Patent ID: 11927574
Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 18:
19. A gas chromatography architecture, comprising:
two or more preconcentrators coupled together in series, the two or more preconcentrators having an inlet configured to receive an analyte and an outlet, each preconcentrator comprising a chamber through which the analyte passes and sorbent material within the chamber, wherein surface area of sorbent material residing in a given preconcentrator increases from the inlet to the outlet across the two or more preconcentrators;
a sampling pump fluidly coupled to the outlet of the two or more preconcentrators;
a sampling valve interposed between the outlet of the two or more preconcentrators and the sampling pump;
a preliminary preconcentrator having an inlet fluidly coupled to the inlet of the two or more preconcentrators and an outlet fluidly coupled to an inlet of the sampling pump, where the sampling pump operates to draw the analyte into the preliminary preconcentrator during a sampling phase;
a first separation pump;
for each preconcentrator of the two or more preconcentrators, a separation path fluidly coupled between an inlet of the given preconcentrator and the first separation pump;
a separation column in each separation path;
a separation valve disposed in each of the separation paths between the corresponding preconcentrator and the first separation pump;
a second separation pump fluidly coupled to the outlet of the two or more preconcentrators and operates to push gas through the two or more preconcentrators towards the inlet of the two or more preconcentrators;
a detector disposed in each of the separation paths, where each detector is located between the corresponding preconcentrator and the separation valve;
a vacuum ultraviolet lamp configured to radiate molecules adjacent to the detectors, such that each of the detectors share the same vacuum ultraviolet lamp; and
a controller operably coupled to the sampling valve and each of the separation valves.