The performance of a fast gas chromatograph equipped with a Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) detector for chemical process measurement is evaluated in this paper. The performance of the GC/SAW system is measured in terms of minimum detection levels for common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) at part-per-billion (ppb) levels in less than 1 minute. The process monitor uses a new solid state detector based upon surface acoustic waves (SAW) that can detect and quantify the mass of VOC and SVOC compounds at picogram levels. These capabilities allow for real-time control decisions to be made, and in less time than previous techniques involving laboratory testing of process samples.
The ability to monitor bio-chemical processes such as metabolism of bacteria and detecting compounds such as methyl isocyanate in real time has been detailed in this technical paper.