posted on 2020-10-20, 21:46authored byGeorge C. Pallis, George P. Psarras, Julia Vamvakari, Matti J. Kuula, Harri Kiljunen, Hanna Hakulinen, Paula Vanninen
A sampling,
modulation, and separation (SMS) unit was tested for
detection of hazardous chemicals. The SMS unit, designed and developed
for on-site sampling and analysis, consists of a dynamic inlet system
coupled with a fast, miniaturized gas chromatograph (GC). Feasibility
of the SMS unit was evaluated together with a hazardous chemical vapor
generator. The performance of the SMS unit was tested with automated
thermal desorption after SMS to collect samples for GC-mass spectrometry
(GC-MS) measurements. Detection of sarin nerve agent was verified.
Additionally, the vapor generator was connected to the SMS unit, which
was hyphenated with a photoionization detector (PID), thus creating
a fast GC-PID system. This system gave a positive response for degradation
products of sulfur mustard, thereby indicating suitability of the
SMS-PID unit for field drone applications.