Conditioner for gaseous sample

Claim 2

A conditioner for removing particulate and liquid impurities from a gaseous sample, comprising, an inlet for said conditioner, said inlet leading to an inlet for a first stage through which the gaseous sample moves; and an outlet from said conditioner; a first stage including an upper hollow cylindrical chamber and a lower hollow chamber, with said upper chamber being located directly over said lower chamber, thereby forming a single continuous chamber; said single chamber being defined by a surrounding wall; said lower chamber comprising an inwardly, downwardly, tapered chamber having a lower end; said conditioner inlet leading into said upper chamber near the upper end thereof and aimed so that the sample moves around the interior of said wall surrounding said continuous hollow chamber and so that the sample moves down through said continuous chamber toward said lower end of said lower chamber whereby the impurities whirl around said wall and become separated from the sample; said first stage having an outlet, including a conduit extending into said continuous chamber and having an entry port spaced away from said wall around said continuous chamber and also away from said lower end of said lower chamber, thereby to draw the already conditioned gaseous sample out of said continuous chamber; a trap communicating with the said lower end of said lower chamber and being filled with a liquid which catches and holds particulate impurities and liquid impurities which have moved through said continuous chamber and contacted the liquid; said lower end of said lower chamber being submerged in said liquid; a second stage having an inlet connected with said outlet of said first stage; said second stage including a chamber having a first and second electrode within it, said electrodes being spaced-apart and electrically insulated from one another; said first electrode being connected to a high electric potential and said second electrode being connected to a lower electric potential thereby creating a high potential drop across said electrodes, whereby particulate impurities passing through said second stage are electrically charged and are electrically attracted and cling to said second electrode and whereby liquid impurities are caused to be vaporized; said second stage having an outlet; pump means having an inlet connected with said outlet from said second stage, and having an outlet connected with the inlet to a sample dividing means, for drawing gaseous sample through said first and second stages and for pumping gaseous sample through the dividing means and out said continuous outlet; said pump means operating upon said continuous chamber of said first stage to keep said continuous chamber at slightly reduced pressure, said pump means further serving to cause the liquid within said trap to move into said lower chamber of said continuous chamBer a distance proportional to the pressure reduction, whereby said continuous chamber and said trap combine to form a manometer; a gaseous sample dividing means having an inlet and a first outlet; the inlet thereof communicating with said pump means outlet and said dividing means first outlet leading to said conditioner outlet; said dividing means having a second outlet, so that only that part of the gaseous sample which is needed to pass through said conditioner outlet is able to do so and the rest of said sample can pass through said second flow dividing means outlet; said gaseous sample dividing means has a closed upper end and an open lower end; said sample dividing means inlet and said first outlet therefrom communicating near said upper end thereof and said second outlet thereof communicating with said open lower end thereof and being vented to the outside.

Claim 3

The conditioner for a gaseous sample of claim 3, wherein said second electrode comprises a wall spaced away from and surrounding said first electrode; said first electrode comprises an electrically conductive shell defining and surrounding a hollow electrode chamber; said shell having a top and bottom portion near the respective top and bottom portions of said electrode chamber; said second stage inlet communicating into said electrode chamber; said shell top portion having a plurality of narrow slot openings therethrough connecting said electrode chamber with said second stage chamber, thereby forming a plurality of small size outlets from said electrode chamber for both the gaseous sample and the electrically charged particulate impurities whereby the particulate impurities are accelerated out of said electrode chamber and are flung against said second electrode; said second stage outlet communicating with said second stage chamber.

