On October 21st, 2010 in Berlin, Germany Han Spaans of TGD gave a presentation to the European Standards Committee: CEN/TC19/WG9 Chromatographic Test Methods. The topic of this presentation was the ASAP IRD 3 and the work that Terry Ramus from Diablo Analytical and Han have done in the area of Fame and Diesel Fuel analysis with the ASAP IRD.

This application is very interesting to the customer stakeholders of this committee, because the existing method, EN 14078, is a spectroscopic method measuring the total amount of FAME's. This method does not provide a differentiation as far as number of double bonds or the carbon number distribution is concerned. As a result you do not see the difference between FAME's of soy, palm or rape seed. However this difference is very important because the same amount does not give the same cold flow properties, so this information influences the amount of additives the refiner has to add, in order to get the right cold flow property specification.

The only alternative for a refiner is to always get his FAME's from the same supplier, which might not be the most cost effective situation.

This is a clear area where we need to talk with customers in the Petrochemical Industry. Contact us for more information.

Het Instrument, the largest Analytical Instrumentation show in the Benelux, was held at the Amsterdam RAI Conference Center. The Da Vinci Europe Group, in which TransGlobal Distributors (TGD) takes part, introduced the Molecular Detective to the market as well as promoting other products for the TGD portfolio.

The Molecular Detective is the only FTIR designed from a chromatographers point of view. The result is an instrument that requires a minimum of bench space with optimized, dedicated optics for excellent sensitivity. The IRD software has been designed to interface GC Software and provide instrument control, data acquisition and analysis in real time.

At Het Instrument the Molecular Detective was prominently displayed and was a focal point of interest at the show. The number of customer inquiries was in the double digits, with many customers requesting follow-up meetings, demos and the opportunity to have key samples run. The Molecular Detective was a real Hit at Het!

The 2,5 day training included an extensive product and sales training on the new TGD product portfolio. The main focus of the training was the introduction of the new ASAP Analytical - IRD3 FTIR a.k.a. “The Molecular Detective” to the European market. Tyler Harris and Shawn O’Connor from ASAP Analytical in Kentucky provided a comprehensive hands on training on the new FTIR.

Terry Ramus from Diablo Analytical, a leading Technology and Development Company, shared with the team the work his company has done in terms of application development for the IRD3 in the areas of Biofuels and Pyrolisis applications. Terry also gave the team an introduction to one of his company’s flagship products, the Real Time Gas Analyzer (RTGA). The RTGA provides a real time chemical measurement tool for continuous process improvements.

The training also included a presentation from Lenny Kouwenhoven, Operations Manager from Da Vinci Europe (DVE) Laboratory Solutions. TGD’s sister company, and co-host of the training introduced the new DVE Liquefied Gas Injector (LGI). This unique new injector was developed in cooperation with Shell Global Services in Amsterdam. The LGI offers an alternative solution for the analysis of oily residue in LPG by use of Gas Chromatography.

It was not all work during the two and half day event, as the team enjoyed a night out at the Jenever Museum where they had an opportunity to see how the traditional Dutch liquor is distilled and brought to market. The team especially enjoyed the taste testing.

Starting June 1, 2010 the Da Vinci Europe Group welcomes a new member: TransGlobal Distributors.

TransGlobal Distributors is the exclusive European Distribution Company of the ASAP Analytical Vapor Phase Infrared (IR) Detector for the Agilent Gas Chromatograph (GC). The ASAP (IR) is known as the Molecular Detective® because it describes the unique capabilities of the ASAP IRD. The IRD takes on the role of a Molecular Detective identifying a component or isomer. This Universal Detector confirms the molecular structure of components.

Another major product line of TransGlobal Distributors is its UcalibrateIT.com brand, which furnishes Certified and Custom Made Calibration Standards for the Global Petrochemical Industry. The Calibration Standards are produced by leading US manufacturers. UcalibrateIT.com provides calibration standards for the petroleum, lubricants and polymer industries. The instrument calibration standards are produced “in- house” and are accompanied with a Certificate of Analysis indicating traceability to NIST, for ASTM methods and other equivalent International Standards.

Willem van Raalte, CEO of the Da Vinci Europe Group, proudly announces the new partnership: “The aim of Da Vinci Europe is to help companies in the analytical and biotechnical segments by offering high-performance analytical solutions. Adding this comprehensive IR detector and high quality calibration standards will boost their laboratory efficiency. Also the product line of UcalibrateIT.com perfectly completes our solutions for the petroleum and petrochemical markets such as the Liquefied Gas Injector.”

Deborah Burton, CEO of TransGlobal Distributors: “This agreement with Da Vinci Europe represents a significant milestone for TransGlobal Distributors and our two key product lines. The Molecular Detective ASAP (IR) will be strengthened by Da Vinci Europe's strong reputation for innovation in the Analytical market, strengthening our efforts to provide FTIR technology to the growing European Forensic, Petrochemical, Food & Flavor, Environmental, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology markets. In terms of our UcalibrateIT.com product range the partnership with Da Vinci Europe allows us to expand our product range of Certified and Custom made Calibration Standards for the Global Petrochemical industry.”