Smiths Detection-watford Limited

Smiths Detecton—watford Limited

Smiths Group Plc

Paul Grant Wynn

Stephen John Taylor

Jonathan R Atkinson

Henry McIntyre

James Andrew Breach

Henry Paul 11 Pankhurst Place Mcintyre

An IMS system or the like has dopant contained in a way such that it is only released when needed. The dopant could be contained in a device () similar to an ink-jet printer and released as droplets () when required. Alternatively, the dopant could be trapped in material () of a molecular sieve () in such a way that it is not normally released into air flowing through the sieve but can be released by energizing a heater () in the sieve.

Detection systems

An IMS system or the like has dopant contained in a way such that it is only released when needed. The dopant could be contained in a device () similar to an ink-jet printer and released as droplets () when required. Alternatively, the dopant could be trapped in material () of a molecular sieve () in such a way that it is not normally released into air flowing through the sieve but can be released by energising a heater () in the sieve.

An ion mobility spectrometer has a drift chamber () with an inlet () at one end by which a gas or vapor being analyzed is supplied to the chamber. After ionization, molecules are admitted through a gateand flow along a drift region () to a collector plate (). A drift gas is flowed through the drift region against the flow of ionized molecules and is circulated along a flow path () and (), which includes a chamber () including a dopant. The dopant is 2,4-pentanedione, which has been found to enhance the detection of a number of compounds especially toxic industrial chemicals and nitrogen compounds, such as those present in the breath of mammals.

Detection systems and dopants

An ion mobility spectrometer system includes two cells () and () driven by a drive unit () so that the cells operate at opposite polarities and are switched between different polarities either at regular intervals or in response to detection of a substance in one cell. Two reagents are supplied to both cells () and (), one promoting detection of a substance in the positive mode and the other promoting detection of a substance in the negative mode so that there is no need to switch reagents when the polarity changes.

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Broxted, United Kingdom

Paul Grant Wynn