Claim 4

The conditioner for a gaseous sample of claim 4, further including said conditioner inlet communicating with a chimney for receiving gaseous sample holding impurities requiring conditioning; a sample preconditioner for cooling the gaseous sample before it enters said first stage inlet; said preconditioner moving a gaseous sample inlet communicating with said conditioner inlet and a gaseous sample outlet communicating with said first stage inlet; said preconditioner including a cooling chamber through which said gaseous sample passes; said preconditioner cooling chamber having a pool of liquid therein for trapping particles which settle into the pool and for trapping liquid impurities which condense in said cooling chamber; and an impurity removal conduit communicating with said pool in said cooling chamber for permitting removal of impurities from said pool; cooling means communicating with said cooling chamber for cooling said cooling chamber and the gaseous sample therein; said cooling means comprises a jacket around said cooling chamber; said jacket having a cooling medium passed into it; said conditioner inlet having heating means positioned with respect to it to heat the gaseous sample as and before it moves into the conditioner inlet; an impurity removal conduit communicating with said impurity trap of said first stage for permitting removal of impurities trapped in said trap; an adjustable flow volume control means between said pump outlet and said flow divider means inlet for varying the flow along the path between these elements.

Claim 5

The conditioner for a gaseous sample of claim 3, further including said conditioner inlet communicating with a chimney for receiving gaseous sample holding impurities requiring conditioning; a sample preconditioner for cooling the gaseous sample before it enters said first stage inlet; said preconditioner having a gaseous sample inlet communicating with said conditioner inlet and a gaseous sample outlet communicating with said first stage inlet; said preconditioner including a cooling chamber through which said gaseous sample passes; said preconditiOner cooling chamber having a pool of liquid therein for trapping particles which settle into the pool and for trapping liquid impurities which condense in said cooling chamber; and an impurity removal conduit communicating with said pool in said cooling chamber for permitting removal of impurities from said pool; cooling means communicating with said cooling chamber for cooling said cooling chamber and the gaseous sample therein; said cooling means comprises a jacket around said cooling chamber; said jacket having a cooling medium passed into it; said conditioner inlet having heating means positioned with respect to it to heat the gaseous sample as and before it moves into the conditioner inlet.

Claim 6

A conditioner for removing particulate and liquid impurities from a gaseous sample, comprising, an inlet for said conditioner, said inlet leading into an inlet for a first stage through which the gaseous sample moves; a first stage including a hollow chamber surrounded by a wall; said conditioner inlet leading into the upper end of said hollow chamber and being aimed so that the gaseous sample moves around the interior of said wall and down through said hollow chamber whereby the impurities whirl around said wall and become separated from the sample; said first stage having an outlet leading to the inlet of a second stage; a second stage having an inlet connected with said outlet of said first stage; said second stage including a chamber having a first and second electrode within it, said electrodes being spaced-apart and electrically insulated from one another; said first electrode being connected to a high electric potential and comprising an electrically conductive shell defining and surrounding a hollow electrode chamber; said shell having a top and bottom portion near the respective top and bottom portions of said electrode chamber; said second stage inlet communicating into said electrode chamber; said shell top portion having a plurality of narrow slot openings therethrough connecting said electrode chamber with said second stage chamber, thereby forming a plurality of small size outlets from said electrode chamber for both the gaseous sample and the electrically charged particulate impurities, whereby the particulate impurities are accelerated out of said electrode chamber and are flung against said second electrode; said second electrode being connected to a lower electric potential thereby creating a high potential drop across said electrodes, said second electrode comprising a wall spaced away from and surrounding said first electrode; whereby particulate impurities passing through said second stage are electrically charged and are electrically attracted and cling to said second electrode and whereby liquid impurities are caused to be vaporized; said second stage having an outlet leading from said second electrode wall; said conditioner having an outlet; means joining said second stage outlet to said conditioner outlet, from which conditioner outlet the now conditioned gaseous sample can pass to where it is to be operated upon.

