# US 11,896,991 B1 · Systems and methods for automatic adjustment of mixed gas flow for an injector coordinated with the acquistion of particular groups of chemical elements for analysis

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- Number: US 11,896,991 B1
- Document ID: US11896991B1
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B1
- Application number: 16/559,158
- Filed: 2019-09-03
- Granted: 2024-02-13
- Earliest claimed: 2016-05-09
- Assignees: Elemental Scientific, Inc.
- Applicants: Elemental Scientific, Inc.
- Inventors: Daniel R. Wiederin; Kevin Wiederin
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11896991B1

## CPC

- B05B 7/0012: {Apparatus for achieving spraying before discharge from the apparatus}
- G01N 30/04: Preparation or injection of sample to be analysed
- G05D 7/00: Control of flow (level control G05D9/00; control of flow ratio G05D11/00)
- G05D 21/00: Control of chemical or physico-chemical variables, e.g. pH value
- H01J 49/0045: {characterised by the fragmentation or other specific reaction}
- H01J 49/045: {with means for using a nebulising gas, i.e. pneumatically assisted}
- H01J 49/105: {using high-frequency excitation, e.g. microwave excitation, Inductively Coupled Plasma [ICP]}
- B05B: SPRAYING APPARATUS; ATOMISING APPARATUS; NOZZLES (spray-mixers with nozzles B01F25/72; processes for applying liquids or other fluent materials to surfaces by spraying B05D)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)
- G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES
- H01J: ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS (spark-gaps H01T; electric arc lamps H05B31/00; particle accelerators H05H)

## Abstract

Systems and methods are described for automatically adjusting the composition of a spray chamber matrix gas flow coordinated with an analysis of a particular chemical element or groups of elements. A system can include a spray chamber configured to be coupled to an analytical system, the spray chamber having a nebulizer gas port configured to receive a nebulizer gas; and an inlet for receiving a gas from at least one gas source. The system also includes a controller operably coupled to the spray chamber, the controller configured to adjust a gas flow rate of the gas from the at least one gas source in coordination with analysis of a particular chemical element by the analytical system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for controlling a composition of gas introduced to an analytical system, the method comprising:
transferring a nebulizer gas to a nebulizer gas port of a spray chamber, the spray chamber further including a gas inlet port to direct one or more matrix gases to an interior of the spray chamber;
accessing, via a controller operably coupled with the spray chamber, a memory device storing a chemical analysis schedule storing a list of chemical analyses to be performed by the analytical system;
accessing, via the controller, a memory device storing a gas flow setting corresponding to a next chemical analysis from the list of chemical analyses to be performed by the analytical system; and
regulating a flow of at least a first gas or a second gas to the gas inlet via the controller according to the gas flow setting to coincide with the next chemical analysis.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein regulating a flow of at least a first gas or a second gas to the gas inlet via the controller according to the gas flow setting includes permitting flow of the first gas from a first gas source to the gas inlet and preventing flow of the second gas from a second gas source to the gas inlet.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein regulating a flow of at least a first gas or a second gas to the gas inlet via the controller according to the gas flow setting includes preventing flow of the first gas from a first gas source to the gas inlet and permitting flow of the second gas from a second gas source to the gas inlet.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein regulating a flow of at least a first gas or a second gas to the gas inlet via the controller according to the gas flow setting includes preventing flow of the first gas from a first gas source to the gas inlet and preventing flow of the second gas from a second gas source to the gas inlet.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein regulating a flow of at least a first gas or a second gas to the gas inlet via the controller according to the gas flow setting includes permitting flow of the first gas from a first gas source to the gas inlet and permitting flow of the second gas from a second gas source to the gas inlet.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the memory device storing a gas flow setting also stores at least one of a plasma condition type or a reaction cell gas type for a reaction cell of the analytical system.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising:
adjusting a gas flow rate of the nebulizer gas to the nebulizer gas port in coordination with regulating the gas flow rate of at least the first gas or the second gas to the gas inlet to maintain a constant gas flow rate leaving the spray chamber.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, wherein the gas flow rate of the nebulizer gas is higher than a combination of the gas flow rate of each of the first gas and the second gas.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the controller is operably coupled to at least one of a multiport valve or a mass flow controller.