GORE™ Modules for Passive Soil Gas Collection
Gore uses a patented passive diffusion sampler called the GORE™ Module formerly known as the GORE-SORBER® Module for sampling air, soil gas, and water in its environmental, petroleum exploration, and mineral exploration markets. The gore sorber design facilitates easy installation and retrieval, along with sample identification, storage and testing, while providing protection from soil and water.
Inside each module is an adsorbent structure engineered by GORE to be hydrophobic and to collect a wide variety of volatile inorganic and organic compounds ranging from C2 (ethane) to C20 phytane. Each module and its jar are labeled with a unique serial number. An adhesive device attached to the jar and lid will indicate if it has been opened.
These adsorbents are protected by a sealed durable microporous tube of polytetrafluoroethylene or GORE-TEX® Membrane. This inert membrane has pores 1000 times larger than the molecules to be collected and an open area of over 80% making it essentially transparent to the gas molecules. Yet these hydrophobic pores are small enough to reject soil and water to a depth of over 30 feet keeping the adsorbents clean and eliminate water contact. As a result, these Gore-Sorbers can be used in air, soil, saturated sediments, or directly in water. When placed in water, compounds will partition across the membrane following Henry's Law and be adsorbed almost instantaneously.
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The engineered adsorbents inside the module are designed to physically fit inside the thermal desorption apparatus for analysis by GC/MS. The adsorbents are manufactured to have low levels of background signal and withstand the heat of the thermal desorption. In addition, a duplicate sample is housed in each module and used in the event the first sample is lost due to a lab problem such as a power outage or if additional information is needed.