Vaporizer

A vaporizer for delivery of a volatile medium to a gas flow, the vaporizer comprising:

• a gas delivery which receives a first flow of gas and provides a second flow of gas containing a metered amount of a vaporized medium;
• a reservoir which contains a volatile medium and maintains a supply of the vaporized medium, wherein the reservoir comprises:
• a tank which contains the volatile medium in liquid form,
• a heater which heats the volatile medium to a vaporization temperature in order to vaporize the volatile medium and maintain the vaporized medium at an operating pressure in a headspace of the tank,
• a metering valve by which the vaporized medium is metered from the tank into the first gas flow, and
• a filler assembly by which volatile medium is introduced into the tank, wherein the filler assembly comprises:
• a body which includes a port for receiving a filling container,
• a chamber which is fluidly connected to the tank, and
• a filling valve which, when opened, opens a fluid connection between the port and the chamber so as to provide for filling of the tank with volatile medium from the filling container, wherein the filling valve comprises:
• a bore which sealingly receives an external nozzle of the filling container and includes at least one valve opening,
• a seat which receives a valve element of the filling container which is internal to the nozzle and when depressed opens a fluid connection between the nozzle and a body of the filling container, and
• a valve element which is normally biased to close the at least one valve opening and engaged by the nozzle of the filling container to displace the valve element of the filling valve and open the at least one valve opening, and the valve element of the filling valve includes at least one projection which projects through the at least one valve opening and is engaged by the nozzle of the filling container to displace the valve element of the filling valve;
• a gas sensor which senses a flow rate and/or composition of the first gas flow;
• a vaporized medium sensor which senses a flow rate of the vaporized medium into the first gas flow;
• a manifold which includes flow paths for the vaporized medium and fluidly connects the reservoir and the vaporized medium sensor;
• and
• a controller which controls a flow rate of the first gas flow and an amount of the vaporized medium which is metered by the metering valve from the tank into the first gas flow to provide the second gas flow.

A vaporizer for delivery of a volatile medium to a gas flow, the vaporizer comprising:

• a gas delivery which receives a first flow of gas and provides a second flow of gas containing a metered amount of a vaporized medium;
• a reservoir which contains a volatile medium and maintains a supply of the vaporized medium, wherein the reservoir comprises:
• a tank which contains the volatile medium in liquid form,
• a heater which heats the volatile medium to a vaporization temperature in order to vaporize the volatile medium and maintain the vaporized medium at an operating pressure in a headspace of the tank,
• a metering valve by which the vaporized medium is metered from the tank into the first as flow, and
• a filler assembly by which volatile medium is introduced into the tank, wherein the filler assembly comprises:
• a body which includes a port for receiving a filling container,
• a chamber which is fluidly connected to the tank,
• a filling valve which, when opened, opens a fluid connection between the port and the chamber so as to provide for filling of the tank with volatile medium from the filling container, and
• a loader/unloader which engages the filling container and loads/unloads the filling container to the filling valve, wherein the loader/unloader comprises:
• an engagement member which is adapted to engage the filling container when the filling container is inserted into the port of the body,
• a lever assembly which is coupled to the engagement member and operative between a first, unlocked position and a second, locked position in which the filling valve is open to allow for filling of the tank by the filling container, the engagement member including a slide element which is movable laterally and acts to engage the filling container to lock the filling container to the engagement member when the lever assembly is in the locked position, the slide element comprising at least one slide part which is slideably rotated about at least one pivot, and
• a guide member which acts to cause the at least one slide part to slide laterally when the loader/unloader is moved axially between the unlocked and locked positions;
• a gas sensor which senses a flow rate and/or composition of the first gas flow;
• a vaporized medium sensor which senses a flow rate of the vaporized medium into the first gas flow;
• a manifold which includes flow paths for the vaporized medium and fluidly connects the reservoir and the vaporized medium sensor;
• and
• a controller which controls a flow rate of the first gas flow and an amount of the vaporized medium which is metered by the metering valve from the tank into the first gas flow to provide the second gas flow.

A vaporizer for delivery of a volatile medium to a as flow, the vaporizer comprising:

• a gas delivery which receives a first flow of gas and provides a second flow of gas containing a metered amount of a vaporized medium;
• a reservoir which contains a volatile medium and maintains a supply of the vaporized medium, wherein the reservoir comprises:
• a tank which contains the volatile medium in liquid form,
• a heater which heats the volatile medium to a vaporization temperature in order to vaporize the volatile medium and maintain the vaporized medium at an operating pressure in a headspace of the tank, and
• a metering valve by which the vaporized medium is metered from the tank into the first gas flow;
• a gas sensor which senses a flow rate and/or composition of the first gas flow;
• a vaporized medium sensor which senses a flow rate of the vaporized medium into the first gas flow, wherein the vaporized sensor comprises:
• a body which includes a flow channel which includes an inlet port which is fluidly connected to the reservoir and an outlet port which is fluidly connected to the gas delivery, and
• at least one flow sensor which detects a flow rate of the vaporized medium through the flow channel,
• wherein the body of the vaporized medium sensor is thermally connected to the reservoir;
• a manifold which includes flow paths for the vaporized medium and fluidly connects the reservoir and the vaporized medium sensor;
• and
• a controller which controls a flow rate of the first gas flow and an amount of the vaporized medium which is metered by the metering valve from the tank into the first gas flow to provide the second gas flow.