Patent ID: 8007742

Claim:
A digester-evaporator for partially digesting a sample mixed in a solvent with an acid and for evaporating the solvent and the acid after partial digestion, said digester-evaporator includes: a digester portion comprising: a reaction coil having an input and an output, said reaction coil adapted for receiving at its input a flow of a sample in a solvent and an acid suitable for partial digestion of the sample so as to begin mixing and partial digestion in the reaction coil; a heating element arranged along a portion of the reaction coil; at least a portion of the reaction coil proximate to its output being preheated by the heating element to a degree sufficient to convert a partially digested sample into vapor; a collector spoon with carrier water for collecting sample vapor; and an evaporator portion comprising: an evaporation chamber including a cover with a first opening having a substantially vertically-oriented tube extending from the cover, said evaporation chamber includes an axial opening longitudinally arranged therein, and said evaporation chamber adapted to contain fluid at a bottom portion; said collector spoon arranged in the top of the substantially vertically-oriented tube after a vapor sample has been collected from the digester portion; a gas supply tube for supplying a preheated gas provided in a top of the substantially vertically-oriented tube and in the axial opening of the evaporation chamber so as to create a cyclonic gas flow into the chamber and carry the sample to a container area in a bottom portion of the chamber; wherein an output of said evaporation chamber is in fluid communication with an output device.