Design concepts and performance criteria in the development of a compact, person-portable GC/MS system
- Viking Instruments, Chantilly, VA (United States)
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States). Forensic Science Center
The use of GC/MS for the separation, identification, and quantification of organic compounds has grown tremendously. The gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC/MS) technique has established itself as a definitive analytical tool for the determination of unknown compounds in a variety of matrices. In the spring of 1991, Viking Instruments introduced a commercial transportable GC/MS system with fieldable capabilities for on-site screening as well as more extensive laboratory-quality sample analysis (Definitive or EPA Level 3). The demonstrated field utility of these systems, combined with advances in power supply and vacuum pump designs, has resulted in a desire to build these powerful systems even smaller without compromising data quality. Workers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) recognized early the utility of the small GC/MS systems for a variety of analyses. LLNL was and is currently specifically interested in chemical warfare treaty verification and defense environmental restoration work and began to design a portable GC/MS in parallel with Viking. Over the past year the authors have combined their resources and talents in designing and constructing a GC/MS system that represents a more advanced state than either of their individual efforts. This system is hardware-configurable depending on particular analysis requirements and yet will provide a data acquisition and analysis software platform similar to that found in state-of-the-art laboratory-based systems.
- OSTI ID:
- 231013
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-950209--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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