🎯 Course Description:
This 5-day expert-level course delivers intensive training in advanced gas chromatography (GC) techniques, focused on the unique demands of oil, gas, petrochemical, and environmental testing laboratories. The course emphasizes complex analytical challenges, multi-dimensional GC (GC×GC), advanced detection systems, and robust troubleshooting methodologies.
Participants will explore real-world issues in natural gas analysis, hydrocarbon speciation, trace-level detection, and product certification. The course includes in-depth detector comparisons (FID, TCD, MS, PDHID), modern injection techniques, and strategies for method optimization, error diagnostics, data integrity, and instrument maintenance — all benchmarked against industry standards such as ASTM, GPA, and ISO.
👥 Who Should Attend:
-
Senior laboratory chemists and analysts
-
GC method developers and technical leads
-
Lab managers and quality assurance professionals
-
Engineers interpreting gas or product compositions
-
Instrumentation specialists in upstream/downstream labs
🗓️ Day 1: High-Level GC Theory & System Optimization
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Welcome, Objectives, Advanced GC Concepts Overview |
| 09:00 – 10:30 | High-Resolution GC Principles – Efficiency, selectivity, Van Deemter optimization |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:45 – 12:15 | Column Selection Strategies – PLOT, capillary, micropacked, GC×GC interfaces |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | Carrier Gas Considerations – Helium, hydrogen, nitrogen: flow control and purity |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | System Configuration Optimization – Backflushing, dual-detector routing |
🗓️ Day 2: Advanced Sample Introduction & Detection Techniques
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | Advanced Injection Methods – S/SL, PTV, on-column, headspace, purge & trap |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | Split/Splitless Optimization for Volatile vs Heavy Hydrocarbons |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | Detector Focus – Comparison of FID, TCD, PDHID, and GC-MS for petroleum labs |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | Workshop: GC-MS Setup for VOC and Trace Component Detection |
🗓️ Day 3: Method Development, Validation & System Suitability
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | Advanced Method Development – Selectivity tuning, ramp programming, phase matching |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | Method Validation Parameters – Linearity, detection limits, precision, accuracy |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | System Suitability Testing (SST) – Practical criteria, QC charts, benchmarks |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | Workshop: Validate and Troubleshoot a Complex GC Method (ASTM D7169/ISO 2286) |
🗓️ Day 4: Troubleshooting Techniques in Complex GC Systems
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | Diagnosing Common GC Issues – Retention shifts, ghost peaks, tailing, coelution |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | Leak Testing, Contamination, and Maintenance Routines |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 02:45 | Column Degradation and Detector Drift – Recognition and recovery techniques |
| 02:45 – 03:00 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:00 – 04:30 | Workshop: Full GC System Troubleshooting Simulation (from sample to output) |
🗓️ Day 5: Reporting, Compliance & Performance Improvement
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 10:00 | GC Data Reporting Best Practices – Integration rules, noise thresholds, baselining |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 10:15 – 12:15 | Compliance Requirements – ASTM/GPA/ISO reporting, calibration records, audit trails |
| 12:15 – 01:15 | 🍽 Lunch Break |
| 01:15 – 03:00 | Performance Benchmarking – Reducing turnaround time, improving reproducibility |
| 03:00 – 03:15 | ☕ Coffee Break |
| 03:15 – 04:30 | Final Q&A, Advanced Scenarios Discussion, Group Presentations, Certificates |
📂 Course Materials Provided:
-
Advanced GC Troubleshooting Manual
-
Injection Technique Selection Guide
-
Method Development Worksheet (ISO/ASTM compliant)
-
Case Study Booklet: Real GC Failures and Resolutions
-
GC Data Reporting Template (ASTM-compliant)
