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By: Dr. Jack Driscoll, PID Analyzers, LLC 2012

http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjackdriscollhttp://www.hnu.com/http://www.hnu.com/http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnjackdriscoll

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1957 Patent on photoionization (PID) for GC bySRI

1960sMany researchers build PIDs for GC usinghigh vacuum and glow discharge lamps but ion

chambers work best at high Pres & lamps workbest low Pres; end of 1960s most researchers agreePID not interesting

1966 NASA Awards contract for PI MS to GCACorp.

J. Driscoll is hired in Applied Physics Lab for thisproject worked through 1968- PI MS not interestingbecause not as sensitive as chemical ionization MS.The PI MS was about 7 x 9 & cost $150K in 1966

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1970-71 Walden Research-wrote proposal to EPAfor a PID stack monitor for NO (used a sealedlamp +ion chamber- no MS)- Company decided to

fund it; built first working prototype for $500 in1971; hired someone else & spent $200K but couldnot dev. a suitable prototype or get a patent. Theydecided that the PID technique was not suitable for

environmental measurements 1973-HNU Systems was started to develop PID

based Analyzers for the Environmental Market

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Selective ionization made PID interesting

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Title: Study of the application of a photoionization mass spectrometer to analysis of contaminant gases, June 1966 - November 1969 Author(s): Driscoll, J. N.; Matthews, C.; Warneck, P. Abstract: Trace gas analysis using photoionization mass spectrometer NASA Center: NASA (non Center Specific)

Publication Date: May 1, 1970 Document Source: CASI Online Source: View PDF File Document ID: 19700017244 Accession ID: 70N26554 Publication Information: Number of Pages = 68

Report Number: GCA-TR-69-10-N; NASA-CR-1589 Contract-Grant-Task Number: NAS1-7794

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Realized very quickly that a vacuum pump did notmake for a compact analyzer.

Also realized that optimization of the lamp and ionchamber could best be achieved by developing a sealed

lamp so that was our joint project along with thedesign

In early 1970s, Italian researchers reported that vinylchloride (VCM) was a potential carcinogen and shortlyafter, OSHA decreased the PEL from 500 ppm to aninterim standard of 50 ppm. In 1974, the permanentstandard was decreased to 1 ppm

At that time, there were no portable analyzers formeasuring VCM at the 1 ppm level

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Visited NIOSH in March 1974 to talk about thepotential of PID; Chuck McCammon told methat if you had a portable PID that respondedto Vinyl Chloride, it would really be a winner

A quick visit to Matheson in Gloucester, MAand that afternoon, we had a Portable VCManalyzer that had a detection limit of 0.1 ppm.

We built a working prototype of the PortablePID and displayed it at the AIHCE in May1974 in Miami- we used a series of 90Vbatteries to power the lamp and the unitweighed in at 18 #

http://www.aiha.org/http://www.aiha.org/

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Compound Ionization Potential(eV)

Response

Vinyl chloride 10.0 5.0

Ethylene Dichloride 11.12 0

Ethylene 10.51

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1ST PUB WITH SEALEDSOURCE

1ST PUB DESCRIBING THEPI101

Driscoll and Spaziani, "TraceGas Analysis byPhotoionization,"Anal. Inst.,

13, 111 (1975).

Driscoll has published > 80Articles & Reviews onPhotoionization including aChapter in the AIHA

Important Instrumentationand Methods for Detection ofChemicals in the Field.Written by members of theAIHA Real Time Detectionsystems Committee

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Hazardous Waste

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UV Lamp ion chamber

Detection of VOCs at Hazardous Waste Sites

http://www.hnu.com/http://www.hnu.com/

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HNU DL101 HNU PI101

HNU DL101 & PI101

The HNU portables became theinstrument of choice for this VOC

application

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1. Determine when to put on an SCBA & protectiveclothing

2. Find buried barrels of haz waste 3. Check drums for VOC waste

4. Check soil or water headspace for contamination

What could I do with a portable VOC analyzer?

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765

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http://www:hnu.com

http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9765

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