ADSORPTIVE GAS SAMPLER USING IONIC NANO-DROPLETS

• US 20090235817A1
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Yang, Wei, Gu, Alex, McBrady, Adam Dewey
• Granted Patent: US 8,241,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 95/79
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 2201/06 Ionising electrode being a needle
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 3/16 wet type
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 3/32 Transportable units, e.g. for cleaning room air
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 3/383 using radiation
• CPC Class Codes: B03C 3/68 Control systems therefor electricity supply or control systems for cleaning the electrodes B03C3/746, B03C3/763
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 49/165 Electrospray ionisation

Abstract

An air scrubber, system, and method of use are provided. The air scrubber includes an electrospray nozzle for creating an ionic fluid electrospray plume; an air sample intake positioned to provide an air sample interacting with the ionic fluid electrospray plume; and a counter electrode positioned to collect the electrospray plume. The selected chemicals in the air sample are captured by ionic fluid electrospray plume and accumulate on the counter electrode.

Claims

1. An air scrubber comprising:

an electrospray nozzle for creating an ionic fluid electrospray plume;

an air sample intake positioned to allow an air sample to interact with the ionic fluid electrospray plume; and

a counter electrode positioned to collect the electrospray plume such that selected chemicals in the air sample are captured by ionic fluid electrospray plume and accumulate on the counter electrode.

2. The air scrubber of claim 1, further comprising a first reservoir for holding ionic fluid coupled to the electrospray nozzle.

4. The air scrubber of claim 1, wherein the counter electrode comprises a porous metal frit.

5. The air scrubber of claim 1, further comprising a second reservoir for holding contaminated ionic fluid, wherein the contaminated ionic fluid comprises chemicals in the air sample are captured by the ionic fluid.

6. The air scrubber of claim 5, wherein the second reservoir further comprises an apparatus for oxidizing, reducing, or oxidizing and reducing the contaminated ionic fluid.

7. The air scrubber of claim 6, wherein the oxidizing, reducing, or oxidizing and reducing the contaminated ionic fluid provides a reusable ionic fluid.

8. The air scrubber of claim 1, further comprising a pump for causing air samples to flow through air scrubber or to augment an air flow already present in the air scrubber.

9. An air scrubber system comprising:

an electrospray nozzle for creating an ionic fluid electrospray plume;

an air sample intake positioned to allow an air sample to interact with the ionic fluid electrospray plume; and

a counter electrode positioned to collect the electrospray plume such that selected chemicals in the air sample are captured by ionic fluid electrospray plume and accumulate on the counter electrode; and

an electrical source for applying an alternating electrical current between the electrospray nozzle and the counter electrode.

10. The air scrubbing system of claim 9, further comprising a detector positioned to analyze the air sample flowing through the counter electrode.

11. The air scrubbing system of claim 9, wherein the detector is a mass spectrometer.

12. The air scrubbing system of claim 9, wherein a wall of the air scrubber and the counter electrode are grounded.

13. The air scrubbing system of claim 9, further comprising a pump for causing air samples to flow through air scrubbing system or to augment an air flow already present in the air scrubbing system.

14. A method of scrubbing air for chemicals, the method comprising:

exposing an air sample to an ionic fluid electrospray plume;

applying an alternating electrical current between an electrospray nozzle and a counter electrode; and

collecting the ionic fluid electrospray plume on an electrospray counter electrode.