NE series of integrating nephelometers builds on this strong foundation and provides customer-inspired enhancements supported by technical innovation. Its deployment for ACTRIS reaffirms our dedication to providing top-notch, trusted solutions that stand up to the rigorous standards of scientific research.

The NE series is introducing a raft of features that Aurora™ users will benefit from, including a full-colour touchscreen, expanded communication protocols, improved internal plumbing and flow control, and a more powerful microprocessor.

We have also reduced the truncation angle of the cell, something Acoem customers had identified as particularly important. Instrument noise has also been lowered, as well as wall scattering from internal reflections, while light source intensity has been increased.

The Aurora series is a testament to our ongoing commitment to advancing the field of aerosol monitoring, empowering researchers and organizations to make informed decisions and contribute to a better, more sustainable world. 

The Aurora™ integrating nephelometers are also used by other major research institutions and climate monitoring networks including Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW), which is part of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Reliability, maintenance friendliness & instrument manufacturability are key to future-proofing your investment

Being number one in any market requires a commitment to continually look at new ways to improve our product, service, and technology offerings.

When Acoem set out to design the next generation Aurora™, our research and development team focused on ensuring that all components were readily available in this challenging era of COVID-induced global supply shortages.

Updating standard Aurora™ features including integrating what were originally external optional components into the body of the new generation nephelometer was a priority. So too was retaining the same high level of instrument reliability and reducing routine maintenance complexities to simplify the user experience in the field.

The result is the Aurora™ NE series, the new benchmark for research-grade aerosol monitoring and measurement instruments. The range consists of:

• Aurora™ NE-100—Single wavelength for environmental compliance
• Aurora™ NE-300—Versatile three wavelength with backscatter functionality
• Aurora™ NE-400 Polar—Flagship three wavelength measuring light scatter in 20 different segments.