Vapor-alcohol control tests with compressed ethanol-gas mixtures: Scientific basis and actual performance

Abstract

Commercial compressed vapor-alcohol mixtures ('dry gas') were evaluated to ascertain their suitability for control tests in breath-alcohol analysis. Dry gas control tests were conducted at nominal vapor-alcohol concentrations (VACs) of 0.045, 0.085, and 0.105 g/210 L (n = 50 at each VAC) with Alcotest 7110 MK III and Intoxilyzer 1400 evidential breath-alcohol testers. The measurement results were analyzed by standard statistical methods, and their correlation with certified dry gas VAC target values was examined. Also measured and examined statistically were the VACs of National Institute of Standards and Technology-traceable Research Gas Mixtures (dry gas) ethanol standards at 97.8 and 198 ppm (n = 30-50 at each VAC). With the Alcotest 7110 MK III programmed to report VACs normalized to standard atmospheric pressure at 760 torr and the Intoxilyzer 1400 programmed to report VACs at ambient atmospheric pressure, the predicted effects of ambient atmospheric pressure were confirmed experimentally. We developed and validated the following conversion factor for VAC units at 34°C and 760 tort: ppm/2605 = g/210 L and g/210 L x 2605 = ppm. We found that the dry gas vapor-alcohol control samples conformed to established formal specifications and concluded that they compared favorably with simulator effluents for control tests of breath- alcohol analyzers, which are capable of adjusting VAC results for ambient atmospheric pressure.