The Diablo 5000B Real-Time Gas Analyzer (RTGA) is a real-time chemical measurement tool for continuous process improvement. It is ideal for applications where fast chemical analysis is required, such as monitoring process transients and dynamic continuous reactions. The 5000B RTGA can be used for fuel cell gas analysis, syngas monitoring, catalyst research, monitoring of volatile solvent residues, pharmaceutical reactor headspace monitoring, and many other applications.
The 5000B RTGA Process Sampling Interface
One of the key components of the 5000B RTGA is the differentially-pumped, dual-orifice sample interface.
- Differentially-pumped, dual-orifice design is simple, flexible, robust, and reliable
- Very fast response compared to simple capillary interfaces
- Inert – semiconductor-grade, electro-polished stainless steel
- High-performance capacitance manometer can be used to monitor and actively compensate for sample-pressure variations
- Custom-fitted interface heater blanket and controller
- Orifice size is used to control amount of sample entering the MS
- Can be adjusted to accommodate vacuum to high-pressure sample pressures, and trace to %-level analytes.
- Orifice disks can be changed easily without venting the MS
In operation, the process gas is pulled through the first stage orifice under sonic flow conditions using the 10-liter/min pump. Using the 30-micron orifice, approximately 8 to 15-mL/min flow is required to satisfy system demands. Pressure at this point in the cross, which is dependent on gas composition and process inlet pressure, can be monitored using the capacitance monometer. A small amount of material, regulated by the size of the second stage orifice, enters the mass spectrometer source under molecular flow conditions. This interface design as well as the design of the mass spectrometer allows quantitative work to be performed for a wide range of materials over wide dynamic ranges.
Technical Specifications
| 5000B RTGA Interface | Specification |
| Stage 1 Orifice | 30 Micron |
| Stage 2 Orifice | 50 Micron or 350 Micron for trace applications |
| Vacuum Pump | Rotary Vane or Scroll Pump (10-12 LPM) |
| Inlet temp | Ambient to 200oC |
| Pressure transducer | Capacitance Manometer |
| Interface heater assembly | Ambient to 200oC |
| Process stream (pressure) | Sub-ambient to 100’s of psi |
| Process stream (flow) | Wide range (4 interfaces) |
Four Interface Options
The 5000B has options for 4 different sample interface configurations to accomodate a wide range of sample presure, flow rate, and response time requirements:
- Standard High Flow Interface: This is our most robust and flexible interface tee configuration and is the standard option on the 5000B RTGA. This interface can handle sample pressures ranging from ambient to hundreds of psi by adjusting the diameter of the sample orifice. It can also handle flow rates from 40 mL/min to many liters/minute.
- Fast Response Interface: A special low dead-volume tee interface configuration that can provide T90 (90% of full scale) response times of < 2 seconds.
- Low Flow Interface: A special direct interface configuration for very low flow applications (< 4 mL/min).
- Vacuum Sampling Interface: A special direct interface configuration for sampling vacuums down to approximately 20 Torr.
High Performance Pressure Sensor
It is well understood that a mass spectrometer responds to both changes in component concentration as well as sample pressure. The 5000B RTGA-MS uses high accuracy, sample independent pressure measurements to compensate continuously for sample pressure changes for every data point in an acquisition.
Without pressure compensation, calibrations will not hold over small changes in process conditions or process composition. Pressure compensation simplifies calibration and provides for more accurate quantitative monitoring.
The MS Sensor 4.0 Process Analysis Software can be configured to collect the sample presure data in real time and use that to compensate mass-spectral signals for pressure changes relative to the calibration pressure.