Atomization mechanism for plasma mass spectrometer

Abstract

The invention discloses an atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer, and relates to the technical field of atomizers, the atomization mechanism comprises an atomization cup, an atomization head and a sample introduction hopper which are respectively arranged at two openings of the atomization cup, a transmission mechanism arranged in the atomization cup, and an atomization nozzle communicated with the interior of the atomization cup, the sample feeding hopper is rotationally connected with the inner wall of the atomizing cup, and the transmission mechanism is in transmission connection with the sample feeding hopper; to-be-atomized liquid flows into the sample feeding hopper through the atomizing head; atomized airflow flows into the atomizing cup through the sample injection hopper and can be blown to liquid in the sample injection hopper; the transmission mechanism can drive the sample feeding hopper to rotate under the action of atomized airflow; and the liquid is atomized in the atomizing cup and then is discharged through the atomizing nozzle. In the atomization process, the transmission mechanism can drive the sample feeding hopper to rotate under the action of atomization airflow, powder and particles in liquid raw materials can be well decomposed through rotation of the sample feeding hopper, the stability of the concentration of liquid fed into a plasma light source is guaranteed, and meanwhile the atomizer can be prevented from being blocked.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of atomizers, and in particular to an atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer. Background Art

[0002] An inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) primarily consists of a plasma generator, nebulizer, torch, quadrupole mass spectrometer, and ion detector (or collector, such as a fast-channel electron multiplier tube). In addition, it is equipped with a data processing system, vacuum system, and power supply control system. The nebulizer plays a crucial role in an ICP-MS.

[0003] During atomization, the atomizing gas flow and the liquid to be atomized are separately injected into the nebulizer for atomization. After being atomized in the atomizing cup, the liquid to be atomized flows to the plasma light source within the mass spectrometer for decomposition. The atomized liquid flowing to the plasma light source vaporizes at high temperatures, dissociating into ionized gases. These ions are collected by a copper or nickel sampling cone, forming a molecular beam under a low vacuum environment. These ions then pass through a skimmer plate and enter the quadrupole mass spectrometer, where they are separated according to their mass-to-charge ratio. The ions ultimately reach the ion detector, where the ratio between the detector count and concentration can be used to determine the elemental content or isotope ratio.

[0004] However, some existing nebulizers used in inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometers have the following disadvantages: when the liquid raw material is atomized after dilution, raw materials such as powders and particles in the liquid raw material are prone to clogging the nebulizer, affecting the atomization effect and thus affecting the detection effect of the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide an atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer.

[0006] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: A nebulizer mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer comprises a hollow nebulizer cup having two oppositely arranged openings, an nebulizer head and a sample feed hopper respectively arranged at the two openings of the nebulizer cup, a transmission mechanism arranged in the nebulizer cup, and an nebulizer nozzle communicated with the interior of the nebulizer cup, the sample feed hopper being rotatably connected to the inner wall of the nebulizer cup, and the transmission mechanism being nebulizer-connected; liquid to be atomized flows into the sample feed hopper through the nebulizer head; an atomizing gas flows into the nebulizer cup through the sample feed hopper and can be blown toward the liquid in the sample feed hopper; the transmission mechanism can drive the sample feed hopper to rotate under the action of the nebulizing gas flow; the liquid is atomized in the nebulizer cup and then discharged through the nebulizer nozzle.

[0007] Furthermore, in the present invention, the above-mentioned atomization cup is a cylindrical structure; the above-mentioned sample feeding funnel includes a sample feeding funnel body with an isosceles trapezoidal longitudinal section, and an air inlet pipe and a first tapered tube that are interconnected and both arranged on the above-mentioned sample feeding funnel body, and the above-mentioned sample feeding funnel body is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the above-mentioned atomization cup; the central axis of the above-mentioned air inlet pipe, the central axis of the above-mentioned first tapered tube and the central axis of the above-mentioned sample feeding funnel body are all collinear with the central axis of the above-mentioned atomization cup; the end of the above-mentioned first tapered tube away from the above-mentioned air inlet pipe extends into the above-mentioned atomization head.

[0008] Furthermore, in the present invention, the atomizing head includes a liquid inlet pipe rotatably connected to the atomizing cup, a baffle and a second conical tube both arranged at one end of the liquid inlet pipe, and the baffle is located between the liquid inlet pipe and the second conical tube; the central axis of the liquid inlet pipe and the central axis of the second conical tube are both collinear with the central axis of the atomizing cup; the end of the first conical tube away from the air inlet pipe extends into the second conical tube.

