Patent ID: 8075842

Claim:
An analytical chemical sampling apparatus, comprising: a system controller; a source of inlet gas; a sparge vessel having a purge portion and a sample portion, said purge portion of the sparge vessel receiving inlet gas from said source of inlet gas during a sampling procedure, said sparge vessel being used to house a chemical sample in said sample portion during said sampling procedure, which allows volatile gases to be removed from said chemical sample and directed through at least one fluidic outlet pathway; a source of thermal energy that is proximal to, but spaced-apart from, said sample portion of the sparge vessel; a fan; a temperature sensor located proximal to said sample portion of the sparge vessel, said temperature sensor outputting a first signal to said system controller; a ductwork subassembly that (a) contains said source of thermal energy, (b) receives a first air flow from said fan, (c) directs said first air flow toward said source of thermal energy, thereby creating a second air flow having an increased temperature during a bake procedure, and (d) directs said second air flow toward said sample portion of the sparge vessel during said bake procedure, thereby heating said sample portion of the sparge vessel by use of thermal convection; wherein said system controller is configured to control a bake temperature during said bake procedure, while cleaning said sample portion of the sparge vessel, by using said temperature sensor's first signal to determine a present temperature near said sparge vessel, and by controlling said fan and said source of thermal energy so as to raise the temperature of said second air flow; and wherein said system controller is further configured: (a) during a cool-down procedure, to deactivate said source of thermal energy so that said second air flow tends to cool said sample portion of the sparge vessel, thus quickly lowering a temperature of said sample portion of the sparge vessel; and (b) after said cool-down procedure is finished, to prepare said sparge vessel to receive another chemical sample.