CESAM is an atmospheric simulation chamber dedicated to the study of multiphase atmospheric processes such as the formation of secondary aerosol or gaseous compounds in cloud-phase reactivity. This is a vacuum stainless steel cell with a volume of 4.2 m³, equipped of pumping devices allowing to make a secondary vacuum, particularly to limit the potential memory effects which may persist to another experience. The particular design of this room allows:

(i) to work at low enough levels of concentration to ensure that the studied processes are representative of those occurring in the natural atmospheres/p>

(ii) to ensure a lifetime of aerosol within the cell consistent with the study of its aging process.

The body of the reactor is double-walled allowing the circulation of heat transfer fluids to regulate the temperature of the reaction mixture. This system is modular since it has twelve side plates supporting various equipment (optical spectrometry, lines of transfer, pump tubing, ports of introduction and sampling). The chamber is equipped with the most modern tools for metrology of aerosols and their precursors.

Being labeled "National Instrument of INSU", CESAM is widely open to the national community (www.lisa.univ-paris12.fr/CESAM/). CESAM is part of the facilities of the European consortium EUROCHAMP. EUROCHAMP.

 

Fig -flanges of the two elements of CESAM	Fig-inside view of CESAM