[0009] Furthermore, in the present invention, a bearing having a central axis collinear with the central axis of the atomizer cup is fixedly provided in the atomizer cup, and the outer ring of the bearing is fixedly connected to the atomizer cup; the injection funnel body is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the bearing.

[0010] Furthermore, in the present invention, the transmission mechanism includes a driving shaft and a driven shaft both rotatably arranged in the atomizer cup, a first impeller arranged at one end of the driving shaft, and a gear arranged at one end of the driven shaft, the central axis of the driving shaft is perpendicular to the central axis of the atomizer cup, and the central axis of the driven shaft is parallel to the central axis of the atomizer cup; bevel gears are arranged on the driving shaft and the driven shaft, and the two bevel gears are engaged with each other; a gear ring is coaxially arranged on the inner ring of the bearing, and the gear is always engaged with the gear ring.

[0011] Furthermore, in the present invention, a driving mechanism is further provided in the second conical tube, which can be controlled by airflow to drive the second conical tube to rotate.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, the driving mechanism includes a disc disposed in the second tapered tube, a connecting shaft disposed on the disc, and a second impeller disposed on the connecting shaft, wherein the central axis of the disc and the central axis of the connecting shaft are both collinear with the central axis of the second tapered tube; and a plurality of through holes are formed on the disc.

[0013] Furthermore, in the present invention, an exhaust through hole is provided on the atomizing cup, and the exhaust through hole is arranged close to the baffle; the atomizing nozzle is arranged in the exhaust through hole.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, a plurality of mist outlet grooves are provided on both the outer wall and the inner wall of the second tapered tube, and any of the mist outlet grooves extends along the length direction of the second tapered tube.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: The present invention provides an atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer. An atomizing head, a sample hopper, and a transmission mechanism are installed within an atomizing cup. Liquid to be atomized flows through the atomizing head into the sample hopper. Atomizing gas flows through the sample hopper into the atomizing cup and can be blown toward the liquid within the sample hopper to complete atomization. During the atomization process, the transmission mechanism, under the influence of the atomizing gas flow, drives the sample hopper to rotate. This rotation effectively removes powder and particles from the liquid feedstock, ensuring a stable concentration of the liquid fed to the plasma light source while preventing clogging of the atomizer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Exploded diagram; Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 for Figure 3 Cross-sectional view of section AA; Figure 5 for Figure 3 Cross-sectional view of the middle BB section; Figure 6 for Figure 5 A partial enlarged view of point C in the middle; Figure 7 This is a schematic structural diagram of an atomizing head according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic structural diagram of a sample feeding hopper according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 9 Schematic diagram of the structure of the driving mechanism of an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] In the figure: 1-atomizing cup; 2-atomizing head; 201-liquid inlet pipe; 202-baffle; 203-second tapered tube; 3-sample injection bucket; 301-sample injection bucket body; 302-air inlet pipe; 303-first tapered tube; 4-transmission mechanism; 401-driving shaft; 402-driven shaft; 403-first impeller; 404-gear; 405-bevel gear; 406-gear ring; 5-atomizing nozzle; 6-bearing; 7-driving mechanism; 701-disc; 702-connecting shaft; 703-second impeller; 8-mist outlet trough. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the present invention in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0019] See also Figures 1-9 , the present invention provides a technical solution: A plasma mass spectrometer atomization mechanism includes an atomizing cup 1 having a straight circular tube structure. The atomizing cup 1 has a top and a bottom end disposed opposite each other. An atomizing head 2 is mounted on the top of the atomizing cup 1, and a sample feed hopper 3 is rotatably mounted on the bottom of the atomizing cup 1. A transmission mechanism 4 is also mounted within the atomizing cup 1 and is in transmission connection with the sample feed hopper 3. An atomizing nozzle 5 is mounted on the outer wall of the atomizing cup 1 and is in communication with the interior of the atomizing cup 1. During atomization, liquid to be atomized flows through the atomizing head 2 into the sample feed hopper 3. The atomizing gas flows through the sample feed hopper 3 into the atomizing cup 1 and can be blown toward the liquid in the sample feed hopper 3. The transmission mechanism 4, under the action of the atomizing gas flow, drives the sample feed hopper 3 to rotate. The rotation of the sample feed hopper 3 effectively decomposes powder and particles in the liquid raw material. After the liquid is atomized in the atomizing cup 1, it is discharged through the atomizing nozzle 5 to a plasma light source built into the mass spectrometer body for decomposition. The sample feeding funnel 3 can rotate during the atomization process, which not only ensures the stability of the concentration of the liquid fed into the plasma light source, but also prevents the atomizer from being blocked.

