Chris Robins is currently an Assistant Research Scientist in the Air Quality and Aerosol Metrology Group (AQAM) at NPL. Since 2012 Chris has been delivering a UKAS accredited service for the measurement of total carbon (elemental plus organic carbon) particulate matter in ambient air. Chris provides data analysis for Defra at four monitoring sites across the UK with this service.
Chris first joined NPL in 2007 in the Engineering Services Measurement Group working mainly in Contact Thermometry delivering a UKAS calibration service for thermometers and thermocouples by comparison techniques. Performing calibrations on high-temperature noble metal thermocouples using fixed-point cells and wire-point techniques to provide direct traceability to the International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90) and was the primary person who manufactured Platinum-Rhodium thermocouples for supply to customers. Chris was involved in two new calibration techniques prior to introduction into the calibration service schedule, the new metal-carbon Co-C eutectic fixed point & the new Gold & Palladium wire-point.
In 2011 Chris joined the Emissions and Atmospheric Metrology group, working mainly in the Stack Emissions Lab, providing accurate results for filter weighing by using the gravimetric technique. This method is used for the determination of low range mass concentration of dust particulate matter from emissions sources like refineries, power stations, waste incinerators, ducts and stacks. Later in 2011, Chris joined the Air Quality and Aerosol Metrology Group (AQAM) where she worked on delivering two UKAS accredited services, one for the Measurement of Total Particulate-phase for Heavy Metals Mass in ambient air on filter material or mass fraction in acid by using the primary method of Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques. The second was for the Measurement of Mercury Mass in ambient air from Adsorption Tubes by using thermal desorption and atomic fluorescence instruments. Providing data analysis for Defra at 24 monitoring sites across the UK for the heavy metals network and 2 monitoring sites for vapour phase mercury network.
Featured papers
- Ten years of mercury measurement at urban and industrial air quality monitoring stations in the UK
- Falling nickel concentrations in ambient air in South Wales – 50 years of progress
- Determination of antimony and barium in UK air quality samples as indicators of non-exhaust traffic emissions