Pneumatic mine dust sampling instrument

A dust sample collecting device, comprising:

• a housing with a front surface, a back surface, a plurality of sidewalls, and an underside, the underside having a first portion defining a nozzle mounting bracket and a second portion with a planar surface, the second portion defining a collection area having an inlet, an outlet, and a wedge-shaped cross-section, wherein the inlet of the collection area comprises a first height and the outlet of the collection area comprises a second height greater than the first height, and wherein a forward end of the planar surface of the housing underside defines an upper boundary of the inlet and a rearward end of the planar surface of the housing underside defines an upper boundary of the outlet;
• a nozzle having an intake port and an exhaust port, the nozzle attached to the nozzle mounting bracket with the exhaust port positioned at the inlet to the collection area and configured to discharge air into the collection area at a downward angle between zero and ten degrees below horizontal;
• a sample collection bag having an opening removably attached to the outlet of the collection area to receive dust entrained by discharged air in the collection area;
• and
• a compressed air containment vessel in selective fluid communication with the intake port of the nozzle and configured to store compressed air at a pressure of between ten and thirty psig.

A dust sample collecting device, comprising:

• a housing including a front surface, a back surface, a plurality of sidewalls, and an underside, the underside having a first portion defining a mounting bracket for at least one nozzle and a second portion defining a collection area with a wedge-shaped cross-section and including an inlet and an outlet, the inlet having an inlet lower boundary and an inlet upper boundary, the outlet having an outlet lower boundary and an outlet upper boundary;
• at least one nozzle having an intake port and an exhaust port, the at least one nozzle attached to the mounting bracket with the exhaust port configured to discharge air into the collection area at a downward angle between zero and ten degrees below horizontal, wherein the inlet lower boundary and the outlet lower boundary define a first plane and the inlet upper boundary and the outlet upper boundary define a second plane that intersects the first plane at a point between a third plane defined by the intake port of the at least one nozzle and a fourth plane defined by the exhaust port of the at least one nozzle;
• a sample collection bag having an opening removably attached to the outlet of the collection area to receive dust entrained by discharged air in the collection area;
• and a compressed air containment vessel in selective fluid communication with the intake port of the at least one nozzle and configured to store compressed air at a pressure between ten and thirty psig.