[0020] Specifically, in this embodiment, the sample feed hopper 3 includes a sample feed hopper body 301 having an isosceles trapezoidal longitudinal cross-section, an air inlet pipe 302 and a first tapered tube 303, which are interconnected and both mounted on the sample feed hopper body 301. The sample feed hopper body 301 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the atomizer cup 1. In this embodiment, the sample feed hopper body 301, the air inlet pipe 302, and the first tapered tube 303 are integrally formed, and the central axes of the air inlet pipe 302 and the first tapered tube 303 are collinear with the central axis of the sample feed hopper body 301. Furthermore, after the sample feed hopper 3 is mounted within the atomizer cup 1, the central axes of the air inlet pipe 302, the first tapered tube 303, and the sample feed hopper body 301 are all collinear with the central axis of the atomizer cup 1. One end of the first tapered tube 303 is located within the sample feed hopper body 301, and the other end thereof extends into the atomizer head 2.

[0021] Specifically, in this embodiment, the atomizing head 2 includes a liquid inlet pipe 201 rotatably connected to the atomizing cup 1, a baffle 202 and a second tapered tube 203 both arranged at one end of the liquid inlet pipe 201, and the baffle 202 is located between the liquid inlet pipe 201 and the second tapered tube 203; the central axis of the liquid inlet pipe 201 and the central axis of the second tapered tube 203 are both collinear with the central axis of the atomizing cup 1; the end of the first tapered tube 303 away from the air inlet pipe 302 extends into the second tapered tube 203.

[0022] In order to facilitate the rotational connection between the sample injection funnel body 301 and the inner wall of the atomizer cup 1, in this embodiment, a bearing 6 whose central axis is collinear with the central axis of the atomizer cup 1 is fixedly installed in the atomizer cup 1, and the outer ring of the bearing 6 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the atomizer cup 1; the sample injection funnel body 301 is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the bearing 6.

[0023] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism 4 includes a driving shaft 401 and a driven shaft 402, both rotatably mounted within the atomizer cup 1; a first impeller 403 mounted at one end of the driving shaft 401; and a gear 404 mounted at one end of the driven shaft 402. The central axis of the driving shaft 401 is perpendicular to the central axis of the atomizer cup 1, while the central axis of the driven shaft 402 is parallel to the central axis of the atomizer cup 1. A bevel gear 405 is mounted on each of the driving shaft 401 and the driven shaft 402, and the two bevel gears 405 are always in meshing engagement. A ring gear 406 is coaxially mounted on the inner ring of the bearing 6, and the gear 404 is always in meshing engagement with the ring gear 406.

[0024] During installation, the nebulizer cup 1 is vertically mounted within the plasma mass spectrometer, with the atomizer head 2 positioned at the top of the nebulizer cup 1 and the sample inlet hopper body 301 at the bottom. A nebulizer pump is installed within the plasma mass spectrometer, connected to the air inlet pipe 302 via a pipeline. The atomizer pump generates a pressured atomizing gas flow that flows through the pipeline and air inlet pipe 302, into the first tapered tube 303, and then into the second tapered tube 203. The liquid to be atomized flows through the liquid inlet pipe 201 of the atomizer head 2 into the nebulizer cup 1, ultimately landing in the sample inlet hopper body 301.

[0025] from Figure 4 From the perspective of FIG, during atomization, an atomizing airflow with a certain pressure flows into the second conical tube 203 and is ejected from the top of the second conical tube 203. The ejected atomizing airflow is blocked by the baffle 202 and changes to flow in a horizontal direction. The negative pressure generated by the high-speed atomizing airflow breaks the liquid falling in the atomizing cup 1 into mist, thereby completing the atomization work.

[0026] from Figure 5 or Figure 6From a 3D perspective, a portion of the horizontally flowing atomizing airflow will be blown toward the first impeller 403, causing it to rotate. The rotation of the first impeller 403 is controlled by the driving shaft 401, two bevel gears 405, the driven shaft 402, and the gear 404, which in turn controls the rotation of the ring gear 406. The rotation of the ring gear 406 in turn drives the inner ring of the bearing 6, which in turn drives the injection funnel body 301. Liquid falling into the atomization cup 1 will partially drip into the injection funnel body 301. During the atomization process, the rotation of the injection funnel body 301 effectively breaks down powder and particles in the liquid feedstock, ensuring a stable concentration of the liquid fed to the plasma light source while preventing clogging of the atomizer.

[0027] The formation of vortices should be avoided during the atomization process of the liquid, because vortices will complicate the droplet movement path, reduce transmission efficiency, increase droplet loss, and may cause memory effects, thereby affecting the accuracy and sensitivity of the analysis results.

[0028] In order to solve the above problem, the second conical tube 203 can be rotated during the atomization process, and its rotation direction is opposite to the rotation flow direction of the atomized particles in the atomization cup 1, thereby further hindering the formation of vortex. Figure 4 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 and Figure 9 In this embodiment, a driving mechanism 7 is installed in the second tapered tube 203 and can be controlled by airflow to drive the second tapered tube 203 to rotate.

[0029] Specifically, in this embodiment, the drive mechanism 7 includes a disk 701 mounted within the second tapered tube 203, a connecting shaft 702 mounted on the disk 701, and a second impeller 703 mounted on the connecting shaft 702. After the disk 701 is mounted within the second tapered tube 203, the central axis of the disk 701 and the central axis of the connecting shaft 702 must be collinear with the central axis of the second tapered tube 203. The disk 701 is provided with a plurality of through holes (not labeled in the figure) for passage of atomizing airflow.

[0030] from Figure 4 From a perspective of FIG, during the atomization process, the atomizing airflow with a certain pressure flows upward in the second tapered tube 203 and simultaneously impacts the second impeller 703, causing the second impeller 703 to rotate. The rotation of the second impeller 703 drives the second tapered tube 203 to rotate via the connecting shaft 702 and the disk 701, thereby preventing the formation of vortexes.

[0031] Reference Figure 4To facilitate installation of the atomizing nozzle 5, an exhaust hole (not shown) is provided in the atomizing cup 1 in this embodiment. The exhaust hole is located near the baffle 202, and the atomizing nozzle 5 is positioned within the exhaust hole. The atomized gas in the atomizing cup 1 is discharged through the atomizing nozzle 5 and then flows to the plasma source built into the mass spectrometer for decomposition.

[0032] At the same time, another method can be used to further prevent the atomized atomized particles from forming vortices in the atomizing cup 1, thereby preventing the atomized atomized particles from being retained: in this embodiment, a plurality of mist outlet grooves 8 are provided on the outer wall and the inner wall of the second conical tube 203, and any mist outlet groove 8 extends along the length direction of the second conical tube 203.

[0033] Working principle: During installation, the nebulizer cup 1 is vertically mounted within the plasma mass spectrometer, with the atomizer head 2 positioned at the top of the nebulizer cup 1 and the sample inlet hopper body 301 at the bottom. A nebulizer pump is installed within the plasma mass spectrometer, connected to the air inlet pipe 302 via a pipeline. The atomizer pump generates a pressured atomizing gas flow that flows through the pipeline and air inlet pipe 302, into the first tapered tube 303, and then into the second tapered tube 203. The liquid to be atomized flows through the liquid inlet pipe 201 of the atomizer head 2 into the nebulizer cup 1, ultimately landing in the sample inlet hopper body 301.

[0034] from Figure 4 From the perspective of FIG, during atomization, an atomizing airflow with a certain pressure flows into the second conical tube 203 and is ejected from the top of the second conical tube 203. The ejected atomizing airflow is blocked by the baffle 202 and changes to flow in a horizontal direction. The negative pressure generated by the high-speed atomizing airflow breaks the liquid falling in the atomizing cup 1 into mist, thereby completing the atomization work.

[0035] from Figure 5 or Figure 6 From a 3D perspective, a portion of the horizontally flowing atomizing airflow will be blown toward the first impeller 403, causing it to rotate. The rotation of the first impeller 403 is controlled by the driving shaft 401, two bevel gears 405, the driven shaft 402, and the gear 404, which in turn controls the rotation of the ring gear 406. The rotation of the ring gear 406 in turn drives the inner ring of the bearing 6, which in turn drives the injection funnel body 301. Liquid falling into the atomization cup 1 will partially drip into the injection funnel body 301. During the atomization process, the rotation of the injection funnel body 301 effectively breaks down powder and particles in the liquid feedstock, ensuring a stable concentration of the liquid fed to the plasma light source while preventing clogging of the atomizer.

[0036] from Figure 4From a perspective of FIG, during the atomization process, the atomizing airflow with a certain pressure flows upward in the second tapered tube 203 and simultaneously impacts the second impeller 703, causing the second impeller 703 to rotate. The rotation of the second impeller 703 drives the second tapered tube 203 to rotate via the connecting shaft 702 and the disk 701, thereby preventing the formation of vortexes.

[0037] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the form disclosed herein and should not be construed as excluding other embodiments. Rather, the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and can be modified within the scope of the concept described herein through the above teachings or techniques or knowledge in the relevant field. Modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be protected by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer, characterized in that: The invention comprises an atomizing cup (1) having a hollow structure and two oppositely arranged openings, an atomizing head (2) and a sample feeding hopper (3) respectively arranged at the two openings of the atomizing cup (1), a transmission mechanism (4) arranged in the atomizing cup (1), and an atomizing nozzle (5) communicated with the interior of the atomizing cup (1), wherein the sample feeding hopper (3) is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the atomizing cup (1), and the transmission mechanism (4) is transmission-connected to the sample feeding hopper (3); liquid to be atomized flows into the sample feeding hopper (3) through the atomizing head (2); atomizing air flows into the atomizing cup (1) through the sample feeding hopper (3) and can be blown toward the liquid in the sample feeding hopper (3); the transmission mechanism (4) can drive the sample feeding hopper (3) to rotate under the action of the atomizing air flow; and the liquid is atomized in the atomizing cup (1) and discharged through the atomizing nozzle (5).

2. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The atomizing cup (1) is a columnar structure; the sample feeding hopper (3) comprises a sample feeding hopper body (301) having an isosceles trapezoidal longitudinal section, and an air inlet pipe (302) and a first conical tube (303) which are interconnected and both arranged on the sample feeding hopper body (301); the sample feeding hopper body (301) is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the atomizing cup (1); the central axis of the air inlet pipe (302), the central axis of the first conical tube (303) and the central axis of the sample feeding hopper body (301) are all collinear with the central axis of the atomizing cup (1); and the end of the first conical tube (303) away from the air inlet pipe (302) extends into the atomizing head (2).

3. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The atomizing head (2) comprises a liquid inlet pipe (201) rotatably connected to the atomizing cup (1), a baffle (202) and a second conical tube (203) both arranged at one end of the liquid inlet pipe (201), and the baffle (202) is located between the liquid inlet pipe (201) and the second conical tube (203); the central axis of the liquid inlet pipe (201) and the central axis of the second conical tube (203) are both collinear with the central axis of the atomizing cup (1); and the end of the first conical tube (303) away from the air inlet pipe (302) extends into the second conical tube (203).

4. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 2, characterized in that: A bearing (6) whose central axis is collinear with the central axis of the atomizing cup (1) is fixedly provided in the atomizing cup (1), and the outer ring of the bearing (6) is fixedly connected to the atomizing cup (1); the sample injection funnel body (301) is fixedly connected to the inner ring of the bearing (6).

5. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism (4) comprises a driving shaft (401) and a driven shaft (402) both rotatably arranged in the atomizer cup (1), a first impeller (403) arranged at one end of the driving shaft (401), and a gear (404) arranged at one end of the driven shaft (402), wherein the central axis of the driving shaft (401) is perpendicular to the central axis of the atomizer cup (1), and the central axis of the driven shaft (402) is parallel to the central axis of the atomizer cup (1); bevel gears (405) are arranged on both the driving shaft (401) and the driven shaft (402), and the two bevel gears (405) are meshed with each other; a gear ring (406) is coaxially arranged on the inner ring of the bearing (6), and the gear (404) is always meshed with the gear ring (406).

6. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 3, characterized in that: A driving mechanism (7) that can be controlled by airflow to drive the second conical tube (203) to rotate is also provided in the second conical tube (203).

7. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The driving mechanism (7) comprises a disc (701) fixedly arranged in the second conical tube (203), a connecting shaft (702) arranged on the disc (701), and a second impeller (703) arranged on the connecting shaft (702), wherein the central axis of the disc (701) and the central axis of the connecting shaft (702) are both collinear with the central axis of the second conical tube (203); and a plurality of through holes are formed on the disc (701).

8. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 3, characterized in that: An exhaust through hole is provided on the atomizing cup (1), and the exhaust through hole is arranged close to the baffle (202); the atomizing nozzle (5) is arranged in the exhaust through hole.

9. The atomization mechanism for a plasma mass spectrometer according to claim 7, characterized in that: A plurality of mist outlet grooves (8) are provided on both the outer wall and the inner wall of the second conical tube (203), and any of the mist outlet grooves (8) extends along the length direction of the second conical tube (203).

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