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The initial objective of this work was to demonstrate detection of explosives and precursor materials using existing, fielded CWA (Chemical Warfare Agent) point detection systems, specifically the Joint Chemical Agent Detector (JCAD), and to integrate explosives detection into the family of CBRN sensors. A key premise of the objective is to demonstrate this utility without modifying the detector itself. Recent RDECOM efforts expanded to demonstrate the ability of the JCAD to detect and analyze explosives, low volatility compounds (LVC), narcotics, and pharmaceutical based compounds (PBC) in this manner. JCAD is a currently fielded, man-portable, ion mobility spectrometry-based detector for CWA that operates at ambient atmospheric pressure conditions. Tens of thousands JCAD systems have been produced and many remain in warehouse storage. Smiths Detection and RDECOM have produced a new chemical detector system using an unmodified JCAD. A JCAD from the warehouse can be plugged into a new solid-liquid adapter (SLA) peripheral hardware, or “cradle,” and analysis software residing in the cradle turns the JCAD into a detector for explosives, LVC, narcotics, and PBC. The system has been demonstrated for trace detection of these compounds. To maintain high versatility and low interferences, its spectrometric resolving power is improved through rigorous instrument calibration and real-time signal processing techniques. Separate unique instrumentation to measure ion mobility values an order of magnitude more accurately (± 0.2%) than literature values is in operation at ECBC and provides the reference values for JCAD calibration. Measured ion mobility values of target analytes are adjusted for water vapor effects and background contaminants during calibration.
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