Portable Fast GC System for Field Environmental Monitoring and Measurement Problems

Gas chromatography (GC) systems deliver incomparable performance for the analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). High-speed GC techniques can deliver these advantages with near real-time results. Significant cost reduction can be gained by providing real-time decisions in the field. Chromatofast, Inc., has developed a proprietary, high-speed laboratory GC inlet system that possesses features that are well-suited for a field-deployable instrument. The system generates a narrow injection bandwidth so that chromatographic analyses can be obtained in tens of seconds to a few minutes. In addition to being a high-speed inlet system, the system also can be a sample collection device due to its ability to sample air directly. Adjustable amounts of preconcentration can be obtained through simple, computer-controlled method changes. This feature allows the system to be optimized for speed or sensitivity as required by a particular analysis. The system has the flexibility to be used for screening applications as well as for more detailed separations. Finally, the system has been shown to be highly reproducible to further enhance the confidence of the data.