Autonomous ambient air sampling system for monitoring semi-volatile/non-volatile organic compounds
AssigneeBrigham Young University
InventorsJaron Hansen, Paul Cropper, Delbert J. Eatough, Robert Cary, Lin Lin, Lee Hansen
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Abstract
An automated ambient air sampling system and method for monitoring organic compounds that may provide continuous data, the system including a thermal desorption system, an injection port, a pre-concentration system, a gas chromatograph and an ion trap mass spectrometer, wherein an air sampling chamber may also function as a thermal desorption chamber.
Claims19
An ambient air sampling system for sampling, separating and detecting organic compounds, said system comprised of:
- a thermal desorption chamber for collecting and desorbing a sample;
- a pre-concentrator for receiving the sample from the thermal desorption chamber and cooling the sample to thereby concentrate the sample;
- a gas chromatograph for receiving the concentrated sample and analyzing the sample;
- and
- an ion trap mass spectrometer for receiving the sample from the gas chromatograph and analyzing the sample.
A method for sampling ambient air by collecting, separating and detecting organic compounds, said method comprised of:
- providing a thermal desorption chamber coupled to a pre-concentrator, a gas chromatograph coupled to the pre-concentrator, and an ion trap mass spectrometer coupled to the gas chromatograph;
- collecting a sample in the thermal desorption chamber;
- desorbing the sample from the thermal desorption chamber and into the pre-concentrator;
- cooling the sample in the pre-concentrator to thereby concentrate the sample;
- analyzing the sample in the gas chromatograph;
- and receiving the sample from the gas chromatograph and analyzing the sample in the ion trap mass spectrometer.
A method for sampling ambient air by collecting, separating and detecting a sample of aerosol particles and a separate sample of volatile organic compounds, said method comprised of:
- providing a thermal desorption chamber coupled to a pre-concentrator, a gas chromatograph coupled to the pre-concentrator, and an ion trap mass spectrometer coupled to the gas chromatograph;
- collecting a sample of aerosol particles in the thermal desorption chamber;
- collecting a sample of volatile organic compounds in a sorption tube;
- desorbing the sample of aerosol particles from the thermal desorption chamber and into the pre-concentrator;
- cooling the sample of aerosol particles in the pre-concentrator to thereby concentrate the sample of aerosol particles;
- analyzing the sample of aerosol particles in the gas chromatograph;
- receiving the sample of aerosol particles from the gas chromatograph and analyzing the sample in the ion trap mass spectrometer;
- cooling the gas chromatograph;
- desorbing the sample of volatile organic compounds from the sorption tube;
- cooling the sample of volatile organic compounds in the pre-concentrator to thereby concentrate the sample of volatile organic compounds;
- analyzing the sample of volatile organic compounds in the gas chromatograph;
- and
- receiving the sample of volatile organic compounds from the gas chromatograph and analyzing the sample in the ion trap mass spectrometer.
An ambient air sampling system for sampling, separating and detecting organic compounds including aerosol particles and volatile organic compounds, said system comprised of:
- a thermal desorption chamber for collecting and desorbing a sample of aerosol particles;
- a sorption tube for collecting and desorbing a sample of volatile organic compounds;
- a pre-concentrator for receiving the sample of aerosol particles from the thermal desorption chamber and the sample of volatile organic compounds separate from the aerosol particles, and cooling each sample to thereby concentrate the samples;
- a gas chromatograph for receiving the concentrated samples and analyzing the samples separately;
- and
- an ion trap mass spectrometer for receiving the samples from the gas chromatograph and analyzing the samples separately.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.