Portable contaminant sampling system

• US 20040107782A1
• Filed: 02/27/2003
• Published: 06/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microbial-Vac Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Microbial-Vac Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Bradley, Bruce J., Clarksen, Dirk V.
• Granted Patent: US 7,100,461 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 73/864.34
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/02 Devices for withdrawing samples sampling of foundation soil E02D1/04; collecting or conveying radioactive samples G01T7/00, e.g. G01T7/02, G01T7/08
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2226 Sampling from a closed space, e.g. food package, head space
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/0618 of the filter type G01N15/0643 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/028 Sampling from a surface, swabbing, vaporising
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0088 Biological contaminants; Fouling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/0092 Monitoring flocculation or agglomeration
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/019 Biological contaminants; Fouling

Abstract

The invention is a portable sampling system for sampling various media for contaminants. The media sample can include gases, liquids, and dry powders. The contaminant sample can include gaseous components, particulates of various kinds, and microorganisms. The system can be used to sample the surfaces of fruits and vegetables, meat carcasses, the interior of envelopes of other containers, gases in rooms or containers, and surfaces such as countertops, a vehicle exterior, skin, and clothing.

Claims

1. A portable contaminant sampling system, comprising:

a support equipment pack, for mounting components of said portable contaminant sampling system;

an air pump, for drawing sample in a gas or liquid sample matrix into a collection unit;

a power source for said air pump;

a collection unit which is configured to hold a liquid and which is operatively attached to said air pump, and in which said collection unit is configured for hermetically sealing of a contaminant, and removal from said portable contaminant sampling system, for collecting a contaminant of interest for containment, transport, storage, or analysis;

a handheld sampling tool configured for operative connection to said collection unit, for drawing in a sample in a gas or liquid matrix, and transporting said sample to the collection unit; and

a sample tool tube, for attachment to said sampling tool and to said collection unit, for transferring said sample in a gas or liquid matrix;

wherein said portable contaminant sampling system is configured to be portable and self contained.

22. The portable contaminant sampling system of claims 1 and 2, which further comprises an alternate media in place of said liquid.

2. A portable contaminant sampling system, comprising:

a support equipment pack, for mounting components of said portable contaminant sampling system;

an air pump, for drawing sample in a gas or liquid sample matrix into a collection unit;

a power source for said air pump;

a collection unit with an input and output opening, which is operatively attached to said air pump, which is configured to hold a liquid, and which includes a hydrophobic filter positioned operatively between said input opening and said air pump, which allows a flow of air from said collection unit to said air pump, but which prevents passage of said liquid, said collection for capture and preservation of said contaminant of interest for later analysis;

a handheld sampling tool configured for operative connection to said collection unit, for drawing in a sample in a gas or liquid matrix, and transporting said sample to said collection unit; and

a sample tool tube, for attachment to said sampling tool and to said collection unit, for transferring said sample in a gas or liquid matrix;

wherein said portable contaminant sampling system is configured to be portable and self contained.

3. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 2 in which said collection unit is configured to contain a catchment liquid or matrix through which a gas sample matrix is passed, so that said contaminant of interest is stripped into said catchment liquid or matrix for later testing.

4. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 2 in which said collection unit is configured to contain a rinse solution from a sample surface.

5. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 2, in which said sampling tool is comprised of a collection tube and a gas replacement tube, which is configured to be inserted into a sampling environment and to remove gas and optionally suspended particles from said sampling environment through said collection tube, and to allow the replacement of gas in said sampling environment through said gas replacement tube.

6. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 5, in which said sampling tool is configured for insertion in an envelope for sampling contents of said envelope.

7. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 4, which further comprises a rinse solution in a rinse solution reservoir, a rinse solution tube for transferring said rinse solution to said sampling tool for use in rinsing a sampling surface during sampling, a rinse solution flow control valve, and a rinse solution pump for pumping liquid solution to said sampling tool.

8. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 7, in which said sampling tool further comprises a rinse solution sprayer, for spraying said rinse solution on said sampling surface, with said sampling tool configured to collect said rinse solution and entrained or dislodged contaminants of interest and transfer it via said sample tool tubing to said collection unit.

9. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 7, in which said liquid solution pump comprises a container of compressed gas and rinse solution.

10. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 7, which further comprises a liquid trap operatively connected between said collection unit and said air pump, for containing liquid from said collection unit and preventing said liquid from entering said air pump.

11. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 7 in which said rinse solution flow control valve includes a first ball and a first ball seat, which is configured so that said first ball blocks a flow of rinse solution when said first ball is seated against said first ball seat, and said first ball allows a flow of rinse solution when said first ball is not seated against said first ball seat.

12. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 11 in which said rinse solution flow control valve includes a second ball and a third ball, with said second ball adjacent to said first ball, and said third ball adjacent to said second ball, and configured so that depressing said third ball causes said first ball to be unseated from said first ball seat, and thus to allow a flow of rinse solution.

13. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 8 in which said sampling tool includes a flexible outer skirt surrounding said rinse solution sprayer and configured for application to a sampling surface, for limiting the spray of rinse solution to the sampling surface enclosed within said flexible outer skirt, for air flow control and for assisting in dislodging contaminants of interest on said sampling surface with contaminants of interest.

14. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 13, in which said sampling tool further includes a flexible inner skirt surrounding said rinse solution sprayer, and located within said flexible outer skirt, to further limit said spray of rinse solution and for assisting in dislodging said contaminants of interest on said sampling surface.

15. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 2 in which said collection unit further includes an elongated tube which extends into said catchment liquid, and through which said gaseous sample matrix is impinged into said catchment liquid.

16. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 15 which further includes at least one baffle disk mounted to said elongated tube, which is configured to block discharge of catchment liquid from bursting bubbles.

17. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 16, in which said baffle disk is configured to be moved up and down by a build up of bubbles between said catchment liquid and said baffle disk, and to rinse walls of said collection unit when moving up and down.

18. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 17 in which said baffle disk is generally frustoconical in shape, with a central opening through which said elongated tube extends.

19. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 4 in which said collection unit further includes a prefilter operatively mounted between said sampling tool and a fluid collection chamber of said collection unit, for removing contaminants of larger particle size than the contaminant of interest.

20. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 2 in which said hydrophobic filter is a fibrous material coated with hydrophobic material.

21. The portable contaminant sampling system of claim 19 in which said hydrophobic material is selected from the group consisting of . . . PTFE, . . . , . . . .

23. A handheld sampling tool for use in a vacuum powered contaminant sampling system, said sampling tool comprised of:

an inlet tube configured to deliver a quantity of a desired substance into a sampling area; and

an evacuation tube operatively connected to a source of vacuum pressure, said evacuation tube configured to evacuate material from a sampling area and to deliver said material to a collection chamber.

24. The handheld sampling tool of claim 23 wherein said inlet tube is a gas replacement tube configured to provide a source of a gas into a sampling environment and to replace an amount of gas being removed from said environment by said evacuation tube.

25. The handheld sampling tool of claim 24 wherein said inlet tube has a first end and a second end said first end configured for placement within an environment to be sampled, said second end connected to a filter configured to prevent passage of contaminants into said inlet tube.

26. The handheld sampling tool of claim 25 wherein said inlet tube and said evacuation tube are parallelly connected in a position whereby said first end of said inlet tube extends beyond a first end of said evacuation tube so as to create a flow of gas from said inlet tube back towards said evacuation tube.

27. The handheld sampling tool of claim 23 wherein said inlet tube is configured to deliver a quantity of a rinse solution to a sampling environment.

28. The handheld sampling tool of claim 27 wherein said inlet tube and said evacuation tube are connected, and attached to a sampling head, said sampling head having an inlet configured to allow passage of rinse solution from said inlet tube to an environment to be sampled, and an outlet configured to evacuate material from said environment to be sampled through said evacuation tube.

29. The handheld sampling device of claim 28 wherein said inlet is connected to a nozzle configured to disperse rinse solution in a desired pattern.

35. The handheld sampling tool of claim 27 wherein flow of rinse solution through said inlet tube into said environment to be sampled is controlled through a valve.

36. The handheld sampling tool of claim 35 wherein said valve comprises a first ball and a first ball seat, said ball configured to block flow of a rinse solution through a flow chamber defined within said inlet tube when said ball is seated against said ball seat and to allow passage of liquid through said inlet tube when said first ball is not seated against said ball seat.

37. The handheld sampling tool of claim 36 wherein said valve further comprises a second ball and a third ball, said second ball positioned adjacent said first ball, and said third ball positioned adjacent said second ball, said balls configured so that depressing said third ball displaces said second ball and said first ball allowing flow of rinse solution through said inlet tube.