Claim 7

A conditioner for removing particulate and liquid impurities from a gaseous sample, comprising, an inlet for said conditioner, said inlet leading into an inlet for a first stage through which the gaseous sample moves; a first stage including an upper hollow cylindrical chamber and a lower hollow chamber, with said upper chamber being located directly over said lower chamber, thereby forming a single continuous chamber; said single chamber being defined by a surrounding wall; said lower chamber comprising an inwardly, downwardly tapered chamber; said conditioner inlet leading into said upper chamber near the upper end thereof and aimed so that the gaseous sample moves around the interior of said wall surrounding said continuous hollow chamber and so that the sample moves down through said continuous chamber, whereby the impurities whirl around said wall and become separated from the sample; said first stage having an outlet; a trap communicating with the lower end of said lower chamber for collecting impurities which have moved through said continuous chamber; said trap being filled with a liquid which catches and holds particulate impurities and liquid impurities which contact it; the path from said conditioner inlet to said conditioner outlet comprises a flow path through said conditioner; pump means connected into the flow path through said conditioner for moving gaseous sample through said conditioner; said pump means being positioned past said first stage outlet to operate upon said continuous chamber to keep said continuous chamber at slightly reduced pressure; said pump means further serving to cause the liquid within said trap to move into said lower chamber of said continuous chamber a distance proportional to the pressure reduction, whereby said continuous chamber and said trap combine to form a manometer; a second stage having an inlet connected to said outlet of said first stage; said second stage including a chamber having a first and a second electrode within it, said electrodes being spaced-apart and electrically insulated from one another; said first electrode being connected to a high electric potential and said second electrode being connected to a lower electric potential thereby creating a high potential drop across said electrodes, whereby particulate impurities passing through said second stage are electrically charged and are electrically attracted and cling to said second electrode and whereby liquid impurities are caused to be vaporized; said second stage having an outlet; said conditioner having an outlet; means joining said second stage outlet to said conditioner outlet, from which conditioner outlet the now conditioned gaseous sample can pass to where it is to be operated upon; a gaseous sample dividing means having an inlet communicating with said pump means output, and a first outlet leading to said conditioner outlet; said gaseous sample dividing means having a second outlet so that only that part of the gaseous sample which is needed to pass through said conditioner outlet is able to do so and the rest of said sample can pass through said second dividing means outlet.

Claim 8

A conditioner for removing particulate and liquid impurities from a gaseous sample, comprising, an inlet for said conditioner, said inlet leading into an inlet for a first stage through which the gaseous sample moves; a first stage including an upper hollow cylindrical chamber and a lower hollow chamber, with said upper chamber being located directly over said lower chamber, thereby forming a single continuous chamber; said single chamber being defined by a surrounding wall; said lower chamber comprising an inwardly, downwardly tapered chamber; said conditioner inlet leading into said upper chamber near the upper end thereof and aimed so that the gaseous sample moves around the interior of said wall surrounding said continuous hollow chamber and so that the sample moves down through said continuous chamber, whereby the impurities whirl around said wall and become separated from the sample; said first stage having an outlet; a second stage having an inlet connected to said outlet of said first stage; said second stage including a chamber having a first and second electrode within it, said electrodes being spaced-apart and electrically insulated from one another; said first electrode being connected to a high electric potential and said second electrode being connected to a lower electric potential thereby creating a high potential drop across said electrodes, whereby particulate impurities passing through said second stage are electrically charged and are electrically attracted and cling to said second electrode and whereby liquid impurities are caused to be vaporized; said second stage having an outlet; said conditioner having an outlet; means joining said Second stage outlet to said conditioner outlet, from which conditioner outlet the now conditioned gaseous sample can pass to where it is to be operated upon; a gaseous sample dividing means having an inlet communicating with said second stage outlet, and a first outlet leading to said conditioner outlet; said gaseous sample dividing means having a second outlet, so that only that part of the gaseous sample which is needed to pass through said conditioner outlet is able to do so and the rest of said sample can pass through said second flow dividing means outlet; said gaseous sample dividing means has a closed upper end and an open lower end; said sample dividing means inlet and said first outlet therefrom communicating near said upper end thereof and said second outlet thereof communicating with said open lower end thereof and being vented to the outside.