Patent ID: 6568245
Filing Date: 2003-05-27
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A process for measuring concentrations of non-volatile constituents in liquids, including:providing a sample including a liquid and at least one non-volatile constituent contained in the liquid to a separator adapted to separate the different non-volatile constituents from one another by concentrating different non-volatile constituents primarily into different regions within the sample; receiving at least a portion of the sample exiting the separator, and using said portion to generate an aerosol stream composed of droplets including the liquid and the at least one non-volatile constituent; allowing the liquid to substantially evaporate, whereby the aerosol stream after evaporation is composed of residue particles of the at least one non-volatile constituent; after allowing the liquid to substantially evaporate, applying an electrical charge to each of the residue particles dependent on the residue particle's size; generating an electrical signal having a level proportional to an aggregate electrical charge of a selected sequence of the electrically charged residue particles in the aerosol stream; and using the electrical signal to indicate a concentration of the at least one non-volatile constituent in the liquid sample over a region thereof corresponding to the selected sequence of the charged residue particles.