Analysis of continuous flow through trace gas Pre-concentrator modified with polycarbonate membranes

A continuous operating pre-concentrator for trace gas analysis was developed and introduced for specific applications that can achieve a significant increase in trace gas concentrations using relative simple mass diffusion separation stages, without interrupting the gas flows. The pre-concentrator, which can be useful in the detection of the real-time variations in the concentration of trace gases, required less operational time. The prototype of a pre-concentrator designed as a macroscale device, which used the physical properties of the molecules and room temperature, was applied to two different polycarbonate membranes to examine the effects of porosity and the transmission probability. The concentration ratios of trace gases obtained by the experiment did not increase significantly, as predicted by the theoretical model. However, the experimental results showed that a prototype pre-concentrator can be used to obtain an increase in trace gas concentration within tens of seconds.