Graphic Three-Axes Presentation of Residual Gas Analyser Data

Residual gas analyzers (RGA) are commonly used to measure the composition of residual gases in thermal-vacuum test chambers. Measurements from RGAs are often used to identify and quantify outgassing contaminants from a test article during thermal-vacuum testing. RGA data is typically displayed as snapshots in time, showing instantaneous concentrations of ions from ionized residual gas molecules at different atomic masses. A method was devised by the authors to present RGA data in a three-axis format, plotting atomic mass unit (AMU), ion concentration as a function of AMU, and time, to provide a clear graphic visualization ot trends in gas concentration changes and to initiate a valuable analytical tool to interpret test article outgassing rates during thermal-vacuum testing.