Patent · US Expired

Recirculating filtration system for use with a transportable ion mobility spectrometer in gas chromatography applications

US5736739A · kind A · utility

68Cited by
9References
27Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 8, 1996
Grant dateApr 7, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 8, 2016

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N30/7206
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Generally, the present invention provides a recirculating filtration system for use with a transportable ion mobility spectrometer in gas chromatography applications. The transportable recirculating filtration system comprises a pump and a set of filters and flow sensors connected to an ion mobility spectrometry sensor having a gas chromatograph column at its inlet. The IMS sensor's outlet flow is cleaned by the filters and recirculated by the pump back into the IMS sensor as the carrier fluid stream flow. A portion of the IMS sensor's outlet flow equal to the amount of flow introduced into the sensor as the sample is exhausted from the filtration system to maintain a constant total flow volume through the system as the sample is being analyzed. Preferably, the multicapillary column is sealed to a heated transfer line leading to the sample stream inlet of the IMS sensor. The transfer line is preferably maintained at a temperature 10.degree. C.-40.degree. C. above that of the multicapillary column in order to ensure that analyte species will not adsorb on the walls of the transfer line instead of entering the sample stream inlet of the IMS sensor. The transfer line can be optionally…

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