Trace analysis of impurities in bulk gases by gas chromatography-pulsed discharge helium ionization detection with “heart-cutting” technique

A method has been developed for the detection of low-nL/L-level impurities in bulk gases such as H2, O2, Ar, N2, He, methane, ethylene and propylene, respectively. The solution presented here is based upon gas chromatography-pulsed discharge helium ionization detection (GC-PDHID) coupled with three two-position valves, one two-way solenoid valve and four packed columns. During the operation, the moisture and heavy compounds are first back-flushed via a pre-column. Then the trace impurities (except CO2 which is diverted to a separate analytical column for separation and detection) together with the matrix enter onto a main column, followed by the heart-cut of the impurities onto a longer analytical column for complete separation. Finally the detection is performed by PDHID. This method has been applied to different bulk gases and the applicability of detecting impurities in H2, Ar, and N2 are herewith demonstrated. As an example, the resulting detection limit of 100 nL/L and a dynamic range of 100–1000 nL/L have been obtained using an Ar sample containing methane.