Patent · US Expired

Sampling arrangement for thermal gravimetric analyzer

US5440120A · kind A · utility

4Cited by
3References
13Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 5, 1994
Grant dateAug 8, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 5, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N1/22
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A thermal gravimetric analyzer includes a reaction tube disposed within a heating element and including a sample container disposed therein. A reaction gas is introduced at a first end of the reaction tube and allowed to react with the sample, while a purge gas is introduced at a second, opposed end of the reaction tube to isolate a beam system, from which the sample and sample container are suspended, from the reaction gas. A Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer as well as a mass spectrometer coupled to the reaction tube may be used to analyze the off-gas products of the reaction of the sample with the reaction gas. Sniffer tubes are used to provide off-gas samples to the two spectrometers, with each sniffer tube having a first inlet end disposed immediately adjacent the sample container and a second outlet end coupled to a sample inlet port of a respective spectrometer. The sniffer tubes increase off-gas product measurement sensitivity by reducing the total volume of gas analyzed and increasing the concentration of the off-gas products within the volume of the gas being analyzed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.