| The quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer (QITMS) was patented nearly 50 years ago, when it was proposed for trace analysis of lightweight gas mixtures. Though a commercial success, QITMS has been used with analytes of ever-increasing size. We evaluated QITMS for quantifying lightweight gas mixtures with the performance compared to other mass analyzer technologies.; The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) uses mass spectrometers to monitor the amount of hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and argon in the nitrogen-purged Space Shuttle. The explosive hazard of the cryogenic hydrogen and oxygen used to propel the Space Shuttle makes leak detection imperative. The two present-day leak detectors are remotely located because of their large size and sensitivity to vibration. Analysis is delayed by up to 45 s, and only two samples can be monitored simultaneously. In 2000, NASA initiated the Advanced Hazardous Gas Detection project to develop a compact, rugged, and fast mass spectrometer to be placed in multiple locations next to the Space Shuttle to provide real-time analysis with increased redundancy.; The QITMS instrumentation was modified specifically for this application. The RF drive frequency was increased to 2.5 MHz to adequately trap lightweight hydrogen and helium ions. Internal ionization was preferred for use without a collision gas, along with an open source configuration that provided rapid sample replacement. The modern electronics incorporated were controlled by customized software.; Analytes were found to react rapidly with abundant background gases. The QITMS operating conditions were optimized to minimize negative effects of ion-molecule reactions while maximizing analytical performance. A custom segmented scan function was developed with a total scan time of 14 ms, averaging 70 scans per data point at the required 1 Hz update rate.; The QITMS met requirements for detection limits, accuracy, precision, response time, and recovery time. The linear quadrupole was the only other instrument to perform similarly, but was six times slower than the QITMS. Thus, QITMS was the preferred analyzer technology for the application, which NASA will further develop to improve the safety of Space Shuttle program for years to come. |
