Impurities Affecting Gas Detectors
ALPHAGAZ™ ensures a perfect match for your instrument and application
Air Liquide simplifies selection of pure gases while ensuring instrument performance and sensitivity through guaranteed low impurity levels.
Chemiluminescence Detector (CD)
These detectors are affected by the presence of trace levels of the specific compounds that they are designed to measure. For example, trace levels of sulfur often cause a shift in response.
Discharge Ionization Detector (DID)
Trace levels of oxygen, moisture and hydrocarbons can reduce detector response and affect baseline stability.
Electron Capture Detector (ECD)
Moisture and oxygen in carrier gas can reduce response of the detector. Trace halocarbons in the nuclear counter gas (P-5 mixture) can cause baseline shift or negative peaks.
Flame Ionization Detector (FID)
Hydrocarbons in carrier gases, fuel gases and oxidizer gases can decrease detector sensitivity and reduce the life of the detector. Trace oxygen and moisture in the carrier gas can damage chromatographic columns.
Fourier Transform Infrared Detector (FTIR)
Impurities present in the carrier gas with absorbance bands at the same wave length as the species being measured can result in inaccurate response. Moisture and oxygen can interfere with IR spectra.
Helium Ionization Detector (HID)
Trace levels of hydrocarbons, oxygen or moisture can affect detector stability.
Mass Spectroscopy Detector (MS)
Impurities with atomic mass at the equivalent of the species being measured can result in inaccurate response.
Pulsed Discharge Electron Capture Detector (PDECD)
Moisture and oxygen in carrier gas can reduce response of the detector. Trace halocarbons in the nuclear counter gas (P-5 mixture) can cause baseline shift or negative peaks.
Pulsed Discharge Helium Ionization Detector (PDHID)
Trace levels of oxygen, moisture and hydrocarbons can reduce detector response and affect baseline stability.
Pulsed Discharge Photo Ionization Detector (PDPID)
Trace levels of oxygen, moisture and hydrocarbons can reduce detector response and affect baseline stability.
Photo Ionization Detector (PID)
Trace levels of oxygen, moisture and hydrocarbons can reduce detector response and affect baseline stability.
Pulsed Flame Photometric Detector (PFPD)
Trace levels of oxygen, moisture and hydrocarbons can reduce detector response and affect baseline stability. Contaminants in flame fuel and oxidizer can interfere with detector response.
Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD)
Trace hydrocarbons and oxygen in carrier gas can corrode the filament detector wires and reduce sensitivity.
Recommended ALPHAGAZ™ Products
Every company has their own unique specifications for pure gas required for their application. To simplify pure gas grade selection, below are the most common industry grades with their ALPHAGAZ replacement grade.
