A helium ionization detector with a thermionic electron emitter for gas chromatography

The principal circuit of a helium ionization detector with a thermionic electron emitter (He-IDTEE) is described. The detector works at atmospheric pressure. The characteristics of the detector were studied. The difference between the voltammetric characteristics of He-IDTEE and that of a helium ionization detector with a radioactive source was shown. The dependences of the analytical signal, background signal, and noise on an accelerating voltage were analyzed. The dependences of the signal-to-noise ratio on the accelerating voltage were studied at different cathode temperatures. The optimal working conditions of the detector were selected. The detection threshold and linear dynamic range were measured. For isobutane, they were 3 × 10^?9 vol % and 2–4 orders of magnitude, respectively.