Speaker Biography. Matthew DeVay Quality Assurance Director Trace Analytics

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2 Speaker Biography Matthew DeVay has over 10 years of experience in Quality Assurance and chemical testing. As the Quality Assurance Director for Trace Analytics, LLC, he oversees and directs compressed air analysis and has helped countless customers successfully troubleshoot Matthew DeVay Quality Assurance Director Trace Analytics compressed air systems. He is a member of the Medical Gas Professional Healthcare Organization, and is an expert in GC and GC/MS analysis.

3 Presentation Overview DESCRIPTION: To isolate common problems with sampling ports and sampling techniques that lead to testing failures. OBJECTIVE: Completion of this course will enable attendees to troubleshoot basic and common issues with compressed air testing.

4 COMPRESSED AIR STANDARDS AND REGULATIONS

5 REQUIREMENTS: o Typically determined by Risk Analysis (HACCP) o Typically based on ISO-8573 o Some applications may require compositional analysis (e.g. USP Nitrogen 99%)

6 OVERVIEW: TYPICAL COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM o Pre-filter and compressor o Coalescing filters/condensate traps o Charcoal filters o Dryers Refrigerated Molsieve/Desiccant o Particulate filter o Sampling point filters

7 CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPRESSED AIR SYSTEM DYNAMIC Changing over time, both short-term and long-term Even systems with relatively static demand experience variation Most systems do not have static demand Age of system and system components also affect performance and test results

8 WHAT IS TESTED? AEROSOL & VAPORS BIOBURDEN COMPOSITION

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10 HOW IS COMPRESSED AIR MEASURED & WHY DOES IT FAIL?

11 HOW PARTICULATES ARE MEASURED: LASER PARTICLE COUNTER PROS: o Direct measurement on process gas o Accurate o Can count particles down to 0.1 micron CONS: o Short sampling time may not be representative of process o Bulky o Expensive

12 HOW PARTICULATES ARE MEASURED: CONDENSATION NUCLEATION COUNTER PROS: o Direct measurement of process gas o Combination of CNC & DMA is the only technique that can count particles below 0.1 micron CONS: o Short sampling time may not be representative of process o Bulky o Expensive o Requires additional equipment such as differential mobility analyzer (DMA) to discriminate particle sizes o Works best at high particle concentrations

13 HOW PARTICULATES ARE MEASURED: MEMBRANE COUNTING/MICROSCOPY o Inexpensive PROS: o Better representation of dynamic systems due to longer sampling time CONS: o Can t determine particles smaller than 0.5 micron due to diffraction effects o Measures sampling technique (e.g. opening and closing of valves, initial cleanliness of equipment) o Much longer sampling times

14 WHY PARTICULATE TESTS FAIL o o o Old or ineffective filters Leaks System age

15 WHY PARTICULATE TESTS FAIL (cont.) o Sampling point contamination o Materials: Piping Ø Black iron Ø Soft rubber Poor choice of fittings, unions and valves Ø Ball valves Ø NPT or other conical fittings Connecting metals of different hardness Improperly applied tape, dope, or solder Bad seals/o-rings

16 HOW WATER CONTENT IS MEASURED PROS: o Accurate o Easy to set up and use CONS: o Long sampling time, especially for extremely low dew points o Expensive o Delicate o Most models can t reach lower dew points ELECTROCHEMICAL SENSORS Click to edit Master title style (Typically used as permanent installations)

17 HOW WATER CONTENT IS MEASURED PROS: o Extremely accurate CONS: o Expensive o Delicate o Requires a chiller to reach lower dew points o Bulky CHILLED MIRROR Click to edit Master title style

18 HOW WATER CONTENT IS MEASURED PROS: o Inexpensive o Relatively fast CONS: o Less accurate than mirror or electrochemical o Glass tubes may not be appropriate in bottling plants DETECTOR TUBE Click to edit Master title style

19 WHY WATER VAPOR TESTS FAIL o Contamination: For strict water vapor requirements, a single PPM of water vapor can raise dew point by 10 degrees Celsius! o Materials: most tubing is permeable to water o Leaks o Old or ineffective filtration o Poor placement of condensate traps o Vertical or downward orientation of sampling ports

20 HOW OIL AEROSOL IS MEASURED MEMBRANE EXTRACTION: o Inexpensive PROS: CONS: o Particulates can interfere o Sampling time can be long for stricter requirements

21 HOW OIL AEROSOL IS MEASURED DETECTOR TUBES: o Inexpensive o Fast PROS: CONS: o Cannot differentiate between oil vapors and oil aerosols o Will only indicate a small subset of hydrocarbons o Inaccurate

22 HOW OIL AEROSOL IS MEASURED IMPACTORS: o Inexpensive PROS: CONS: o Poor limit of quantitation, only good for less strict requirements o Inaccurate

23 WHY OIL AEROSOL TESTS FAIL o Old or ineffective filtration o Poor placement of filtration and condensate traps o Poor choice of materials o Sampling point contamination (e.g. lubricants, cleaning agents) o Vertical or downward orientation of sampling port

24 HOW OIL VAPOR IS MEASURED PROS: o Fast/real time CONS: o May have trouble discriminating compounds o Some compounds may not produce much signal o Expensive IN-LINE INSTRUMENTATION Click to edit Master title style (FID or IR)

25 HOW OIL VAPOR IS MEASURED PROS: o Inexpensive o Fast CONS: o Cannot differentiate between oil vapors and oil aerosols o Will only indicate a small subset of hydrocarbons o Inaccurate DETECTOR TUBE Click to edit Master title style

26 HOW OIL VAPOR IS MEASURED PROS: o Inexpensive o Accurate o Capable of characterizing compounds CONS: o Long sampling times for stricter requirements o Can be overloaded o Lab must analyze DESORPTION TUBE/GC Click to edit Master title style

27 WHY OIL VAPOR TESTS FAIL o Old or ineffective filtration o Sampling point and/or intake contamination Fuels Solvents Exhaust fumes Cleaning agents Lubricants

28 HOW MICROBIAL CONTENT IS TESTED MICROBIAL IMPACTION SAMPLER o Agar Media Different media types for different microbes Can be general or very specific depending on need o Analysis must be done in a lab

29 HOW MICROBIAL CONTENT IS TESTED SPRAY AND PRAY METHOD o Qualitative only o Higher potential for contamination o Can be useful for identification of target organisms

30 WHY MICROBIAL TESTS FAIL o Old or ineffective filtration o Condensate/coalescing filter contamination o Sampling point contamination o Poor technique Handling with bare hands Not cleaning between uses

31 BEST PRACTICES o Piping/tubing should always be horizontal or slanted upwards o Use non-porous, smooth, non-permeable materials o Avoid using metals of different hardness o Ensure proper application of tape, dope, and solder when needed o Avoid ball valves where possible and use non-shedding materials such as PFTE or PFA when required o Avoid conical thread fittings where possible

32 BEST PRACTICES o Avoid materials that can corrode or deteriorate such as black iron or rubber o Replace filtration more frequently than indicated o Clean sampling apparatus, sampling points, and FLUSH, FLUSH, FLUSH o Use compression fittings or face-sealing cylindrical threads where possible o Use appropriate and high quality sampling point filtration! Your system can be a century old black iron piping, and so long as your sampling point filtration and materials are appropriate, you will likely pass!

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