Patent ID: 7357045
Filing Date: 2008-04-15
Classification: G01G,G01N

Abstract:
1. A system for determining the mass of a sample containing particulate matter comprising: a clean room; a housing defining a chamber in said clean room; a microbalance in said chamber for measuring the mass of a sample; a source of air under pressure for supplying air to said chamber; humidifier means for humidifying air from said source of air; heating and cooling means in said chamber for changing the ambient temperature in said chamber; sensor means for continuously monitoring the ambient air pressure, the dew point temperature, the relative humidity and the ambient temperature in said chamber; and control means connected to said sensor means and to said source of air, said humidifier means and said heating and cooling means for controlling the flow of air to said chamber, and the relative humidity and ambient temperature in said chamber, whereby measurements of the ambient air pressure, ambient temperature and dew point temperature inside the chamber can be combined with gravimetric measurements made using the microbalance to provide buoyancy corrected determinations of the mass of a sample containing particulate material.