A novel μthermal conductivity detector capable of flow rate measurements

We have developed a novel, calibration free, micro electromechanical device and method for the measurement of linear flow rate in a micro-gas chromatography (GC) system This design enables the integration of a flow rate measurement with a high sensitivity thermal conductivity detector (TCD) reported at MEMS 2009. Accurate knowledge of the flow rate is of vital importance when quantifying the results of a chromatographic separation. The total mass of analytes in a sample can be calculated from the flow rate, the area of a peak and the response factor of the detector. Furthermore, the measurement occurs at the precise moment a solute is eluting from the separation column, the point at which the measurement of flow rate is most critical for correctly quantified results. No other method of measuring flow rate directly at the sensor exists.