Gas Chromatographs for Online Environmental Monitoring

When it is determined that a gas chromatograph (GC) is required for online environmental monitoring, often you will look to the laboratory for guidance. However, the requirements for an online GC are significantly more demanding than in the lab. Where the online measurement needs to be made is not the clean temperature controlled environment of a lab. The online measurement needs to be fast so that the results can be directly fed into the process control strategy to avoid excursions, rather than just record them. Finally, field personnel are often not familiar with the complex nature of chromatography.

The Emerson series of gas chromatographs have a long history of installations in tough environments and have a reputation of extreme reliability. Almost all of the GCs made by Emerson undergo rigorous testing in an environmental chamber that confirms the unit will work as specified in ambient temperatures between -15 °C and 55 °C. The ability to reliably perform your analysis throughout this temperature range means you can install the GC without expensive climate controlled buildings that can triple the cost of installations. Applications are customised for your measurement using a variety of technologies and can include parallel chromatography to shorten analysis times. Additionally, the diagnostic software is custom designed for field installations making it easy to learn and use when compared to complicated laboratory software that has been re-engineered for online GC’s. For more information, contact your local Rosemount Analytical representative or email us at gc.csc@emerson.com.