Tabletop FT-ICR
BSI's FT-ICR is not a handheld instrument — it is a compact, transportable, tabletop mass spectrometer built for users who need isotope-resolving performance outside a traditional room-sized FT-ICR lab. Portable here means transportable, not pocket-sized: the resolving power a field decision needs, in a form factor that travels to the sample.
What travels with you
The value is not generic portability — it is transportable isotope resolution. BSI targets the gap between handheld screening tools and conventional FT-ICR systems that require dedicated laboratory infrastructure.
R > 10,000
At m/z 3–4 — resolves He-3/HD, He-4/D2, and HT/D2 in the field.
1–200 amu
Broad coverage with a light-gas emphasis, from hydrogen isotopes upward.
Tabletop
Permanent-magnet design, room temperature, no cryogenics or dedicated lab.
$180k+
Preorder — a fraction of the $1M+ typical of conventional lab FT-ICR.
Portable, not handheld
Handheld analyzers are fine for "is a gas present?" They fall short when the decision depends on separating nearly overlapping isotope peaks. That is where a compact FT-ICR earns its place.
Portable means transportable, not pocket-sized. Handheld mass specs are useful for screening but do not resolve the light-isotope interferences that matter for helium exploration, fusion diagnostics, or hydrogen isotope analysis.
The system is built around a compact FT-ICR architecture rather than a full room-scale magnet, giving a tabletop form factor suited to mobile labs, site-adjacent analysis, and facilities that cannot house a conventional FT-ICR installation.
Resolving power greater than 10,000 at m/z 3–4, where He-3, HD, D2, HT, DT, and He-4 create hard separation problems for conventional quadrupole instruments. The physics that matters travels with the box.
A realistic deployment still needs sample handling, gas plumbing, a calibration workflow, power planning, and a stable operating environment. BSI's value is that the high-resolution analyzer can be configured around the field program instead of shipping every sample to a distant central lab.
Small quadrupoles and portable gas analyzers work when the question is simply whether a gas is present. They are a poor fit when the decision depends on separating nearly overlapping isotope peaks — which is why BSI emphasizes FT-ICR resolution, not just instrument size.
Field researchers, mobile laboratories, fusion facilities, helium operators, and labs that need isotope resolution without building a full FT-ICR room.
Data for decisions
Where the tabletop FT-ICR sits between handheld screening tools and room-scale laboratory systems.
| Instrument class | Size | Resolution at m/z 3–4 | Best fit | Cost class |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld mass spec | Handheld or backpack | Low to moderate | Screening and survey work | Lower |
| BSI tabletop FT-ICR | Transportable tabletop | R > 10,000 | Field isotope analysis | $180k+ |
| Conventional lab FT-ICR | Dedicated lab or room | High | Central lab research | Often $1M+ |
Frequently asked questions
Low-mass isotope and light-gas problems where resolving power matters more than broad chemical screening — hydrogen isotopes (H2, HD, D2, HT, DT), helium-3 and helium-4, and other species across the 1–200 amu range. For the underlying resolution physics, see the low-mass spectrometry page.
Yes — that is the target use case. A high-resolution instrument that can be planned into a mobile or site-adjacent workflow instead of requiring a full conventional FT-ICR lab, thanks to its permanent-magnet, room-temperature design.
Conventional FT-ICR systems use superconducting magnets and occupy whole rooms, often costing $1M+. BSI's system uses a permanent magnet in a tabletop enclosure at room temperature, delivering R > 10,000 at m/z 3–4 at a $180k+ preorder cost class — without the cryogenics and facility footprint.
BlankSlate Innovation, a Texas Tech University spinoff with peer-reviewed published research. See the full FT-ICR instrument specifications, or applications in fusion diagnostics and helium isotope analysis.
Next step
Talk with BSI about whether a tabletop FT-ICR fits your field, mobile-lab, or facility-constrained isotope-analysis workflow.