초록 ▼

An air sampler having a fan; an air inlet tube; a main body having a cyclonic cup, a stripping column and a demister; and fluidic circuitry for inputting fluids to the main body and the air inlet tube, and for outputting fluids from the main body. Air flow through the air sampler may be generated by

An air sampler having a fan; an air inlet tube; a main body having a cyclonic cup, a stripping column and a demister; and fluidic circuitry for inputting fluids to the main body and the air inlet tube, and for outputting fluids from the main body. Air flow through the air sampler may be generated by a fan that is either external or internal with respect to the main body's cyclonic cup. A thin film of stripping liquid and/or a fog of stripping liquid particles in the air inlet tube, the cyclonic cup, the stripping column and/or the demister strip a target material from the air flow through the air sampler. A passive fog generating slot or a passive spiral fog generating nozzle may be placed over the fluid input conduit in the center of the cyclonic cup. The air sampler's main body and/or an air inlet tube may be integrally formed as one part. The main body's inner surfaces may be selected to be hydrophilic, for better flow of the thin film of stripping liquid across them; and its intersecting internal surfaces may be provided with smoothly curved fillets for better air and liquid flow over them. The air sampler may be provided with a liquid level control that may have a reservoir float monitored by external optical sensors; a flexible, capacitive effect, dual electrode bearing substrate that is wrapped around the exterior of the air sampler's stripping column; or an external optical bubble sensor for the reservoir's output conduit. The air sampler may be so small, light and low in energy consumption that it may be battery powered and human-portable; and may be so efficient that it may be used to strip target material that is present in the incoming air in concentrations of only a few parts per trillion, or less.

대표청구항 ▼

What is claimed is: 1. An impact particle collector for separating particulates from a gaseous fluid in which the particulates are entrained, comprising: (a) a prime mover having a drive shaft that is drivingly rotated; (b) an impeller that is mechanically coupled to the drive shaft and rotated the

