@pidguy is a featured speaker at the BU Chemistry Alumni Symposium

Dr. Morton Hoffman and Dr. Jack Driscoll at NESACS February 22, 2011 Brookline, MA. 

Mort was Jack's thesis adviser at Boston University in the late 1960's.

Jack aka @pidguy is honored to be a featured speaker at the upcoming 2012 Boston University Chemistry Alumni Symposium. See event information below.

2012 BU Chemistry Alumni Symposium

Join us at the Sunday Evening Poster Session at Pittcon 2011

We will be presenting 3 posters in the Session 180-New Developments in Analytical Instrumentation and Software on Sunday Evening, March 13, 2011,

5:30PM-7PM Room 412A Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC).

 

Analysis of ppb levels of Photochemical Smog Components in air using a portable analyzer Abstract number 180-18P 

Fault Tolerant Wireless Sensor Network Abstract Number: 180 - 19P

Fast GC with PID and FarUV for Environmental Analyses  Abstract Number 180-20P

Fast GC Analysis with PID & FUV Detectors for Industrial Hygiene Monitoring at Low ppb Levels

Fast GC Analysis with PID and FUV Detectors for Industrial Hygiene Monitoring at Low ppb Levels by John N. Driscoll, D. Walsh of PID Analyzers and Phil Smith of USDOL OSHA, has been accepted for podium presentation during the 2011 American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo (AIHce), May 14-May 19 in Portland, OR. 

Topic:Air Sampling Instrument Performance   

Presentation #:PO 111-1  

This  podium presentation is scheduled in the session titled Field Detection, Sampling and Analysis: Real Time Detection Systems, scheduled for Tuesday May 17, 2011 10:30 AM - 10-50 AM.

Featured product #AIHCE booth #718

Abstract:
Objective: Fast Analysis of Gases and Solvents- Industrial Hygienists are typically pushed to provide rapid solutions involving a variety of complex mixtures that threaten workers health.
Methods: Portable Gas chromatography with a photoionization detector (PID),one of the most sensitive detectors for organic compounds, and a Far UV detector (nearly universal detector with ppb detection capability). The detection limits for benzene with these two detectors on a conventional capillary column (0. 32 mm id X 15M wax with an 0.5 μ film) were 0.5 ppb for the PID and 30 ppb for the FUV.

Results-Our approach involves using a 25m x 0.32 mm packed with Haysep P (for analysis of solvents) that is restively heated and can be programmed at a high rate. It can also be cooled faster since it has a very small thermal mass. A sample of 50 ppb of benzene was run on the PID & FUV. Note that the peak heights (counts) were improved by 5-9 times for these two detectors. The analysis times were similar because of the stronger retention of benzene on the porous polymer column. The advantage here is that the porous polymer column can be used for gases or solvents whereas the capillary column is designed only for solvents.
Conclusions- The precision (coefficient of variation) at 50 ppb was +/- 5% for the PID and +/- 15% for the FUV. No significant difference in precision was observed between the two types of columns. The main advantage was that the fast GC (with porous polymer column) could analyze a much wider range of compounds than the capillary column.

JOIN US AT A RECEPTION AT #AIHCE:

in honor of AIHA Real-Time Detection Systems Committee Member, Jack Driscoll on Sunday May 15, 2011 from 6pm-7pm at the Hilton Portland & Exec Towers, 23rd Floor. Please register by emailing me or using the registration link here.

PID Analyzers is now Headquartered on Cape Cod

Barnstable residents, John Driscoll and Jennifer Maclachlan, a dynamic father-daughter team who own and operate PID Analyzers, LLC are in the process of moving their family business, PID Analyzers, LLC to the other side of the Sagamore Bridge this Friday October 22, 2010 to 2 Washington Circle, Unit 4, Sandwich, MA. A secondary operation of PID Analyzers will be opening in Quincy, MA at the end of the month to retain their key employees involved in the specialty glass and sensor manufacturing portion of the business . 

John Driscoll started the business as HNU Systems, Inc. in 1973 in Newton, MA as an incredibly talented chemist and innovator credited with commercializing the technique of photoionization and in 1976 utilizing his research and expanding the photoionization detector (PID) product development and applying it to gas chromatography-it was found that the PID when used with a gas chromatograph (GC) is 50 more sensitive than the accepted technology available in the 1970's: the flame ionization detector (FID).  PID Analyzers still uses HNU for their web address since HNU stands for the energy of the photon think Physics where: h is Plank's constant yielding the Greek symbol "nu" which initiates the photoionization process. 

