Apparatus and method for liquid sample introduction
AssigneeThermo Electron Manufacturing Limited
InventorsRuan Hattingh, Neil Bird, Paul Neal, Olivier Moteau
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for mixing droplets of liquid sample and droplets of a diluent and/or a standard produced by droplet-on-demand generators for use with an analysis device. Two different liquids may be introduced to an analysis device for simultaneous analysis. The method preferably comprises using a first droplet-on-demand generator to provide a first stream of droplets of a first liquid; using a second droplet-on-demand generator to provide a second stream of droplets of a second liquid; and combining the first and second streams of droplets before they enter the analysis device.
Claims14
A method of introducing two different liquids to an analysis device for simultaneous analysis comprising the steps of:
- using a first droplet-on-demand generator to provide a first stream of droplets of a first liquid;
- using a second droplet-on-demand generator to provide a second stream of droplets of a second liquid;
- and
- combining the first and second streams of droplets before they enter the analysis device;
- wherein the first stream of droplets is entrained in a first gas stream and the second stream of droplets is entrained in a second gas stream, and the first and second gas streams are combined before the droplets enter the analysis device.
A sample introduction system for an analysis device comprising:
- a first droplet-on-demand generator suitable for generating a stream of droplets from a first liquid;
- a second droplet-on-demand generator suitable for generating a stream of droplets from a second liquid;
- a gas supply arranged to supply a first stream of gas to entrain droplets generated from the first liquid;
- a gas supply arranged to supply a second stream of gas to entrain droplets generated from the second liquid;
- and
- a gas conduit upstream of an inlet of the analysis device arranged to combine the first and second streams of gas before they enter the analysis device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.