Smiths Detection-watford Limited

Smiths Group Plc

Jsm Construction Limited

Schlumberger Canada Limited

John Fitzgerald

Jonathan R Atkinson

Stephen John Taylor

Alastair Clark

Alexander Parker

David Sharp

William Angus Munro

Paul Douglas Arnold

David Cutmore

Rod Wilson

Marcel Gowers

Robert Brian Turner

Marcedl Gowers

Oliver Mullins

Felix Chen

Xu Wu

Anthony R Goodwin

Gary Corris

A portable ion mobility spectrometry apparatus () for detecting an aerosol and a method for using the apparatus. The apparatus comprises an ion mobility spectrometer (); a portable power source () carried by the apparatus for providing power to the apparatus (); an inlet () for collecting a flow of air to be tested by the spectrometer (); a heater () configured to heat the air to be tested to vapourise an aerosol carried by the air and a controller () configured to control the spectrometer () to obtain samples from the heated air, wherein the controller is configured to increase a heat output from the heater () for a selected time period before obtaining samples from the heated air.

Method and portable ion mobility spectrometer for the detection of an aerosol

An on-demand vapour generator includes a vapour chamber configured to produce a vapour and a vapour absorption assembly configured to receive flows of vapour from the vapour chamber. The vapour absorption assembly includes a first vapour-permeable passage having a passage outlet and at least one second vapour-permeable passage that is closed. When vapour absorption assembly receives a flow of vapour from the vapour chamber, the flow of vapour passes through the first vapour-permeable passage to the passage outlet at least substantially without absorption of vapour from the flow of vapour. However, when a flow of vapour is not received from the vapour chamber, vapour entering the vapour absorption assembly from the vapour chamber passes into the first vapour-permeable passage and the at least one second vapour-permeable passage and is at least substantially absorbed.

On-demand vapor generator

A device for use in removing a conveyance member from a material includes a displacement element () and a self-propelling driving element. The displacement element () is for being placed at least partly around a conveyance member () and for displacing material as the displacement element () is advanced along a conveyance member (). The driving element is coupled to and movable with the displacement element () to advance the displacement element along a conveyance member ().

Conveyance member removal method and device

An on-demand vapor generator includes a vapor chamber configured to produce a vapor and a vapor absorption assembly configured to receive flows of vapor from the vapor chamber. The vapor absorption assembly includes a first vapor-permeable passage having a passage outlet and at least one second vapor-permeable passage that is closed. When vapor absorption assembly receives a flow of vapor from the vapor chamber, the flow of vapor passes through the first vapor-permeable passage to the passage outlet at least substantially without absorption of vapor from the flow of vapor. However, when a flow of vapor is not received from the vapor chamber, vapor entering the vapor absorption assembly from the vapor chamber passes into the first vapor-permeable passage and the at least one second vapor-permeable passage and is at least substantially absorbed.

On-demand vapour generator

Described is a device () for use in removing a conveyance member from a material. The device () includes a displacement element () for being placed at least partly around a conveyance member and for displacing material as the device is advanced along a conveyance member. The device () also includes a driven component for receiving a driving force for driving the device through material. The device can include a coupling element () for coupling the device to a shaft and a material loosener () including a drilling element. The material loosener can be operable to loosen material ahead of the displacement element as the device is advanced along a conveyance member. The drilling element can be coupled to a first wheel () and the coupling element can include a second wheel () cooperating with the first wheel to transfer rotational movement of a shaft to the drilling element.

Spectrometers including integrated capacitive detectors are described. An integrated capacitive detector integrates ion current from the collector () into a changing voltage. The detector includes a collector configured to receive ions in the spectrometer, a dielectric (), and a plate () arranged in an overlapping configuration with collector on an opposite side of the dielectric. The detector also includes an amplifier ().

Integrated capacitor transimpedance amplifier

Spectrometers including integrated capacitive detectors are described. An integrated capacitive detector integrates ion current from the collector () into a changing voltage. The detector includes a collector configured to receive ions in the spectrometer, a dielectric, and a plate arranged in an overlapping configuration with collector on an opposite side of the dielectric. The detector also includes an amplifier (). A capacitive detector with offset () is described.

Capacitive transimpedance amplifier with offset

An IMS or other analytical instrument has a corona discharge needle () to ionize sample gases or vapours. A gate () is opened or closed to admit or prevent entry of the ions produced by the corona discharge to a drift chamber (). The operation of the corona discharge needle () and the gate () are controlled such that the gate is open during at least two discharges, to admit faster ions produced by the most recent discharge together with slower ions produced by an earlier discharge.

Analytical apparatus

A vapor generator system () for an IMS () or other apparatus has a chamber () in which vapor is produced. A fan or other flow generator () is connected to an inlet () of the vapor chamber () and its outlet () is connected to an adsorbent passage (), such as formed by a bore through a block () of carbon. When the fan () is on gas flows through the vapor chamber () and the adsorbent passage () to the IMS () or other outlet, with little vapor being adsorbed in the passage. When the fan () is off, any vapor molecules that escape to the adsorbent passage () do so at a low rate such that substantially all is adsorbed and no vapor escapes.

Growing community of inventors

Watford, United Kingdom

John Fitzgerald