Issues to consider in setting technical requirements for a process analyzer

Issues to consider in setting technical requirements for a process analyzer 

The issues to consider in this step are presented in the form of questions to be asked. The questions should be asked more than once to people in different functions at many levels, since they may have different levels of knowledge about the business and the process, and different perspectives on the relative importance of various issues. The first answer is not necessarily the right answer. 

These questions will undoubtedly lead to more questions specific to the business and process at hand. They 

What type of measurement needs to be done Do you need quantitative information (concentrations) or qualitative information (identification, qualification (ok/not ok), or trends) If quantitative, what accuracy and precision are required If qualitative, what level of errors can be tolerated  

What are the analytes of interest What are their typical concentration ranges Do the concentrations of any of the analytes covary What is the accuracy and precision of the reference method for each analyte  

What other components are present in the process stream of interest (a) under normal conditions and (b) under process upset conditions What are their concentration ranges Do the concentrations of any components covary with those of any analytes  

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