Advanced Gas Chromatographic System Testing

An advanced gas chromatographic concept based on temperature programming was developed by Ontario Hydro Technologies in cooperation with Southwest Institute of Nuclear Physics and Chemistry, China. By selecting the optimum temperature profile, the degree of separation of the components and throughput of the column can be maximized. This process represents a significant reduction in size, complexity and carrier gas consumption compared to conventional gas chromatographic processes. A prototype system suitable for use in tritium laboratories was built by Spectrum Engineering Corporation. Gas mixtures of equimolar hydrogen (H) and deuterium (D) with trace quantities of tritium (T) were separated in the system. Equipment used in this system and experimental results is presented in this paper.