TACS Talks Podcast

In this podcast we will be discussing Purge & Trap Troubleshooting and covering no response, carryover and contamination. Amy Nutter, Teledyne Tekmar's purge and trap technical specialist will be the speaker for this podcast.

The podcast will cover the following:

• Tips on how to isolate system components, from the autosampler on the purge and trap to the mass spectrometer, in order to find the root cause of the issue and resolve common problems that might occur during volatiles analysis.
• Utilizing diagnostic tools within TekLink to troubleshoot where the issue is coming from and how to fix it.
• Specific troubleshooting topics of little to no response from the analytes, carryover from sample to sample, and contamination in the instruments.

In this podcast we will be discussing Gas Chromatograph (GC) accessories, specifically GC inlet liners. Amy Nutter, Teledyne Tekmar's purge and trap technical specialist will be interviewing Dr. Mark Badger, Product Manager for GC Accessories at Restek Corporation for this podcast.  Dr. Badger will provide a quick overview on liners, what they are and how do they work? and suggestions on choosing the correct GC inlet liner for VOC Purge and Trap analysis.

The podcast covers the following:

• What is a liner and how does it work?
• What are some characteristics of GC inlet liners? 
• Do you treat or deactivate the liners?
• Recommendations for a tapered or a straight liner for VOC purge & trap analysis?
• Is using Hydrogen as a carrier gas ok for liners?
• what to do when you first get a liner? 
• What are the temperature limits?
• How do you know when it’s time to change the liner?
• Tips for replacing your GC liner

In this podcast we will be discussing how analytical traps concentrate VOCs through the Purge and Trap process and inside the trap.  Our guest speaker, Jamie Brown, Senior R&D Scientist at MilliporeSigma, was interviewed for this podcast.

The podcast covers the following:

• How adsorbents work in Purge and Trap?
• Characteristics of adsorbents
• What happens if adsorbents are too weak or to long?
• How VOCs are trapped in the adsorbents?
• What adsorbents work best for VOCs and Purge and Trap analysis?
• What trap should be used for different classes of VOCs?
• Conditioning the trap tips
• How to know when it is time to change a trap

In this podcast, we will be discussing how to automate your sample dilution process with the SimPrep Simple Automation Preparation System.

Our guest speaker is Jacob Herrington with who is a Product Manager for the Automation systems at Teledyne CETAC. Jake is going to tell us about this product, what market and applications it was designed for and some of the unique features and benefits it offers for these applications and those using it.

Here are some of the topics that will be covered in this podcast:

• What is the SimPrep and what does it do?
• What applications work best for the SimPrep?
• What kinds of samples can the SimPrep prepare?
• Benefits to users
• What manual processes the SimPrep can remove from the laboratory workflow?
• and much more

This podcast is the third of a three part series on GC Columns. In this episode we will discuss troubleshooting from Purge and Trap all the way to the column. Our guest speaker, Chris English, laboratory manager at Restek Corporation, was interviewed for this podcast to talk about GC Columns.

The podcast covers the following:

• Overview of Purge and Trap in relation to troubleshooting - Wet Purge, Dry Purge, Desorb, Desorb Pre-Heat and Bake
• What is Purge and Trap and why do we use it?
• We will look at different trap selections and injection port connections
• Troubleshooting on the GC and Mass Spec

If you missed Part 1 or Part 2 of this series, you can click the links below to listen to them.

In this podcast, we will be discussing EPA Method 8260. This episode is primarily useful for mid-level lab techs or analysts who are interested in a brief introduction to the method, or use the method in their career but do not know what is going on under the surface.

This podcast discussed the following: 

• What is EPA Method 8260?
• What laboratory instruments and techniques are used in this EPA method?
• What are the differences between the latest revisions C and D?
• Terminology and QC requirements in the method
• Equipment parameters and personal TIC observations
• Hydrogen as an alternative carrier gas
• Challenges and observations using hydrogen
• Tips for methods and conditions

In this podcast, we interviewed Niranjan Selar, the Water Quality and Treatment Laboratory Manager at the Greater Cincinnati Water Works, where he has been working for 18 years. Niranjan talks about his role in creating a method to identify and detect the contaminant compounds as they came down the Ohio River and into the Greater Cincinnati Water Works intake for the 2014 Elk River chemical spill.

The following was discussed on this podcast:

• What is the 2014 Elk River chemical spill.  How it happened and how it related to Greater Cincinnati Water Works and the Ohio River.
• Identification of what standard to buy and method parameters
• The process to identify the contaminant compounds
• What happened when the water intake was turned back on

In this podcast we have invited Tom Hartlein to join us to share and explain his experience with EPA Method 524 for VOC Drinking Water analysis and Purge and Trap. Tom is currently the VOC Technical product manager at Tekmar and has over 30 years experience with this technology.

Some topics that will be discussed:

• History behind EPA Method 524 and why it was developed.
• Challenges within drinking water method 524
• Troublesome compounds within Method 524 series and how to optimize purge and trap conditions to yield better recovery
• Differences between EPA Methods 524.2, 524.3 and 524.4

In this podcast we will be providing an introduction to Thermal Vacuum Gauges. 

Our guest speaker is Doug Baker with who is the Director of Sales and Business Development at Teledyne Hastings. Doug is going to talk with us today about Thermal Vacuum Gauges, what they are, how they work, applications and best practices.

