Innovative Technology Verification Report

Wilks Enterprise, Inc.
Infracal® TOG/TPH Analyzer

EPA/600/R-01/088
September 2001

The Infracal® TOG/TPH Analyzer developed by Wilks Enterprise, Inc. (Wilks), was demonstrated
under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation
Program in June 2000 at the Navy Base Ventura County site in Port Hueneme, California. The
purpose of the demonstration was to collect reliable performance and cost data for the Infracal®
TOG/TPH Analyzer and six other field measurement devices for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)
in soil. In addition to assessing ease of device operation, the key objectives of the
demonstration included determining the (1) method detection limit, (2) accuracy and precision,
(3) effects of interferents and soil moisture content on TPH measurement, (4) sample throughput, and
(5) TPH measurement costs for each device. The demonstration involved analysis of both
performance evaluation (PE) samples and environmental samples collected in five areas
contaminated with gasoline, diesel, lubricating oil, or other petroleum products. The performance
and cost results for a given field measurement device were compared to those for an off-site
laboratory reference method, “Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste” (SW-846) Method 8015B
(modified). During the demonstration, Wilks required 35 hours, 30 minutes, for TPH measurement
of 215 samples. The TPH measurement costs for these samples were estimated to be $6,450 for the
Infracal® TOG/TPH Analyzer compared to $44,410 for the reference method. The method detection
limits were determined to be 76 and 4.79 milligrams per kilogram for the device and reference
method, respectively. During the demonstration, the device exhibited sensitivity to interferents that
are petroleum hydrocarbons (methyl-tert-butyl ether and Stoddard solvent) and lack of sensitivity
to interferents that are not petroleum hydrocarbons (tetrachloroethene; 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene; and
humic acid). The device exhibited good precision for soil and liquid PE samples but not for
environmental samples. The device TPH results (1) did not compare well with the reference method
results and (2) were significantly impacted by soil moisture content (for diesel soil PE samples) and
by turpentine, an interferent that is not a petroleum hydrocarbon. In addition, some of the items used
during the sample preparation procedure made the TPH measurement procedure less simple and
more time-consuming during the demonstration. Collectively, these demonstration findings
indicated that the Infracal TOG/TPH Analyzer may be considered for TPH screening purposes;
however, the user should exercise caution when considering the device for a field TPH measurement
application requiring definitive results.

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Posted December 03, 2001
Jesse Armstrong
Computer Sciences Corporation