The stability of Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes in simulated field conditions on the HAPSITE^® ER

Abstract

Due to the growing need to monitor aircraft cabin, cockpit and breathing-line air quality, functional assessment of sampling equipment for the specialised field conditions of flight need to be established for both in-flight and ground safety. In this article, we assess the reliability of Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes to perform under various relevant field sampling conditions, such as storage temperature, loading temperature, vibrational velocity, gravitational force (G Force) and altitude pressure with semi-real-time gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) analysis on the field portable HAPSITE^® ER (Hazardous Air Pollutants on Site Extended Range) instrument. First, we show that Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes can handle storage under extreme environmental conditions, 4–77°C, over numerous analytical test cycles. Next, we confirm that extreme loading temperature, both hot (77°C) and cold (4°C), does not affect the analytical reliability of Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes. Then, we illustrate that G Force may have a significant (p ≤ 0.0364) effect on Tenax TA performance while vibrational velocity (p ≤ 0.7265) and low ambient air pressure (p ≤ 0.1753), such as that found at high altitude, do not. Finally, several Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes were flight-tested, demonstrating that the durability of these tubes maybe insufficient for use on military cargo aircraft (p = 0.0107). The results presented here provide a rationale for additional testing of Tenax TA thermal desorption tubes for flight suitability.

Keywords:

• Tenax TA
• HAPSITE^® ER
• thermal desorption
• flight
• air quality

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Jae Kwak, Gregory Sudberry and Catherine A. Powell for their help and scholarly input for this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

Support for this work was provided by a contract from UES Inc. under United States Air Force contract FA8650-14-D-6516. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the authors and not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.