Impact/Purpose:

This project is intended to provide the Agency with much faster methods of GCMS analysis without sacrificing data quality.

Description:

Commercially-available components have been integrated into a high-speed GCMS system which can analyze volatile organic compounds in a fraction of the time required by conventional systems. Feasibility of the concept has been established, and performance optimization is in progress. Application to a variety of air analysis problems is contemplated.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT

Start Date:10/01/2000

Completion Date:11/01/2001

Record ID: 56198

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Project Information:

Progress :An Agilent Technologies (formerly Hewlett-Packard) 6890 GC equipped with electronic pressure control and sub-ambient oven cooling has replaced the original Varian 3400 GC. Minimum duty cycle of 5 minutes was attained. Optimum performance in analysis of TO-14 target compounds can be perfromed with a duty cycle of about 6 minutes. Data processing is done in the background during real time. The prototype Chromatofast GC Accelerator injector has been flogged to the point of failure twice and has generated valuable design criteria thereby. The unit is now being upgraded to the production model standard which the vendor has adopted based on its performance as a prototype.

ABSTRACT/ORAL

Date Cleared - Citation

29-MAR-00 - Berkley, R.E., Akard, M.L., Oliver, K.D., Jacumin, Jr., H.H., Ebersold, P., and Budd, T. Optimization of high-speed GC/TOFMS for method To-14 analysis. Abstract presented at: EPA/AWMA Symposium, RTP, NC, September 12-14, 2000.

Relevance :Toxic organic vapors in ambient air are usually analyzed by collecting samples and analyzing them by GC using a variety of detectors. Typically 30 minutes to one hour are required for each run. Automatic data processing requires a similar time and occurs consecutively, followed by inspection, tabulation, and reporting. Data are significantly delayed and typically appear in a time frame of weeks. The number of samples that can be taken is limited, and sampling equipment is tied up of long periods pending analysis. Fast GCMS can perform the first two steps in one-tenth the time, and the subsequent steps are much easier and faster because of the manner in which the data are tabulated and presented. Human error in tabulation and other data-handling steps is virtually eliminated, and data are available much sooner.

Project IDs:

ID Code :8250

Project type :OMIS