Mobile GC/MS Detects VOCs in Water Using Portable, 3-Pound Purge & Trap

The FLIR Griffin 460 GC/MS (Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer) with portable Griffin Purge & Trap accessory provides on-site analysis of BTEX in water in less than eight minutes. In the burgeoning field of petrochemical exploration, such as shale oil/gas and hydraulic fracturing, elevated concentrations of BTEX can be found in groundwater around exploration sites. Public health organisations are concerned with the Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). BTEX components are detected by the Griffin 460 in less than eight minutes to levels below these stated MCLs. The Griffin 460 provides a timesaving advantage by performing on-site water analysis to expedite decision making and remediation efforts. Chemistry happens outside the lab, so should analysis.

The Griffin 460 is a mobile GC/MS well suited for petrochemical applications. Designed for use in a moving vehicle (Figure 1B), it has passed MIL-STD 810G vibration standard testing. Using the Griffin 460 near petrochemical exploration sites or other areas of interest helps prioritise and reduce the number of samples that ship, under chain of custody, to a fixed analytical laboratory.

The three-pound (1.4 kg) Griffin Purge & Trap accessory is installed in only a few minutes with a simple plug-and-play connection to the sampling port located on the Griffin 460, which also supplies the purge gas and power. No other connections are required. The water sample vial attaches to the accessory with a tool-less fitting. The Griffin 460 with Griffin Purge & Trap is an integrated system that rapidly extracts chemical targets of interest from water samples and performs an automated analysis and identification, without any costly consumables or time-consuming sample preparation steps.