Design of an automated rapid vapor concentrator and its application in nitroaromatic vapor sampling

Mark Gehrke; Shubhender Kapila; Kurt Louis Hambacker; Virgil I. Flanigan

doi:10.1117/12.396219

Translator Disclaimer

22 August 2000 Design of an automated rapid vapor concentrator and its application in nitroaromatic vapor sampling

Mark Gehrke, Shubhender Kapila, Kurt Louis Hambacker, Virgil I. Flanigan

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4038, Detection and Remediation Technologies for Mines and Minelike Targets V; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.396219
Event: AeroSense 2000, 2000, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

An automated, rapid-cycling vapor concentrator and sample introduction device was designed and evaluated. The device consists of an inert deactivated fused silica capillary sampling loop. The temperature of the loop was manipulated through contact with a cold plate or a hot plate, maintained at pre-selected temperatures with a thermoelectric cooler and heating cartridge, respectively. The position of the loop was controlled with a stepper motor under microprocessor control. The low mass of the loop permit its rapid cooling and heating. This permits efficient trapping of adsorptive vapors such as the nitroaromatics from the air stream and also allows rapid and quantitative transfer of the trapped analytes to the detection system. The use of at thermoelectric cooler permits variable trapping temperatures and increased sampling selectivity without the use of cumbersome cryogenic fluids. Chemically inert sampling train surfaces prevent analyte loss due to irreversible adsorption and cross contamination between samples. The device was evaluated for rapid analysis of nitroaromatic and chlorinated aromatic vapors from air stream at trace concentrations with a selective electron capture detection system. Trapping efficiencies of > 95 percent can be readily obtained with the device for nitroaromatics at ppb and sub ppb concentrations.

Citation Download Citation

Mark Gehrke, Shubhender Kapila, Kurt Louis Hambacker, and Virgil I. Flanigan "Design of an automated rapid vapor concentrator and its application in nitroaromatic vapor sampling", Proc. SPIE 4038, Detection and Remediation Technologies for Mines and Minelike Targets V, (22 August 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.396219

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE