Phillips Petroleum Company

Thomas W Schmidt

John A Favre

Charles F Cook

A method and apparatus for continuously feeding particulate solid material into a pressurized system without pressure loss. The invention includes a rotary feeder for transferring particulate material to a high pressure system. In the feeder, chambers are filled with particulate material, and a rotor turns to empty the particulate material into the high pressure system. A compression cylinder is provided which has an inlet in communication with a high pressure chamber substantially empty of particulate material. The gas emptied from this chamber is forced by a piston in the compression cylinder into another chamber which is intially filled with particulate material at substantially atmospheric pressure. As the chamber which has been emptied of gas is brought into communication with the inlet of the feeder, any gas loss is substantially negligible because the gas is at approximately the same pressure as the inlet. The actuation of the piston and the inlet and outlet valves are controlled in response to the rotation of the rotor within the feeder.

Method and apparatus for continuously feeding particulate solid material

Two converging molecular beams are introduced alternately into the inlet of a mass spectrometer by utilizing a chopping wheel apparatus to alternately pass the two molecular beams to the inlet of the mass spectrometer.

Dual molecular beam system

The difference in concentration of a selected isotope in two materials is measured by directing gaseous beams of the materials towards the inlet of a mass spectrometer. A shutter alternately blocks transmission of the two beams. Means is also provided for blocking either of the two beams for any period of time desired. Provision is made for automatically passing either one of the gaseous beams or both of the gaseous beams through the shutter to the mass spectrometer. The output signal from the mass spectrometer is passed to a synchronous detector as is a reference signal which is representative of the speed of operation of the shutter. The output signal from the synchronous detector is representative of the concentration of the selected isotope in a first material if only the gaseous beam of the first material is being passed through the shutter to the mass spectrometer. The output signal from the synchronous detector is representative of the concentration of the selected isotope in the second material if only the gaseous beam of the second material is being passed through the shutter to the mass spectrometer. The output signal from the synchronous detector is representative of the difference in concentration of a selected isotope in the two materials if both of the gaseous beams are being passed through the shutter alternately to the mass spectrometer. If desired, these outputs may be utilized to calculate the isotope ratio difference (.delta.) for the selected isotope in the two materials.

Isotope analysis

Infinite dilution activity coefficients (.gamma..infin.) are determined for a binary liquid system utilizing dual molecular beams. The vapors from two liquid systems, at least one of which is a binary liquid system, are collimated into molecular beams. The molecular beams are alternately chopped before being detected by mass spectrometer. The output from the mass spectrometer is representative of the difference in partial pressure for any component in the two liquid systems. The output from the mass spectrometer can be utilized to calculate .gamma..infin. for the binary liquid system.

Determination of infinite dilution activity coefficients

The difference in the concentration of a selected isotope in a first material and a second material, which may be a reference material, is measured by means of a mass spectrometer. The analysis is carried out with only a small amount of sample by introducing only a small slug of sample of the first material into the mass spectrometer by means of a sample valve. If there is a sufficient quantity of the second material, the first material my be compared directly to the second material. Direct comparison is also used when the second material is a reference material. If there is also only a small supply of the second material then the first material is compared to a reference material and in like manner the sample valve is utilized to supply a small sample of the second material to the mass spectrometer to be compared to the reference material. An indirect comparison of the first and second materials is thus provided.

Isotope analysis with a mass spectrometer using small samples

The difference in concentration of a selected isotope in two materials is measured by directing beams of the materials toward the inlet of a mass spectrometer. A shutter is positioned in each beam to pass the two beams at predetermined different frequencies. The output signal from the mass spectrometer is applied to two synchronous detectors, each of which receives a reference signal representative of the frequency at which a respective beam is passed to the mass spectrometer. The output signals from the two detectors are compared.

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Bartlesville, OK, United States of America

Thomas W Schmidt