FABRICATION OF 2-5 µM HYGROSCOPIC SEEDING MATERIAL FOR RAIN ENHANCEMENT PURPOSES

Abstract

Hygroscopic cloud seeding, which uses giant cloud condensation nuclei (GCCN) particles with diameters between 2-5 µm, has been known to be 100 times more effective compared to those that use hygroscopic flares. Micronisation through jet milling has been recognized as the most common and ubiquitous method used to obtain particles with such a narrow size (2-5 µm) distribution. This research has successfully developed and identified 2-5 µm NaCl powders mixed with 10% cab-o-sil anticaking agent and 2 (two) times jet milling frequency as a potential GCCN (hygroscopic) seeding material. We use a combination of jet mill micronisation, rough milling with a Cross-Beather Mill, and analytical sieving to produce powders with those mentioned above (2-5 µm) size distribution. We varied the anticaking agent percentage in the mixture and the jet milling process frequency to identify which parameters would result in the 2-5 µm size distribution. We then confirmed the micronisation results particle size distribution with a particle size analyzer (PSA) and its morphology with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) machine. The materials with the 10% cab-o-sil agent mixture were confirmed to have the aforementioned size distribution from the characterization results.