Research Applications

Purity of the gases can be essential in some of the most advanced research projects at Universities and laboratories around the world.

One example is the liquefied noble gas used as a particle detection medium. The successful operation of these detectors require that the noble liquid should be almost entirely free of non-inert impurities such as O₂ and H₂O, because these species impair the transport of both scintillation light and ionization charge. Achieving extremely low levels of electronegative impurities is of particular concern for ionization detectors. Heated Getter purifiers are ideal for these applications because they can remove H₂O, O₂, CF₄ and C₂F₆ which are normally present in process gases.

Another application requiring high-purity gas is as a carrier gas for Gas Chromatograph (GC) instruments used by chemical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, petrochemical and environmental laboratories.  Helium is a typical carrier gas for GC's, and our GC-50 rare gas purifier is specifically designed for this application.  Many laboratories are switching from helium to hydrogen since it offers faster analysis and higher productivity with lower gas cost. 

Benefits of using hydrogen rather than helium as a carrier gas

1.  Faster analysis and higher throughput:  Hydrogen has a higher linear flow rate than helium, allowing for shorter analysis times and higher instrument throughput.
2.  Lower column temperatures:  Faster elution times can lead to lower column temperatures.
3.  Longer column life:  Lower temperature operation and reduction of acidic sites within the GC column can extend column life.
4.  Lower costs:  Hydrogen is generally less expensive than helium, particularly due to recent global helium shortages.  Gas costs can be minimized by using a SAES palladium hydrogen purifier to purify low-cost industrial H2 to 99.9999999% purity.
5.  Ready availability:  Unlike Helium, industrial grade hydrogen is readily available worldwide.  The global shortage of helium has caused widespread shortages that reduces lab productivity.

Carrier gases need to be purified in the lab

Analytical instruments require high purity carrier gases to assure a low baseline with no impurity peaks.  H2 and He cylinder sources can have significant levels of oxygen, moisture and carbon.  Hydogen generators can have high moisture levels that disrupt analytical data.  The Palladium Hydrogen Purifiers remove all impurities to < 1 ppb.  This gas purifier will decrease baseline levels and increase sensitivity of your GC or MS instrument.  A single column removes all impurities, so there is no need to install complicated multiple column systems.  These purifiers uses palladium membrane technology to trap and vent all impurities, so there are no columns or traps to replace.  The purifier will provide years of uninterrupted gas purification.

Industrial grade hydrogen plus a palladium gas purifier is the lowest cost solution

You can minimize lab costs by converting to low-grade industrial H₂ cylinders.  The PS7-PD05 Palladium Hydrogen Purifier removes all impurities regardless of the inlet level.  High inlet impurities do not affect the purifier lifetime.  If you are thinking of switching from helium to hydrogen for GC carrier gas, get more information on our palladium hydrogen purifiers to help you take advantage of low cost hydrogen cylinders while still getting the highest purity hydrogen for your GC's.

More information available in the following article: Replacing Helium with Purified Hydrogen for Gas Chromatography, CryoGas Int'l March 2013

Gases Used:

• Hydrogen (H₂)
• Argon (Ar)
• Xenon (Xe)
• Krypton (Kr)
• Neon (Ne)
• Helium (He)
• Contact the factory for different gases