Pump-less method and apparatus for solvent extraction from a sample

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9739692-B2
Application number	US-201514671715-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2015
Priority date	Mar 27, 2015
Publication date	Aug 22, 2017
Grant date	Aug 22, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus for extracting organic analytes from a sample comprising a first compressed gas source connected to valving and a sample extraction cell connected to the valving. A pressure regulator is connected to the extraction cell outlet to the pressure regulator. The pressure regulator blocks fluid flow when the pressure at the pressure regulator inlet is below a predetermined pressure and permits fluid flow when above said predetermined pressure. The apparatus is free of operative association with a mechanical pump or with a compressed gas source other than the compressed gas source. An extraction method for using the above apparatus is described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for extracting organic analytes from a sample, said apparatus comprising,
(a) a compressed gas source,
(b) first valving,
(c) a first conduit connecting said compressed gas source with said first valving,
(d) a sample extraction cell having an inlet and an outlet,
(e) a second conduit connecting said first valving and said sample extraction cell inlet, said first valving having a first position blocking flow from said compressed gas source to said sample extraction cell inlet and a second position permitting fluid flow from said compressed gas source to said sample extraction cell inlet,
(f) a pressure regulator having an inlet and an outlet,
(g) a third conduit connecting said sample extraction cell outlet and said pressure regulator, said pressure regulator blocking fluid flow when the pressure at said pressure regulator inlet is below a predetermined pressure and permitting fluid flow when said pressure at said pressure regulator inlet is above said predetermined pressure, and
(h) a heater operatively associated with said sample extraction cell, wherein said apparatus does not include another conduit that i) provides fluid communication between a source of liquid solvent and the sample extraction cell and ii) is fluidically coupled to a mechanical pump; and
wherein said apparatus does not include another conduit that i) provides fluid communication between a source of liquid solvent and the sample extraction cell and ii) is fluidically connected to any compressed gas source including said first compressed gas source.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising,
(i) a collection station for collecting organic sample analytes extracted into a liquid solvent in said sample extraction cell, and
(j) a fourth conduit connecting said pressure regulator and said collection station.

Assignees

• Dionex Corp

Inventors

• Srinivasan Kannan
• Ullah S M Rahmat

Classifications

• B01L2400/06

  Valves, specific forms thereof · CPC title

• G01N1/286 Primary

  involving mechanical work, e.g. chopping, disintegrating, compacting, homogenising (microtomes G01N1/06; pulverising in general B02C; mixing in general B01F) · CPC title

• B01D11/0207

  Control systems · CPC title

• B01L2400/082

  Active control of flow resistance, e.g. flow controllers · CPC title

• G01N2001/2866

  Grinding or homogeneising · CPC title