What is TCD in gas chromatography?

The TCD is a universal, nondestructive, concentration-sensitive detector that responds to the difference in thermal conductivity of the carrier gas and the carrier gas containing sample. It is generally used to detect permanent gases, light hydrocarbons, and compounds that respond poorly to the FID.

How does a Katharometer work?

The Katharometer is a device which provides a change in an electrical output signal in response to a change in the thermal conductivity of a gas passing through it.

What is difference between FID and TCD?

the basic principle of FiD is the ionization of organic compound by burning the compounds in the hydrogen air flame. Meanwhile, the detection of compound by tcD is based on the difference of thermal conductivity properties between the carrier gas and the target being detected.

Why is TCD universal detector?

Since all compounds, organic and inorganic, have a thermal conductivity different from helium or hydrogen, virtually all compounds can be detected. That’s why the TCD is often called a universal detector.

Can TCD detect CO2?

Because it detects all molecules, the Thermal Conductivity Detector is commonly used for fixed gas analysis (O2, N2, CO, CO2, H2S, NO, NO2, etc.) where the target analytes do not respond well on other, more sensitive detectors.

Can TCD detect water?

The TCD is truly a universal detector and can detect water, air, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, and many other compounds.

Is FID more sensitive than TCD?

The sensitivity of the GC-FID are 66 times higher than GC-TCD method. In addition, the GC-FID exhibits a wider linear range (0.161 -2.18%mol/mol) than the GC-TCD method (0.242 – 2.18%mol/mol).

What types of compounds are analyzed by FID and TCD detector used in GC?

The TCD is mainly used to detect inorganic gas and components that the FID is not sensitive to. Helium is commonly used as a carrier gas. (N2 and Ar are used to analyze He and H2.) Water, formaldehyde, formic acid, etc.

Can TCD detect oxygen?

The TCD is also used in the analysis of permanent gases (argon, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide) because it responds to all these pure substances unlike the FID which cannot detect compounds which do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds.

Can TCD detect methane?

Barring any column issues can the TCD also detect Argon, methane, Helium and Hydrogen (assuing the carrier gas does not interfere)? Additional background. We initially did this analysis out of house by GC-MS. We tried to bring it in house cheaply (hence the GC only).

Can GC detect oxygen?

The GC-Q column will not separate nitrogen and oxygen. For these gases, to get complete separation, you will have to use a molecular sieve column.

When would you use a TCD detector?

What is the principle of TCD detector?

Thermal Conductivity Detector (TCD) Principle Thermal conductivity detectors work on the principle of heat transfer by convection (gas cooling). Here, the assumption is that sample compounds will have different thermal properties than the carrier gas.

Thermal conductivity (TCD) is a commonly used detector in gas chromatography. TCD works by having two parallel tubes both containing gas and heating coils. The gases are examined by comparing the heat loss rate from the heating coils into the gas.

How does a TCD work?

A simplified diagram of a TCD is shown here, with pure carrier gas cooling two of the selfheated thermal sensors and sample gas (mixed with carrier gas, coming off the end of the column) cooling the other two self-heated sensors.

How does a thermal conductivity test (TCD) work?

Normally one tube holds a reference gas and the sample to be tested is passed through the other. Using this principle, a TCD senses the changes in the thermal conductivity of the column effluent and compares it to a reference flow of carrier gas.