Calgary November Luncheon: A True NO2 Solution – A Verified NO2 to NO Converter for Existing NOx Instruments

The next CPANS Calgary Technical Luncheon presentation is Wednesday, November 22, 2017. Please register by end of Friday, November 17th!

Presenter: Charles A. Odame-Ankrah, Senior Product Development Specialist, Global Analyzer Systems Ltd.

Dr. Charles Odame-Ankrah is an analytical chemist with a specialization in air monitoring instrument development using cutting edge technology and has experience in ambient air pollution issues relating to nitrogen oxides and ozone. He has invented a new device for NO2 conversion that is currently being evaluated by a host of Government and research institutions around the world for true NO2 measurement, and has successfully developed a Cavity Ring Down Spectrometer (CRDS) for real time monitoring of nitrogen oxides during his PhD. He is currently a Senior Product Development Specialist at Global Analyzer Systems with expertise in the ambient Air Quality.  He has more than 5 years of experience working in the research area of air emission monitoring. Due to Charles’s expertise, he has worked closely with Provincial and Federal regulatory bodies such the Alberta Government, Metro Vancouver and Environment Canada during fields campaigns in the Lower Frazer Valley and The Alberta Oil Sands respectively. He holds a First Class Honors Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Cape Coast, a Master’s degree from East Tennessee State University, USA, and has recently earned his PhD from the University of Calgary.

Topic: A True NO2 Solution – A Verified NO2 to NO Converter for Existing NOx Instruments

Monitoring of criteria pollutants is crucial for meeting the air quality standards set by regulatory bodies around the world. The most common way of monitoring NO_x (NO, nitric oxide + NO_2, nitrogen dioxide), is using commercial analyzers employing the NO-ozone chemiluminescence technique which detects only NO. To detect the total NO_x, the analyzer must go through two steps in its detection phase. In Step 1, the analyzer detects only the NO in the sampled air mass. In Step 2, the analyzer routes the sampled air mass first through a heated metal converter to breakdown NO₂ to NO, and together with the NO detected in Step 1, is detected as the total NO_x in the sampled air mass. The difference in concentration between Step 2 and Step 1 is the indirectly determined level of NO₂ in the sampled air mass. Studies have been performed around the world to compare analyzers which use heated metal converters and analyzers that either (a) directly measure NO₂, or (b) use alternative NO₂-NO conversion techniques. These studies have confirmed consistent overestimation of NO₂ by the former instruments that use heated metal converters in situations where other nitrogen oxides are present. A new converter, using photolysis to selectively breakdown NO₂ to NO in the sampled air, can allow the analyzer to detect only the NO resulting from the breakdown of the NO₂, ensuring the total NO_x and NO₂ concentrations are accurately presented. The converter has been successfully demonstrated through laboratory and field work, and the results show greater than 96% NO₂ conversion efficiency. Three commercially available analyzers have been tested with this converter at the prevailing reaction/detection cell/chamber pressures of these analyzers. The converter operates under the same flow conditions of these analyzers, and has proven to not interfere with the manufacturer’s specifications and operating conditions of these analyzers. Results and comparison data from field studies and laboratory tests are presented to show how this novel converter can potentially revolutionize indirect NO₂ detection by the chemiluminescence method.

Registration and payment:
Please register by end of Friday, November 17th for the event, so that we can order the correct number of lunches. Register for this event with Paypal online registration and payment (there is an option for using a credit card, no Paypal account is required).

CPANS member cost is $35
Non-member cost is $45

You can also register by emailing CalgaryLuncheon@cpans.org and then we accept payment upon arrival to the luncheon by debit, credit card, cash or cheque. (Please note, the credit/debit card machine works slowly, and you are encouraged to register online, OR bring a cash or cheque, OR arrive 30 minutes before the presentation starts, to make sure we are able to register everyone on time). If you register and are not able to attend, please provide 24 hours notice so that we can adjust our numbers with the venue.

If there is sufficient interest, we will offer a remote webcast option for those who wish to attend the presentation but cannot get to Calgary. Please contact CalgaryLuncheon@cpans.org if you are interested in this option.

The presentation will start at 12pm at the Ramada Hotel (708 8th Avenue Southwest, Calgary). Food will be served at 11.30am.

For Paypal Registration, click the links below:

CPANS Member Registration ($35)

Non-Member Registration ($45)