Over the past few decades, MS has developed into a vibrant and diverse market. The instruments’ ability to rapidly and accurately detect and identify molecules in a sample has made their underlying technology a gold standard in applications from proteomics to environmental testing.

The technology requires a number of subsystems to work in concert: a vacuum system, an inlet system, an ionization method, a mass analyzer, a detection system, and the software to control the system and present results. Thus, it has been difficult to package into a portable format. While the markets for various forms of spectroscopy have been stimulated by the availability of handheld and portable systems, portable MS has remained a niche technique as manufacturers struggle with its technical challenges. Some MS systems designed for mobile applications are transported by vehicle to a site. In this article, we consider systems with self-contained battery power supplies, often in the form of “suitcases” that can be carried by one person and deployed in the field.

The most common commercial designs for portable MS systems use GC at the front end and for sample introduction. Samples can be collected by methods including direct-air sampling with concentration, thermal desorption and solid-phase microextraction. Once the GC system has initially separated the sample’s molecules, they are introduced into the MS system, which usually has a single-quadrupole or ion-trap mass analyzer. Libraries of compounds allow the MS system to detect and identify the sample’s molecules. Portable instruments have some limitations due to the difficulty of miniaturization. Most notably, they are generally limited to molecules with masses of a few hundred daltons at most.

The limitations affect the potential applications for these instruments, with major application areas in security and the environment. Security applications typically involve chemical-weapons detection, either in defense or emergency-response situations, and typically require systems rugged enough for military specifications. Environmental applications also have some overlap with industrial-safety applications. The main target is the detection of toxic industrial chemicals produced by industrial processes, and other environmental pollutants.

There are relatively few competitors in the portable MS market. The HAPSITE, introduced in 1996 by INFICON, was developed for the detection of hazardous air pollutants onsite and was the first commercially successful portable MS system. Terrorist threats influenced INFICON to develop next-generation systems, and other vendors entered the marketplace, notably Bruker and Smiths Detection. Smiths Detection GUARDION was developed in partnership with Torion Technologies, which also markets its own product, the TRIDION. Other competitors include 908Devices, ESS and OI (Xylem). The 2013 market for portable MS, including aftermarket and service, was about $30 million.

Portable MS at a Glance:

Leading Suppliers

• INFICON

• Smiths Detection

• Bruker

Largest Markets

• Security

• Environmental

• Industrial Safety

Instrument Cost

• $50,000–$100,000