The PID is written into many Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) methods for soil, drinking water and worker health and safety. PID Analyzers are sold worldwide including the rapidly growing Chinese market where worker health and safety has become a major concern. 

ANALYSIS OF PPB LEVELS OF PHOTOCHEMICAL SMOG COMPONENTS IN AIR WITH A PORTABLE ANALYZER

Accepted Research at Pittcon 2011:

J.N. Driscoll and J.L. Maclachlan

PID Analyzers LLC

Abstract Number: 180 - 18P
Session 180 - New Developments in Analytical Instrumentation and Software
Day and Time: Sunday, March 13, 2011
5:30pm-7pm Room 412A Georgia World Congress Center

A number of cities in the US have problems with high levels of Ozone and/or photochemical smog including LA, Denver, Houston and even Boston. This phenomenon, while observed in the LA Basin area since the 1950’s, is still not well understood. Fixed monitoring stations have been established for several decades but this has not helped understand the ozone/photochemical smog formation problem. A portable analyzer could provide more valuable data to help solve the problem.....

We have developed a portable analyzer  for monitoring three of the pollutants that contribute to photochemical smog formation. namely: VOC’s, O₃, ,NO₂. The analyzer incorporates a photoionization detector (PID) that measures VOC’s down to 1 ppb, and electrochemical sensors for ozone (10 ppb) and nitrogen dioxide (20 ppb).

The VOC’s & NO2 were calibrated with permeation tubes. Toluene was used as the calibration gas for VOC’s. A zero gas generator was used to remove ppb levels of VOC’s, NO2 & Ozone from the ambient air for calibration. The ozone sensor was calibrated with an ozone generator. The analyzers were accurately calibrated over the range from low ppb to 1,000 ppb

The analyzer can store up to 20,000 points of data For 3 channels taken every 5 seconds for 24 hours this is 864 data points or 23 days of data. The normal operating time on a continuous basis is about 12 hours. If we could switch the PID duty cycle to 10 %, and increase the size of the battery, we could get nearly three weeks of operation off a full charge. Thus the analyzer could be used to spot check, leave for 12 or even three weeks.

We will evaluate the precision & accuracy in the lab and field as well as comparisons with a continuous monitoring networked for the same pollutants. 

FAST GC WITH PID & FUV DETECTORS IN FIELD ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSES

Accepted Research for PITTCON 2011: http://www.pittcon.org

J.N. Driscoll PID Analyzers LLC and P. Smith of

Univiformed Services Univesity of the Health Sciences

4301 Jones Bridge Road

Bethesda, Maryland 20814

Abstract Number: 180 - 20P
Session 180 - New Developments in Analytical Instrumentation and Software
Day and Time: Sunday, March 13, 2011 FROM 5:30PM-7PM 
ROOM 412A GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER

Field environmental labs are typically pressed to reduce cost, provide rapid sample turnaround and analyze large volumes of samples. One potential solution to this dilemma is to utilize fast GC columns in a portable GC like the PID Analyzers Model GC312. What is a FAST GC column? There are several types: First, a FAST GC column is shorter and has a smaller internal diameter than a standard GC column A second approach involves using a 25m x 0.32 mm ID, 0.25um film thickness that is resistively heated and can be programmed at a much higher rate than conventional ovens. It can also be cooled faster since it has a very small thermal mass. This is the approach that we have taken. One of us (PS) used a fast GC method with a portable GC-MS for analysis of irradiated mail.

Some Advantages of FAST GC include reduced run times, increased sample throughput, improved signal to noise ratio and less column bleed (thinner films).Some of the disadvantages of FAST GC are: conventional Van Deemter curves aren’t applicable (high pressure drop),easy to overload the phase (less sample capacity), difficult to use for conventional GC/ MS

Resistively heated 10M x 0,25mm PLOT (HSP) and 10 M x 0.25 mm id capillary column with a 0.25 u film of methyl silicone were evaluated. We are also evaluating a fast yet economical method of detection so we selected photoionization detector (PID) for VOC’s and far UV detector (FUV)for general purpose detection of volatiles. Both detectors have ppb detection capability making them suitable for environmental analyses.

Fast Gc With Pid & Fuv Pc 2011