US 5,321,984 AGranted

Automatic sample control cart

AssigneeGraseby Holdings Corporation

InventorMichael L. Stroupe

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Abstract

An autosampling device for use in sampling air with canisters and analyzing the contents of said canisters for the presence of pollutants which allows random access of the contents of the canisters and controlled direction of the canister contents to a cryogenic concentrator. The device is a cart having shelf members for holding a plurality of canisters. Sample lines are mounted on the cart to be connectable to a canister at one end of said lines and to an inlet port of an electrically actuated multiposition valve at the other end. To protect against sample disruption, a heated zone around the valve controls valve temperature. An outlet sample line enclosed in a heated zone extends from an outlet port on the valve and is connectable to an inlet of the cryogenic concentrator. Selection of specific samples by means of a multiposition valve and the temperatures of the two heated zones may be controlled by connection to a programmed computer, and thermocouple feedback from the cart to the computer may also be provided.

Claims8

Dependent claims

An automatic sample control cart, comprising:

(a) a cart having a base portion with a plurality of wheels adapted to be in contact with a supporting surface and having a sampling section;
(b) a series of shelf members mounted on said base portion and adapted to support a selected number of sample canisters at particular canister-holding locations;
(c) an electronically actuated multiposition valve mounted on said cart in said sampling section and operatively connectable to each of said canisters, said valve having one outlet and sufficient inlets so that each canister may be connected to an inlet, wherein gas samples in the canisters may be randomly and selectively accessed using said valve;
(d) one or more inlet lines mounted on said cart, each of said inlet lines having a proximal end and a distal end, each of said lines being configured to connect to one of said canisters at said proximal end at a canister-holding location and to said valve at said distal end;
and
(e) a heated outlet line connected to said valve and connectable to a cryogenic concentrator,
wherein after gas sampling, each of said canisters may be attached to an inlet line and remain on the cart attached to said inlet line during movement to a gas analysis site and for gas analysis, said analysis being performable by selectively accessing each canister so that gas sample from the selected canister is taken via the attached inlet line to said multiposition valve through said outlet line, to a cryogenic concentrator and chemical analyzer.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.