On-line measurements using mass spectrometry

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to provide background information and operating principles about process mass spectrometry to process operators. Those people who make it their business to operate and maintain chemical processes will understand the difficulty in producing a good quality product on a day-to-day basis. The use of real-time process analysis and control has been useful in establishing and maintaining optimum operating parameters so that the potential for human error may be reduced. Real-time data allows the process operators to make decision to immediately correct for a problem during the process so that the product quality can be perserved. Process mass spectrometers have been used in Dow Chemical for approximately 20 years in process control applications. In spite of this early start, the number of applications for process mass spectrometers in Dow has been relatively few. More recently, there is renewed interest in using mass spectrometers for process analysis because of their speed and multicomponent analysis capabilities. As a result, the number of process mass spectrometers in Dow North America has more than doubled in the last five years. This paper presents the basic function of process mass spectrometry and compares process mass spectrometry with its main competitors, namely process gas chromatography and process infrared spectrometry.