Smiths Detection-watford Limited

Matt Easton

Stephen John Taylor

Alastair Clark

Bruce Grant

Henry McIntyre

Henry Mcintyre

An apparatus includes a sample receiving port and an inlet assembly configured to be positioned adjacent to the sample receiving port. The inlet assembly defines a volume for receiving a sample and includes a gap that defines an extraction port. The extraction port is configured to extract one fluid flow to facilitate another fluid flow toward the sample receiving port. The extraction port can be configured as an annular flow port around the sample receiving port. In some instances, the apparatus also includes a curtain port positioned apart from the sample receiving port and the extraction port. The curtain port can be used to guide fluid away from interior surfaces of the inlet assembly and toward the sample receiving port, and/or to provide an environment of controlled air, and/or to isolate the sample receiving port from external sources of contamination.

Sample probe inlet flow system

Systems and techniques for cleaning a corona discharge point are described. A controller () can be operatively coupled to a corona discharge point () to control the operation of the corona discharge point (. The controller () and the corona discharge point () can be included with, for example, an ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) system (). The controller () can be used to operate the corona discharge point () at an operating voltage for a first time interval, with or without an additional higher pulse voltage, to produce a corona discharge, and to operate the corona discharge point () at a cleaning voltage greater than the operating voltage for a second time interval subsequent to the first time interval to produce a corona discharge. The effectiveness of the corona discharge point () can be monitored by, for instance, measuring a voltage necessary to produce a corona discharge at the corona discharge point (), measuring a current produced at the corona discharge point () from a corona discharge, and so forth.

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Watford, United Kingdom

Matt Easton