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US 4,068,122 AGranted
Isotope analysis
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorsThomas W. Schmidt, Charles F. Cook
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The difference in concentration of a selected isotope in two materials is measured by directing beams of the materials toward the inlet of a mass spectrometer. A shutter is positioned in each beam to pass the two beams at predetermined different frequencies. The output signal from the mass spectrometer is applied to two synchronous detectors, each of which receives a reference signal representative of the frequency at which a respective beam is passed to the mass spectrometer. The output signals from the two detectors are compared.
Claims4
Analysis apparatus comprising:
- a mass spectrometer having an inlet adapted to receive samples of materials to be analyzed, said mass spectrometer being adapted to provide output signals representative of selected masses of constituents of samples supplied to said inlet;
- means to direct a first beam of a first sample material toward said inlet;
- means to direct a second beam of a second sample material toward said inlet;
- first shtter means positioned in said first beam to pass said first beam to said inlet at a first predetermined frequency;
- second shutter means positioned in said second beam to pass said second beam to said inlet at a second predetermined frequency which is different from said first frequency;
- first and second phase sensitive detectors;
- means to apply reference signals to said first and second detectors representative of passage of said first and second beams, respectively, to said inlet;
- means to apply the output signal from said mass spectrometer to said first and second detectors;
- and
- means to compare the output signals from said detectors.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.