Patent ID: 7332347

Claim:
An apparatus for concentrating and collecting one or more analytes in a flowing liquid stream of a carrier solvent composed of one or more solvent components, comprising: a transfer tube which forms a bore having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet being adapted to accept the flowing liquid stream; a heating device for heating the liquid stream in the transfer tube, the heating device being a heating coil, heated tape, or heated block positioned around a portion of the transfer tube to provide a heated portion of the transfer tube; the transfer tube having a vertical portion forming an extension line which extends below the heated portion of the transfer tube and forms the outlet, the outlet being adapted to form continuously replaced, hanging droplets of the liquid stream; the heating device being temperature adjustable for heating the liquid stream in the transfer tube to a temperature sufficient to cause partial evaporation of the carrier solvent from the hanging droplets but not exceeding the boiling point of the carrier solvent; a collection device mounted in a horizontal plane below the outlet of the transfer tube for collecting the droplets; a device for heating the collection device to a temperature sufficient to cause further evaporation of the carrier solvent; and a robot device adapted for X-Y or X-Y-Z motion, with X-Y being in the horizontal plane and Z being in a vertical plane, associated with one or both of the collection device and the transfer tube such that the apparatus achieves relative X-Y or X-Y-Z motion of the transfer tube and the collection device.