Patent ID: 7016462

Claim:
A system for identifying and measuring concentrations of elements in fluids, comprising: an ionic preconcentration cell, comprising: an upper high surface area electrode having a high specific surface area thereof; a lower high surface area electrode having a high specific surface area thereof, substantially parallel to said upper high surface area electrode; a central flow interelectrode gap separating said upper and lower high surface area electrodes by a predetermined interelectrode gap width; and fluid flow means for flowing a fluid through said central flow interelectrode gap; a computerized apparatus comprising calibration data related to a rate at which photons emitted from said preconcentration cell based are detected on a fluid of interest containing a known concentration of at least one element of interest being flowed at a known flow rate through said central flow interelectrode gap for a known period of time, a known voltage differential being applied across said electrodes, and said preconcentration cell being exposed to x-rays; and said computerized apparatus deducing an identity, or measurement of concentration, of an unknown concentration of said at least one element of interest in said fluid of interest, based on comparing said calibration data with test data related to a rate at which photons emitted from said preconcentration cell are detected based on said fluid of interest with said unknown concentration being flowed at a known flow rate through said central flow interelectrode gap for a known period of time, a known voltage differential being applied across said electrodes, and said preconcentration cell being exposed to x-rays.