Abstract

In order to make gas chromatography (GC) more widely accessible, considerable effort has been made in developing miniaturized GC systems. Thermal gradient gas chromatograpy (TGGC), one of the heating methods used in GC, has recieved attention over the years due to it's ability to enhance analyte focusing. The present work seeks to develop high performance miniaturized GC systems by combining miniaturized GC technology with thermal gradient control methods, creating miniaturized thermal gradient gas chromatography (µTGGC) systems. To aid in this development a thermal control system was developed and shown to successfully control various µTGGC systems. DAQ functionality was also included which allowed for the recording of temperature and power data for use in modeling applications. Thermal models of the various µTGGC systems were developed and validated against the recorded experiemental data. Thermal models were also used to aid in decisions required for the development of new µTGGC system designs. The results from the thermal models were then used to calibrate and validate a stochastic GC transport model. This transport model was then used to evaluate the effect of thermal gradient shape on GC separation performance.

Degree

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Mechanical Engineering

Rights

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