Patent ID: 8869593
Filing Date: 2014-10-28
Classification: B01D,B05C,G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
1. Apparatus for increasing the size of gas-entrained particles in order to render the gas-entrained particles detectable by a particle detector, the apparatus comprising: an evaporation chamber; a condenser in fluid communication with the evaporation chamber and having an outlet for connection to a particle detector; a heating element and a porous support each of which is disposed within the evaporation chamber, the porous support carrying thereon a vaporisable substance and the heating element being heatable to vaporise the vaporisable substance to form vapour within the evaporation chamber; wherein the porous support surrounds the heating element; a first inlet for admitting a stream of carrier gas into the evaporation chamber to carry vapour through to the condenser; a second inlet which is downstream of the porous support and through which a stream of sample gas containing gas-entrained particles can be introduced; the apparatus being configured so that condensation of the vaporisable substance onto the gas-entrained particles in the sample gas takes place in the condenser to increase the size of the particles so that they are capable of being detected by a particle detector.