38. A handheld sampling tool comprising:

an inlet tube configured to deliver a quantity of rinse solution from a rinse solution source to a surface being sampled, said inlet tube having a valve configured to control flow of liquid through said inlet tube, said inlet tube connected to a sampling head configured to disperse said rinse solution through a nozzle over a sampling surface;

an evacuation tube configured to connect with a source of vacuum pressure to evacuate said rise solution from said sampling surface, said evacuation tube connected to an outlet of said sampling head, and

an outer flexible retaining skirt configured to define a sampling chamber and to hold said rinse solution therein, said outer flexible retaining skirt defining plurality of air flow apertures configured to provide desired levels of air flow and turbulence within said sampling chamber so as to assist in recovering desired materials from said sampling surface.

30. The handheld sampling tool of claim 39 wherein said head comprises an outer flexible retaining skirt defining a sampling chamber.

31. The handheld sampling device of claim 30 wherein said outer flexible retaining skirt comprises a plurality of flow apertures configured to provide flow of air into said sampling chamber.

32. The handheld sampling device of claim 31 wherein said handheld sampling device further comprises a second flexible retaining skirt positioned within said sampling chamber.

33. The handheld sampling device of claim 32 wherein said first flexible retaining skirt and said second flexible retaining skirt are configured to prevent rinse solution from escaping from said sampling chamber, when said sampling device is used upon a sampling surface.

34. The handheld sampling device of claim 33 wherein said first and second retaining skirts are configured to sample a generally spherical surface.

39. The handheld sampling tool of claim 38 further comprising:

an inner flexible retaining skirt configured to assist said outer flexible retaining skirt.

40. The handheld sampling device of claim 39 wherein said first and second retaining skirts are configured to sample a generally spherical surface.

41. The handheld sampling device of claim 40 wherein said valve comprises a first ball and a first ball seat, said ball configured to block flow of a rinse solution through a flow chamber defined within said inlet tube when said ball is seated against said ball seat and to allow passage of liquid through said inlet tube when said first ball is not seated against said ball seat.

42. The handheld sampling tool of claim 41 wherein said valve further comprises a second ball and a third ball, said second ball positioned adjacent said first ball, and said third ball positioned adjacent said second ball, said balls configured so that depressing said third ball displaces said second ball and said first ball allowing flow of rinse solution through said inlet tube.

43. A valve configured for controlling flow of liquid through a conduit comprising:

a first blocking ball held in leak proof engagement against a within a valve chamber portion of said inlet tube by a spring, said spring maintaining said first blocking ball against a sealing ring, said sealing ring seated against a seat defining a flow channel within said seat, said first blocking ball configured to prevent passage of liquid through said flow channel;

a second blocking ball is positioned in contact with said first blocking ball, said second blocking ball held in contact with said first blocking ball by a stop wall positioned along a bottom portion of said inlet tube, said stop wall positioned so as to maintain said second blocking ball in desired engagement against said first blocking ball;

a third blocking ball is positioned in contact with said second blocking ball and within an aperture defined within a top wall portion of said inlet tube, said third blocking ball configured for generally vertical displacement when acted upon by a generally vertically directed force, said third blocking ball configured to displace said second blocking ball and said first blocking ball when said third blocking ball is displaced-by a generally downward force against said third blocking ball, displacing said first blocking ball allowing passage of material through said flow chamber, and into said sampling head.

44. A valve configured for controlling flow of liquid through a conduit comprising:

a first blocking ball held in leak proof engagement within a switch chamber portion of said inlet tube by a spring, said spring maintaining said first blocking ball against a sealing ring, said sealing ring seated against a seat defining a flow channel within said seat, said first blocking ball configured to prevent passage of liquid through said flow channel;

a second blocking ball is positioned in contact with said first blocking ball, said second blocking ball held in contact with said first blocking ball by a stop wall positioned along a bottom portion of said inlet tube, said stop wall positioned so as to maintain said second blocking ball in desired engagement against said first blocking ball;

a third blocking ball is positioned in contact with said second blocking ball and within an aperture defined within a top wall portion of said inlet tube, said third blocking ball configured for generally vertical displacement when acted upon by a generally vertically directed force, said third blocking ball configured to displace said second blocking ball and said first blocking ball when said third blocking ball is displaced by a generally downward force against said third blocking ball, displacing said first blocking ball allowing passage of material through said flow chamber, and into said sampling head.