New Portable FTIR Gas Analyser Detects Almost Any Gas

Instrumentation specialist Quantitech (UK) has launched a new version of the Gasmet portable multiparameter FTIR gas analyser which has brought laboratory grade gas analysis into the field.

The new instrument, the DX4040, is lighter, easier to use and more flexible than its predecessor. However, Quantitech's Dr Andrew Hobson says: "The most important development lies in the ability of the device to identify unknown gases in the field (at the touch of one button) when using a new version of the unit's Calcmet™ software on a Windows tablet pc."

Users of the DX4040's predecessor will be pleased to learn that the unknown gas identification capability is retrospectively applicable to existing DX4030 analysers when using the new software and tablet PC.

Whilst the new DX4040 is able to identify literally thousands of different gases; for those users investigating known species the unit can be used with a handheld Bluetooth PDA incorporating a 3G modem, camera and GPS so that time and location are assigned to each analysis. Dr Hobson says: "The PDA is particularly popular because it enables the simultaneous display in almost real-time of up to 25 gases."

As a consequence of the enormous number of gases that the DX4040 is able to measure, the device is suitable for a wide variety of applications, including chemical spill, security, forensic investigation, occupational health, anaesthetic gases, research and many others.