The Continuously Operating Perfluorocarbon Sniffer (COPS) for the Detection of Clandestine Tagged Explosives

摘要

An instrument has been designed and tested for the purposes of continuously detecting low concentrations of perfluorocarbon compounds in the air. By continuously mixing a compressed stream of sampled air with about half as much hydrogen, passing the mixture through a heated Pd catalyst bed for conversion of the oxygen to steam, and subsequent drying in a continuous counter-current permeation dryer, the effluent gas can be directly monitored in an electron capture detector for the presence of perfluorocarbon compounds at levels down to a few ppt. A description of the instrument is presented along with its typical performance specifications. The Continuously Operating Perfluorocarbon Sniffer (COPS) has been shown to be successful in the screening of baggage at airport environments for the detection of clandestine perfluorocarbon-tagged explosives.