Method And Apparatus For Concentrating Vapors For Analysis
First Claim
1. A method for performing analysis of gaseous mixtures, characterized by the steps of:
- providing a conduit having at least one inlet and one outlet for flowing one or more vapors in a gaseous volume therethrough, said conduit containing a sorbent disposed upon a metal foam for concentrating vapors from said gaseous volume by sorption, and releasing concentrated vapors by desorption;
sorbing said one or more vapors on said sorbent thereby concentrating said one or more vapors; and
heating said sorbent to a temperature sufficient to desorb said one or more concentrated vapors therefrom, said desorption generating a response in a detector of sufficient sensitivity for detection and/or analysis of said one or more concentrated vapors.
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Abstract
A pre-concentration device and a method are disclosed for concentrating gaseous vapors for analysis. Vapors sorbed and concentrated within the bed of the pre-concentration device are thermally desorbed, achieving at least partial separation of the vapor mixtures. The pre-concentration device is suitable, e.g., for pre-concentration and sample injection, and provides greater resolution of peaks for vapors within vapor mixtures, yielding detection levels that are 10-10,000 times better than direct sampling and analysis systems. Features are particularly useful for continuous unattended monitoring applications. The invention finds application in conjunction with, e.g., analytical instruments where low detection limits for gaseous vapors are desirable.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. A method for performing analysis of gaseous mixtures, characterized by the steps of:
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providing a conduit having at least one inlet and one outlet for flowing one or more vapors in a gaseous volume therethrough, said conduit containing a sorbent disposed upon a metal foam for concentrating vapors from said gaseous volume by sorption, and releasing concentrated vapors by desorption; sorbing said one or more vapors on said sorbent thereby concentrating said one or more vapors; and heating said sorbent to a temperature sufficient to desorb said one or more concentrated vapors therefrom, said desorption generating a response in a detector of sufficient sensitivity for detection and/or analysis of said one or more concentrated vapors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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Specification