Apparatus for enriching the concentration of trace components in air flow

A system, comprising:

• a concentrating apparatus comprising:
• a chamber comprising an inlet port and an outlet port;
• and
• a tube being a single walled tube having a tube wall made of a selectively permeable material positioned within the chamber, the tube having a length, a first end of the tube connected to the inlet port of the chamber, a second end of the tube connected to the outlet port of the chamber, the selectively permeable material having a lower permeability to components of interest than to inert gases, and the selectively permeable material being non-reactive with the components of interest;
• and
• an analyte sensor configured to measure or detect the components of interest;
• and
• a pump configured to introduce a sample stream of air to the concentrating apparatus at a volumetric flow rate,
• wherein the concentrating apparatus is configured to receive the sample stream into the tube via the inlet port and the chamber is maintained at a chamber pressure that is different than a stream pressure of the sample stream such that the inert gases permeate out of the sample stream into the chamber and the components of interest are concentrated in the sample stream.

A method for enriching a concentration of trace components in an air flow, comprising:

• introducing a sample stream of air into a concentrating apparatus, the concentrating apparatus comprising:
• a chamber comprising an inlet port and an outlet port;
• and
• a tube being a single walled tube having a tube wall made of a selectively permeable material, the tube having a length and a diameter, a first end of the tube connected to the inlet port of the chamber and configured to receive the sample stream into the tube via the inlet port, a second end of the tube connected to the outlet port of the chamber, the selectively permeable material having a lower permeability to components of interest than to inert gases, and the selectively permeable material being non-reactive with the components of interest;
• maintaining a chamber pressure of the chamber to be different than a stream pressure of the sample stream in the tube such that the inert gases permeate out of the sample stream into the chamber and the components of interest are concentrated in the sample stream;
• and
• detecting a concentration of the components of interest.