Patent ID: 8397553

Claim:
A liquid chromatography detector comprising: a nebulizer producing droplets for analysis; a detection cell adapted for receiving the droplets produced by the nebulizer for analysis by the detection cell; a drift tube arranged between the nebulizer and the detection cell adapted for guiding the droplets from the nebulizer to the detection cell as a droplet stream through the drift tube; a flow controller arranged between the nebulizer and the detection cell and in communication with the drift tube for receiving the droplet stream, said flow controller comprising a flow channel having a cross-sectional area smaller than a cross-sectional area of the drift tube for channeling the flow of the droplet stream through the smaller cross-sectional area, said flow controller being shaped and sized to reduce turbulence in the droplet stream received by the detection cell; and an impactor adapted to intercept droplets larger than a particular size before the droplet stream enters the flow controller, said impactor including a disc generally perpendicular to the flow of the droplet stream and a tube extending generally perpendicular to the disc for intercepting a portion of the mobile phase as it passes through the liquid chromatography detector.