US 12,053,164 B2 · Respirable and thoracic sampling inlet assemblies

Abstract

A portable sampler, the sampler including a sampler assembly having a housing that includes a receiver defined therein for interchangeably receiving a number of removable inlet assemblies, the removable inlet assemblies including a respirable inlet assembly and a thoracic inlet assembly. The respirable inlet assembly includes a hybrid cyclone assembly, the hybrid cyclone assembly including an impaction stage and a cyclone in series. The thoracic inlet assembly includes an inlet slot configured to function as a size-selective inlet. Another thoracic inlet assembly includes a housing having a number of openings configured to receive a sample airflow; an inlet insert through which an inlet aperture is defined; a prequalification chamber defined between a lower surface of the housing and an upper surface of the inlet insert; and a protrusion extending downward from the lower surface of the housing into the inlet aperture of the inlet insert to from an inlet slot.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A respirable inlet assembly for a portable sampling device, comprising:

an upper housing and a lower housing;
a number of primary inlet apertures disposed in the upper housing configured to receive a sample airflow;
and
a hybrid cyclone assembly comprising:
an impaction stage and a cyclone stage in series, wherein the impaction stage and the cyclone stage are arranged so that only a first part of the sample airflow passes through the impaction stage and all of the sample airflow passes through the cyclone stage;
a number of impactor inlet apertures configured to receive the first part of the sample airflow into the impaction stage from the number of primary inlet apertures;
and
a number of impactor bypass apertures configured to receive a second part of the sample airflow;
and
a number of cyclone bleed ports configured to receive a third part of the sample airflow into the cyclone stage from the number of primary inlet apertures, thereby bypassing the impaction stage.

7 more elements

A portable sampler comprising:

a sampler assembly having a housing that includes a receiver defined therein for interchangeably receiving a plurality of removable inlet assemblies, and wherein the plurality of removable inlet assemblies includes a respirable inlet assembly, the respirable inlet assembly comprising:
a number of primary inlet apertures disposed in an upper housing configured to receive a sample airflow;
and
a hybrid cyclone assembly comprising:
an impaction stage and a cyclone stage in series, wherein the impaction stage and the cyclone stage are arranged so that only a first part of the sample airflow passes through the impaction stage and all of the sample airflow passes through the cyclone stage;
a number of impactor inlet apertures configured to receive the first part of the sample airflow into the impaction stage from the number of primary inlet apertures;
and
a number of impactor bypass apertures configured to receive a second part of the sample airflow;
and
a number of cyclone bleed ports configured to receive a third part of the sample airflow into the cyclone stage from the number of primary inlet apertures, thereby bypassing the impaction stage.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Respirable and thoracic sampling inlet assemblies

Life of this patent

Respirable and thoracic sampling inlet assemblies

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13