Excimer UV Fluorescence (EUVF) Technology is a type of analytical technique used to detect and quantify trace amounts of chemicals and pollutants in various samples such as air, water, and soil.

The EUVF technology works by using a combination of ultraviolet light and a gas mixture containing a rare gas such as xenon and a halogen gas such as chlorine or fluorine. When the gas mixture is exposed to a high-energy electric discharge, it forms an excited state called an Excimer.  The Excimer emits ultraviolet light at a specific wavelength, which is determined by the composition of the gas mixture. This ultraviolet light excites the molecules of the sample being analyzed, causing them to fluoresce or emit light at a longer wavelength.

One of the advantages of EUVF technology is its sensitivity and selectivity. It can detect and measure trace amounts of chemicals and pollutants as low as parts-per-billion (ppb) levels, even in complex matrices such as air or water. Additionally, EUVF technology is a non-destructive technique and does not require any sample preparation, making it a fast and efficient analytical tool.

The UV Fluorescence method is the most simple and practical low-level sulfur analytical technique. It has been widely used and proven over many years of use in industrial settings. This method involves injection of a sample into a high-temperature oxidation furnace, converting all hydrocarbons into water (H₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂). Total sulfur contained in molecular-bound hydrocarbon species is oxidized at temperatures in excess of 1000°C into sulfur dioxide (SO₂) by the reaction:    R-SH + O₂ → SO₂ + CO₂ + HVO

The furnace effluent containing these combustion byproducts is directed into a detection chamber where it is excited by high-energy, short-wavelength emission from the excimer source. The UV photons from the excitation source, transfer energy into the SO₂ molecule and raise its energy level to create an excited singlet state. These excited molecules rapidly decay back to their lower energy ground state releasing the absorbed energy as a secondary emission known as fluorescence.  SO₂ + hν → SO₂* → SOV + hν’

Our ATOM INSTRUMENT™ Excimer UV Fluorescence (EUVF) Technology is the principal technology used in our online process, and lab elemental analyzers for total sulfur and total nitrogen measurement. The Excimer UV Fluorescence technology provides high reliability and confidence of analytical results, reduces operational and maintenance costs, meets today’s emission standards, and delivers outstanding analytical performance to meet the challenges of future emission requirements.