Method and apparatus for detecting refrigerant leaks

Apparatus for detection of leakage of halogenated hydrocarbon refrigerant gas from a compressor-evaporator-condenser circuit, comprising:

• a mass spectrometer having an elongated detector chamber, means for evacuating said detector chamber, an ionizer at one end of said chamber, an ion detector comprising an electron multiplier at an opposite end of said chamber, means for accelerating ions along a path from said ionizer toward said ion detector, and means for separating ions from said path according to mass to charge ratio whereby ions of a predetermined mass range are incident on said ion detector and a signal is generated proportional to the rate of incidence of ions on said detector;
• and halogenated hydrocarbon gas sample inlet means for said mass spectrometer comprising a flow restricting device connecting said chamber to one end of a tube formed of material substantially non-retentive of halogenated hydrocarbon and having a fine uniform diameter capillary bore such that a 10 feet length thereof has a total internal volume of 0.02 to 0.15 cu. in., an opposite end of the tube connected removably to a sample probe having a bore in communication with said capillary bore, said bore of the sample probe having a porous filter plug therein adapted to retain liquid and particulates and directly intake ambient atmosphere adjacent said compressor-evaporator-condenser circuit.