Apparatus for analyzing environmental gases

Claim 2

An analytical apparatus for analyzing the gases present in an ambient medium said apparatus comprising: a semi-permeable membrane type separator for removing gaseous state contaminant materials from an ambient gaseous mixture passed therethrough, means for causing said ambienT mixture to be passed through said separator, gas chromatographic column means connected in fluid flow relation to said separating means such that gaseous material free of contaminants is caused to pass through said column means, means connected to said separator means for collecting said contaminant materials removed from said mixture, and means for interjecting a predetermined quantity of said collected contaminant into the flow stream between said separator and said column means.

Claim 3

In an analytical apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein another gas separating means is connected between said membrane type separator means and said column means, and detector means are provided for analyzing the gaseous effluent of said column means.

Claim 4

In an analytical apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein recording means are provided responsive to said detector means and a programable sequencing means is provided for controlling said sample interjecting means and providing an indicating signal to said recording means.

Claim 5

In an analytical apparatus as described in claim 1 wherein said contaminant collecting means includes a vacuum pumping means and a storage chamber for temporarily storing said contaminants and for allowing a sample quantity to be introduced into the input flow stream of the column.

Claim 6

An inlet system for gas analyzing apparatus which comprises: means forming a first chamber and a second chamber, said chambers being separated by a permeable membrane, said first chamber including an inlet means and an outlet means and means for directing a flow stream of gaseous material from said inlet into communication with said membrane such that certain constituents thereof are captured by said membrane and the non-captured constituents are passed through said outlet means and into said gas analyzing apparatus the input of which is connected to said first chamber outlet means, said second chamber including an outlet port, pressure reducing means coupled to said last mentioned outlet port so as to reduce the pressure in said second chamber to a level substantially below that of said first chamber thereby causing said captured constituents to diffuse through said membrane and into said second chamber, said outlet means of said first chamber including means for interjecting a sample material into said flow stream, gas induction means coupled to said inlet means for causing a continuous flow through said separator and into said gas analyzing apparatus, and means for collecting said captured constituents and conveying said constituents to said sample interjecting means such that a portion thereof may be selectively re-introduced into said flow stream.

Claim 7

An inlet system for gas analyzing apparatus which comprises: means forming a first chamber and a second chamber, said chambers being separated by a permeable membrane, said first chamber including an inlet means and an outlet means and means for directing a flow stream of gaseous material from said inlet into communication with said membrane such that certain constituents thereof are captured by said membrane and the non-captured constituents are passed through said outlet means and into said gas analyzing apparatus the input of which is connected to said first chamber outlet means, said second chamber including an outlet port, pressure reducing means coupled to said last mentioned outlet port so as to reduce the pressure in said second chamber to a level substantially below that of said first chamber thereby causing said captured constituents to diffuse through said membrane and into said second chamber, said outlet means of said first chamber including means for interjecting a sample material into said flow stream, gas induction means coupled to said inlet means for causing a continuous flow through said separator and into said gas analyzing apparatus, and means for collecting said captured constituents and conveying said constituents to said sample interjecting means such that a portion thereof may be selectively re-introduced into said flow stream.

Claim 8

A gas analyzing apparatus comprising: a first membrane type separator including means forming a flow path across one side of a semi-permeable membrane, said flow path being disposed between an inlet and an outlet, and pressure reducing means coupled to said separator in communication with another side of said membrane for reducing the pressure on said other side so as to induce the diffusion of certain components through said membrane, a second membrane type separator including means forming a flow path across one side of a semi-permeable membrane, said flow path being disposed between an inlet and an outlet, and pressure reducing means coupled to said separator and in communication with another side of said membrane for reducing the pressure on said other side so as to induce the diffusion of certain components through said membrane, the materials of said two membranes being the same so that said certain components diffusing through said two membranes are the same components, chromatographic column means having an end thereof connected to the outlet of said first separator means and the other end thereof connected to the inlet of said second separator means, means disposed between said first separator means and said column means for enabling the insertion of a quantity of sample material inTo the system flow stream, ambient gas induction means connected to said inlet of said first separator means for inducing a flow stream through said apparatus, and detector means connected between said second separator means and said second pressure reducing means for detecting certain components of said sample material.

Claim 9

A gas analyzing apparatus comprising: a first membrane type separator including means forming a flow path across one side of a semi-permeable membrane, said flow path being disposed between an inlet and an outlet, and pressure reducing means coupled to said separator in communication with another side of said membrane for reducing the pressure on said other side so as to induce the diffusion of certain components through said membrane, a second membrane type separator including means forming a flow path across one side of a semi-permeable membrane, said flow path being disposed between an inlet and an outlet, and pressure reducing means coupled to said separator and in communication with another side of said membrane for reducing the pressure on said other side so as to induce the diffusion of certain components through said membrane, the materials of said two membranes being the same so that said certain components diffusing through said two membranes are the same components, chromatographic column means having an end thereof connected to the outlet of said first separator means and the other end thereof connected to the inlet of said second separator means, means disposed between said first separator means and said column means for enabling the insertion of a quantity of sample material inTo the system flow stream, ambient gas induction means connected to said inlet of said first separator means for inducing a flow stream through said apparatus, and detector means connected between said second separator means and said second pressure reducing means for detecting certain components of said sample material.

Claim 10

A gas analyzing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said means for inserting a quantity of sample material into the system flow stream includes means coupled to said ambient gas induction means for providing a volume of said ambient gas as said quantity of sample material.

Claim 11

Chromotographic method of analyzing ambient gas for contaminants using said ambient gas as the carrier gas; drawing said ambient gas through a semi-permeable membrane separator; directing a first output of said separator comprised of the ambient gas which did not pass through the membrane to a column as the purified carrier gas; collecting gas which passed through the membrane; injecting a predetermined amount of said collected gas into the column input; and passing said column output elutants to a gas detector for analysis.

Claim 12

Chromotographic method of analyzing ambient gas for contaminants using said ambient gas as the carrier gas; drawing said ambient gas through a semi-permeable membrane separator; directing a first output of said separator comprised of the ambient gas which did not pass through the membrane to a column as the purified carrier gas; collecting gas which passed through the membrane; injecting a predetermined amount of said collected gas into the column input; and passing said column output elutants to a gas detector for analysis.