What is claimed is: 1. An impact particle collector for separating particulates from a gaseous fluid in which the particulates are entrained, comprising: (a) a prime mover having a drive shaft that is drivingly rotated; (b) an impeller that is mechanically coupled to the drive shaft and rotated thereby; (c) a housing for the impeller, said housing defining a fluid passage for conveying the gaseous fluid in which the particulates are entrained to the impeller, said impeller including vanes that draw the gaseous fluid into the housing; (d) a liquid conduit that conveys liquid into the housing and onto at least a portion of the impeller as the impeller is rotated by the prime mover; and (e) one or more batteries that drive the prime mover; the impact particle collector being configured such that, during operation, at least some particulates entrained in the gaseous fluid impact upon the liquid covering the portion of the impeller as the impeller rotates and separate from the gaseous fluid as a result of the impact. 2. The impact particle collector of claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises water. 3. The impact particle collector of claim 1, wherein an inner surface of the housing is wetted by the liquid to wash away at least some of the particulates that become separated from the gaseous fluid. 4. The impact particle collector of claim 1, further comprising a passage through the housing through which the liquid and the particulates washed from the vanes of the impeller by the liquid are conveyed. 5. The impact particle collector of claim 4, further comprising a receiver coupled in fluid communication with the passage, said receiver collecting the particulates and the liquid. 6. The impact particle collector of claim 5, wherein the particulates comprise at least one of a solid and a semi-solid matter. 7. The impact particle collector of claim 5, further comprising a pump that draws the liquid from the receiver and forces it back into the housing through the liquid conduit. 8. The impact particle collector of claim 1, wherein the gaseous fluid comprises air that is sampled from an ambient environment. 9. Apparatus for separating particulates from a fluid, comprising: (a) a housing defining a port through which the fluid carrying the particulates passes; (b) an electrically energizable motor that rotates a drive shaft; (c) an impeller mechanically coupled to the drive shaft and rotated thereby, said impeller being disposed within a cavity defined by the housing, rotation of the impeller drawing the fluid into the cavity of the housing through the port; (d) a liquid conduit that conveys liquid into the housing and onto at least a portion of the impeller as the impeller is rotated by the electrically energizable motor; and (e) a power supply that supplies current to drive the electrically energizable motor, the power supply including a battery; the impact particle collector being configured such that, during operation, at least some particulates entrained in the gaseous fluid impact upon the liquid covering the portion of the impeller as the impeller rotates and separate from the gaseous fluid as a result of the impact. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a collection channel formed in the housing to collect the particulates and liquid thrown from the impeller toward an interior surface that is adjacent a periphery of the impeller. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a receiver coupled in fluid communication with the collection channel so that the particulates and the liquid flow through the collection channel into the receiver. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the particulates comprise at least one of a solid and a semi-solid. 13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a pump that draws the liquid from the receiver and circulates it back into the cavity of the housing through the conduit. 14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the power supply and said housing are portable and sufficiently small in size and weight to be readily hand carried. 15. A method for separating particulates from a fluid, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an impeller disposed within a cavity having a port, said impeller being rotatable about an axis; (b) rotating the impeller about the axis; (c) drawing the fluid carrying the particulates into the cavity by causing the impeller to rotate; (d) as the impeller is rotated by a motor, coating at least a portion of the impeller with water that has not been in contact with the impeller; and (e) separating at least some of the particulates from the fluid by impacting them with the water coating the portion of the impeller as it rotates. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of washing the particulates from the impeller. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the liquid comprises water that is directed into the cavity through a conduit. 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of collecting a sample of the washed particulates. 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of collecting at least some of the liquid and the particulates in a receiver. 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of circulating at least some of the liquid from the receiver to wash particulates from the impeller. 21. The method of claim 15, wherein the fluid comprises air, further comprising the step of drawing air carrying the particulates into the cavity with the impeller from an ambient environment. 22. An air sampler comprising: a body having an inlet and an outlet; an impeller coupled to the body, the impeller being driven by a motor and configured to draw gas having target material across the impeller; a conduit through which liquid is delivered into the body as the impeller rotates under the motor's power, the rotation causing at least some of the liquid to spread out and coat a portion of the impeller; the air sampler being configured such that, during operation, at least some target material entrained in the gas impacts upon the liquid coating the portion of the impeller as the impeller rotates and separate from the gas as a result of the impact; and a reservoir in communication with the body that is configured to store at least some of the separated target material and the liquid for subsequent examination of the stripped target material. 23. The air sampler of claim 22, where the impeller comprises two discs and multiple vanes disposed between the discs. 24. The air sampler of claim 23, where one of the discs has an impeller inlet, and the impeller is configured to draw gas having target material across the impeller. 25. The air sampler of claim 24, further comprising fluid circuitry configured to supply the liquid to the body through the conduit. 26. The air sampler of claim 25, where the fluid circuitry is further configured to draw at least some of the liquid from the reservoir. 27. The air sampler of claim 25, where the fluid circuitry is further configured to transfer at least some of the liquid from the reservoir to a detection apparatus. 28. An air sampler for removing target material from a gas, the air sampler comprising: a main body having an inlet and an outlet; a reservoir in communication with the main body; an impeller coupled to the main body, the impeller comprising two discs and vanes disposed between the discs, one of the discs having an impeller opening; a motor coupled to the impeller; conduit external to the main body, the conduit connecting the reservoir with the main body; and a pump connected to the conduit; where the impeller is configured to draw the gas containing target material through the inlet of the main body, through the impeller opening, across the impeller, and out the outlet, thereby stripping target material from the gas, and where the pump is configured to draw liquid containing target material from the reservoir and deliver the liquid containing target material into the main body. 29. The air sampler of claim 28, further comprising a battery-powered power supply coupled to the motor. 30. The air sampler of claim 28, further comprising a fog generator coupled to the inlet of the main body. 31. An air sampling method comprising: drawing gas containing target material across an impeller of an air sampler by rotating the impeller under power of a motor; causing water that has not been in contact with the impeller to contact the rotating impeller; impacting at least some of the target material with the water to strip that target material from the gas; and collecting at least some of the water and stripped target material in a reservoir. 32. The air sampling method of claim 31, further comprising: rotating the impeller using a battery-powered power supply. 33. The method of claim 15, wherein the particulates comprise organic material.