Mass Spectrometry Vacuum Systems and Vacuum Pumps

Mass Spectrometry is used for many analytical purposes including:

• Identify unknown compounds
• Determine elemental composition
• Determine the abundance of a compound in a sample
• Determine the structure of a molecule
• Measure the physical, chemical, or biological properties of a great variety of compounds

In analytical laboratories, the most common applications involving a mass spectrometer are Pharmaceutical, Biopharma, Drug screening, Environmental testing, Food & beverage testing, Petrochemical.

The vacuum system in a mass spectrometer typically operates below in the micron range to allow the free flight of molecular fragments to travel to the detector.

Mass spectrometers can analyze atoms, molecules and biological material ranging in size from protons to macro-compounds such as DNA. Compounds injected into Mass Spectrometer are fragmented into molecular fragments.

Common issues in vacuum pumps backing a mass spectrometer include hot running pumps, contamination of the oil, and chemical attack of pump internal components. Welch’s CRVpro series operates at lower operating temperature which reduces oil breakdown. The large oil reservoir in the pump dilutes chemical contaminants, which reduces chemical attack of the pump internal components. The hardened internal pump components resist chemical attack by chemical contaminants.

Welch offers a variety of rotary vane pumps to be used as backing pumps for various types of Mass Specs.

Refer to the table below for guidance in choosing the right vacuum pump for your mass spec device. For advice and guidance feel free to also reach out to our application experts, using the buttons above.