Menu There are several types of cylinder treatments available commercially that aim to enhance the stability of reactive gases in calibration gas mixtures.
EffecTech’s new Performax and DB Gold treatments offer a new method of cylinder passivation, which targets the cylinder surface itself.
The main reason reactive gases have limited stability periods in calibration gas cylinders is because at a nanometer level, the cylinder’s internal surface is covered in tiny cavities that significantly increase the surface area. These nanometer cavities catalyse the unwanted reactions of reactive components in the gas mixture. This leads to a drop in amount of reactive components in a gas mixture, reducing shelf life and increasing uncertainties.
The aim of the Performax and DB Gold cylinder treatments is to fill these cavities with the treatment developed by EffecTech which reduces the surface area and blocks the reactive cavities from catalysing reactions.
EffecTech’s CEO, Dr Gavin Squire, launched the Performax cylinder treatment at the 2017 Gas Analysis Symposium – read his paper on our Technical Information page for more details on how the treatment works.