Here are some of the things that will be discussed:

• What is are Thermal Vacuum Gauges?
• How the gauges work?
• Three specific types of Vacuum Gauges
• What are the benefits of thermocouple vacuum gauges?
• What industries or applications are best suited to use thermal vacuum gauges
• Recommended best practices

In this podcast, we will be discussing the APS-7650G Gravimetric Sample Prep Station for Oils sampling. 

Our guest speaker is Jacob Herrington with who is a Product Manager for the APS-7650G at Teledyne CETAC. Jake is going to tell us about this new product, what market and applications it was designed for and some of the unique features and benefits it offers for these applications and those using it.

Here are some of the topics that will be covered in this podcast: 

• Description on what the APS-7650G is and what applications it is best suited for.
• Requirements for new oils vs used oil sample analysis.
• ASTM methods that this systems meets
• Unique features and benefits that the APS-7650G provide
• Software requirements 

This podcast is the second of a of a two part series on GC Columns. In this episode we will discuss the method development transfer from one column to another for VOC purge and trap. best column for your purge and trap volatiles analysis.  Our guest speaker, Chris English, laboratory manager at Restek Corporation, was interviewed for this podcast to talk about GC Columns.

The podcast covers the following:

• Quick overview of part 1 and how it relates to this part of the series – method development?
• What is ProEZGC and how to use it? 
• Some considerations to using the software?
• Limitations of ProEZGC?

This podcast is the first of a two part series on GC Columns. In this episode we will discuss the best column for your purge and trap volatiles analysis.  Our guest speaker, Chris English, laboratory manager at Restek Corporation, was interviewed for this podcast to talk about GC Columns.

The podcast covers the following:

• What is the best column for Purge and Trap analysis?
• What are the benefits of using a shorter, narrow bore column?
• When to use a longer column and how much longer run time would be used?
• If you switch to a shorter or longer column, is there a way to translate your method so that target compounds keep their retention times?
• Advice to someone new to GC/GC Columns

On this podcast, we will talk about a day in the life of a QC Chemist, what they do and how they do it.

Sara Kennedy is our guest speaker for this podcast.  Sara is the Application/QC Chemist at Teledyne Leeman Labs and is responsible for the Mercury Analyzers.

Some additional topics that will be discussed:

• What a typical day looks like morning and afternoon
• Steps to preparing chemical reagents and standards
• Process for performing analytical tests
• Daily challenges one might come across
• Most rewarding aspects of the job
• Tips for becoming a QC Chemist

This podcast is the third and final part of the Evolution series. This part 3 podcast discusses the evolution of TOC or Total Organic Carbon. 

In this podcast we will be discussing best practices for Mass Flow Controllers.

Our guest speaker is Doug Baker with who is the Director of Sales and Business Development at Teledyne Hastings. Doug is going to talk with us today about Mass Flow Controllers, what they are, how they work, applications and best practices.

Here are some of the things that will be discussed:

• What is a Mass Flow Controller?
• Industries or applications best suited to use Mass Flow Controllers
• Best practices
• Unique features on Mass Flow Controllers
• How to determine which Mass Flow Controller is best for their needs?

In this podcast we will give listeners an introduction to Laser Ablation.

Our guest speaker is Damon Green with who is VP of Technology and the Manager of the laser group at Teledyne. 

Here are some of the things that Damon will talk about: 

• What is Laser Ablation?
• A brief history of Laser Ablation?
• Laser ablation vs other analytical techniques
• When to use laser ablation – what are advantages of using LA?
• Most commonly use applications

We thought this would be a helpful podcast for those who are interested in exploring a career path as an applications chemist.  Our guest speaker, Jeramiah Bradley will provide insights into the following: 

• What it takes to become an applications chemist
• What a typical day in the life of one looks like 
• Helpful tips for someone looking to get into this field

Our guest speaker, Jeramiah Bradley, is currently an applications chemist with Teledyne Tekmar and he has been working at Tekmar for a little over two years.

In this podcast, we will be discussing the new APS-7450V Volumetric Sample Prep Station which was launch by Teledyne CETAC in the spring of 2021.

Our guest speaker is Jacob Herrington with who is a Product Manager for the APS-7450V at Teledyne CETAC. Jake is going to talk about the following: 

• What is the APS-7450V
• What market and applications it was designed for 
• Some of the unique features and benefits it offers for these applications and those using it.

If you are interested in more information on the APS-7450V, here are some helpful resources:

In this podcast, we will be discussing the Fundamentals of Purge and Trap covering the following topics: 

• What purge and trap is
• The history behind it
• What markets and applications use this technology 
• Various other aspects relating to Purge and Trap.

Our guest speaker for this podcast is Tom Hartlein with Teledyne Tekmar. Tom is currently the VOC Technical product manager at Tekmar and has over 30-years experience with this technology.

Join us in part 2 of this 3 part series discussing the evolution of analytical instrumentation over the last 30 plus years. This second part will focus on Hg (Mercury) Analyzers from Teledyne Leeman Labs. Jeff Forsberg, technical product manager, will walk the listener through a journey of how Mercury analysis has evolved during this timeframe.

Jeff will cover the following topics:

• History
• Markets
• Applications
• How the mercury analyzers impact our day-to-day lives