Work

Development of an automated high-temperature valveless injection system for online gas chromatography

Year: 2014

Type: article

Abstract: . A reliable method of sample introduction is presented for on-line gas chromatography with a special application to in-situ field portable atmospheric sampling instruments. A traditional multi-port valve is replaced with a controlled pressure switching device that offers the advantage of long term reliability and stable sample transfer efficiency. An engineering design model is presented and tested that allows customizing the interface for other applications. Flow model accuracy is within measurement accuracy (1%) when parameters are tuned for an ambient detector and 15% accurate when applied to a vacuum based detector. Laboratory comparisons made between the two methods of sample introduction using a thermal desorption aerosol gas chromatograph (TAG) show approximately three times greater reproducibility maintained over the equivalent of a week of continuous sampling. Field performance results for two versions of the valveless interface used in the in-situ instrument demonstrate minimal trending and a zero failure rate during field deployments ranging up to four weeks of continuous sampling. Extension of the VLI to dual collection cells is presented with less than 3% cell-to-cell carry-over.

Source: Atmospheric measurement techniques

DOI: 10.5194/amt-7-4431-2014

Authors: N. M. Kreisberg, D. R. Worton, Y. Zhao, G. Isaacman, A. H. Goldstein, S. V. Hering

Institutions: Aerosol Dynamics (United States), University of California, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University

Language: English

Topic: Analytical Chemistry and Chromatography

Subfield: Spectroscopy

Field: Chemistry

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,585

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, American Society of Clinical Oncology