EXPLOSIVES DETECTION WITH A HAND-HELD FOURIER TRANSFORM ION MOBILITY SPECTROMETER

EXPLOSIVE DETECTION CAPABILITIES AT MOST AIRPORTS CONSIST OF MAGNETOMETERS AND X-RAY EQUIPMENT THAT WERE DESIGNED TO DETECT HANDGUNS. U.S. PUBLIC LAW 101-604 WAS ENACTED AFTER THE PAN AM 103 INCIDENT WHICH DICTATES THAT IN ADDITION TO CARRY-ON LUGGAGE, CHECKED BAGS, MAIL AND CARGO MUST BE MONITORED PRIOR TO BEING LOADED ONTO AN AIRCRAFT. THE CANDIDATE DETECTION TECHNOLOGIESMUST ALSO BE TESTED BY A UNIFORM AND CALIBRATED METHOD TO ASSURE EFFECTIVE DETECTION. AN EFFECTIVE SECURITY SYSTEM WILL CONSIST OF INTEGRATING SEVERAL TYPES OF PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES (PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL DETECTION) INTO A COMPLETE SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM SHOULD BE DESIGNED TO ACCOMODATE NEW TECHNOLOGIES AS THEY ARE DEVELOPED TO ASSURE THE SYSTEM CONTAINS THE LATEST TECHNOLOGIES. USING THIS CONCEPT WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A HAND-HELD, HIGH MODULE OF THE FT-IMS WOULD CONTAIN THE IMS DRIFT TUBE, SAMPLING PUMP, GAS RECIRCULATION COMPONENTS AND SIGNAL ELECTROMETER AND WOULD WEIGH LESS THAN TEN POUNDS. THE ENGINEERING OF THIS PHASE I EFFORT WILLEMPHASIZE SMALL SIZE AND USE OF EFFICIENT MANUFACTURING CONCEPTS TO ASSURE A PRACTICAL, FIELD- DEPENDABLE, COST-EFFECTIVE PHASE III COMMERCIAL INSTRUMENT.