James Diekmann
VUV Analytics United States
- Conference: Process Conference
- Presentation: The Potential of Streaming Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectroscopy for Real-Time Monitoring of Chemical Processes
- Presentation Time: Wednesday 12:10
Available soon
Techniques used for real-time monitoring of industrial chemical processes include electrochemical sensors, tunable diode laser - laser absorption spectroscopy (TDL-LAS), mass spectrometry (MS), and near infrared spectroscopy (NIR), among others. Vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy (VUV) shows promise as a new tool for chemical process analysis. Almost every compound absorbs in the VUV range (125-240 nm). VUV spectra are unique for each compound, which means that spectral deconvolution techniques can be applied for compound identification and quantification during process gas analysis. In addition, selectivity can be achieved in some cases using spectral filters, looking at VUV wavelength regions where compounds do not overlap. Most of the current applications for VUV are from the use of it as a gas chromatography detector (VGA), but in another configuration, SVGA, it can be used to make instantaneous determinations for mixtures. One example is for mixed xylenes. Mixed xylenes, which includes ethylbenzene, m-, p-, and o-xylenes, is an important petrochemical product stream used for industrial solvent preparation and in polymer manufacture. This presentation will give background on VUV technology and demonstrate its potential for real-time monitoring of chemical processes, including for mixed xylenes.