System and method of trace-level analysis of chemical compounds
AssigneeEntech Instruments Inc.
InventorDaniel B. Cardin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Techniques disclosed herein can be used to perform a rapid, splitless injection of a sample including SVOCs and VOCs. In some embodiments, a system includes two focusing traps combined in series, one inside of a GC oven and one in a separate oven to concentrate the SVOCs inside of the GC oven and concentrate the VOCs outside of the GC oven. Heating the VOC focusing trap and reversing the flow through both focusers allows splitless injection of compounds boiling from as low as −100° C. to as high as 600° C. in a single analysis, with a narrow injection bandwidth to optimize both sensitivity and the resolving power of the analyzer.
Claims14
A system comprising:
- a first oven containing an SVOC focuser and an analytical column;
- a thermal desorber fluidly coupled to the SVOC focuser and analytical column;
- a VOC focuser fluidly coupled to the SVOC focuser;
- a plurality of valves configured to:
- introduce a first flow of sample from a sample extraction device contained in the thermal desorber to the SVOC focuser, through the SVOC focuser towards the VOC focuser, wherein the SVOC focuser is configured to retain first compounds and the VOC focuser is configured to retain second compounds;
- after the SVOC focuser retains the first compounds and the VOC focuser retains second compounds, introduce a second flow of the sample from the VOC focuser and the SVOC focuser to the analytical column, wherein the second flow transfers the first compounds and second compounds to the analytical column;
- and
- an analyzer fluidly coupled to the analytical column, wherein the analyzer is configured to conduct a chemical analysis of the first and second compounds after the first and second compounds traverse the analytical column.
A method comprising:
- introducing, via a plurality of valves, a first flow of sample from a sample extraction device contained in a thermal desorber to a SVOC focuser, through the SVOC focuser towards a VOC focuser;
- while introducing the first flow:
- retaining, with the SVOC focuser, first compounds;
- and
- retaining, via the VOC focuser, second compounds;
- after the SVOC focuser retains the first compounds and the VOC focuser retains second compounds:
- introducing, via the plurality of valves, a second flow of the sample from the VOC focuser and the SVOC focuser to an analytical column, wherein the second flow transfers the first compounds and second compounds to the analytical column;
- after the first and second compounds traverse the analytical column:
- conducting a chemical analysis, via an analyzer fluidly coupled to the analytical column, of the first and second compounds.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.