Discharge ionization detector

Claim 1

A discharge ionization detector, comprising: a housing having two opposing end faces thereon, said housing having a discharge chamber formed adjacent one end face thereof and an ionization chamber formed adjacent the other end face thereof, the discharge chamber being larger than the ionization chamber; an aperture connecting said chambers; an electric arc assembly mounted on the end face of said housing adjacent said discharge chamber, the arc electrodes thereof being inside said discharge chamber; an emitter/collector electrode assembly mounted on the end face of said housing adjacent said ionization chamber, the emitter and collector electrodes thereof being inside said ionization chamber said emitter and collector electrodes comprising an opposing pair of flat parallel electrode faces; said housing having an inlet in a side wall thereof which communicates with said discharge chamber, a discharge gas being introduced to the discharge chamber through said inlet to be ionized by the action of said electrodes therein so as to form a flow discharge emission which flows through said aperture into said ionization chamber, said flat parallel electrode faces being oriented to direct the glow emission therebetween; said housing having an inlet in a side wall of said housing which communicates with said ionization chamber and which hereinafter is termed the second inlet, a sample gas being introduced to the ionization chamber through said second inlet becoming admixed with glow discharge gas entering the ionization chamber through said aperture and then passing between said flat parallel electrode faces; and, said housing having an outlet in a side wall thereof which communicates with the ionization chamber, the mixture of glow discharge gas and sample gas passing out of the ionization chamber through said outlet.