Continuous adjustable multichannel signal smoothing device

Abstract

The invention discloses a continuous adjustable multi-channel signal smoothing device which comprises two shunt assemblies and a plurality of channel smoothing cavity assemblies. A diverter main pipe is arranged on one side of a diverter main body of the diverter assembly, a plurality of diverter branch pipes are arranged on the other side of the diverter main body, and a diverter control valve is arranged on each diverter branch pipe; the multi-channel smooth cavity assembly comprises two blending connectors and a blending core fixing shell, a spiral blending core is fixed in the blending core fixing shell to form a spiral blending smooth channel, and a gold plating layer is arranged on the inner wall of the spiral blending smooth channel; and an airflow channel communicated with the spiral uniform mixing smooth channel is arranged on the uniform mixing joint. According to the invention, by controlling the shunting control valves corresponding to the plurality of smooth channels, the number of the blending cores is increased or decreased, and the number of the smooth channels can be self-defined, so that signal response is considered, and the smooth degree of signals is adjusted at will.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of solid sample analysis, and particularly to a continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother. Background Art

[0002] The basic principle of laser ablation analysis technology is to focus the laser energy on the surface of the analysis sample through a laser ablation system. Due to the high energy of the laser, in-situ ablation of the material is generated, and the aerosol particles generated by the ablation are transported to an analytical instrument such as a mass spectrometer through an aerosol transport pipeline.

[0003] Since the laser acts on the sample surface in a pulsed and discontinuous manner, the signal obtained by the mass spectrometer is composed of several pulse intervals, rather than an absolutely continuous signal. The pulsed signal shows inconsistent signal fluctuations on the mass spectrometer. When the laser ablation frequency is relatively low, the pulse interval is larger, and the signal fluctuation of the mass spectrometer is greater. The mass spectrometry signal with large fluctuations is not conducive to quantitative analysis and cannot obtain good mass spectrometry analysis accuracy. In some specific analysis scenarios, only a relatively low laser frequency (1-3 Hz) can be used, and traditional direct injection cannot obtain accurate analysis results. Therefore, an on-line smoothing device is required to smooth the pulsed signal.

[0004] Currently, the existing laser ablation smoothing devices can smooth the laser ablation signal, but there are still some problems as follows: 1. The existing signal smoothers are divided into two categories: solidified type and detachable type; the solidified signal smoother cannot be disassembled and cleaned, and there will be relatively serious sample residues after long-term use, which will bring risks of sample cross-contamination and signal loss. The detachable signal smoother is generally characterized by having multiple smoothing channels. To achieve a good smoothing effect, these channels are usually composed of slender plastic pipes with different lengths. The materials of these plastic pipes are generally high molecular materials such as PFA, FEP, PP, and PTFE. Due to electrostatic adsorption and surface dirt force of the pipeline, a large number of aerosol particles will aggregate and deposit, resulting in risks of cross-contamination, increased background, and loss of sample sensitivity. In addition, this type of smoother requires extremely long pipelines, with slow signal response and poor smoothing effect.

[0005] 2. In specific experiments, the optimal gas flow rates required by different laser ablation-mass spectrometry analysis systems are inconsistent; after adding a signal smoother, the optimal gas flow rate will change, and different signal smoothers need to match different gas flow rates, which cannot meet the requirements of multiple experiments. A larger gas flow will cause an increase in pipeline pressure, affecting the stability and accuracy of mass spectrometry analysis; a smaller gas flow will lead to a decrease in sample extraction and transmission efficiency and slow signal response. Although existing multi-channel signal smoothers can adjust the signal smoothing degree to a certain extent, their operation is complex: they require offline operation, and the smoothing effect and gas flow are adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of channels. The disadvantage is that it is necessary to first disconnect the connection with the mass spectrometer, disassemble the pipeline, and then reconnect the mass spectrometer and rematch the gas flow after replacement. It is time-consuming and laborious, and the smoothing effect will be greatly reduced. In addition, it has a high cost, complex assembly, is not easy to maintain and clean, and cannot change the signal smoothing method and degree in real time according to specific experimental requirements. Moreover, these conventional multi-channel signal smoothers affect each other between channels and cannot be independently operated to meet specific experimental requirements. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention provides a continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother that can adjust the smoothing degree online, match the gas flow online, has independent channels for each other, and has a good Hg removal effect.

[0007] To achieve the above invention purpose, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: Provide a continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother, including two shunt component assemblies and at least two multi-channel smoothing cavity component assemblies, and several multi-channel smoothing cavity component assemblies are connected between the two shunt component assemblies; the shunt component assembly includes a shunt main body, a shunt main pipe is arranged on one side of the shunt main body, and shunt branch pipes cooperating with several multi-channel smoothing cavity component assemblies are arranged on the other side, and a shunt control valve is arranged on each shunt branch pipe; the multi-channel smoothing cavity component assembly includes two mixing joints and a mixing core fixed housing, the two ends of the mixing core fixed housing are respectively threadedly connected with the two mixing joints, a spiral mixing core is fixed in the mixing core fixed housing, a spiral mixing and smoothing channel is formed between the spiral mixing core and the mixing core fixed housing, and a gold plating layer is arranged on the inner wall of the spiral mixing and smoothing channel; an air flow channel communicating with the spiral mixing and smoothing channel is arranged on the mixing joint, and one side of the air flow channel is connected with the shunt branch pipe.

[0008] Further, the spiral mixing core is a unidirectional spiral mixing core, and a unidirectional spiral mixing and smoothing channel is formed between the unidirectional spiral mixing core and the mixing core housing main body.

[0009] Furthermore, the spiral mixing core is a bidirectional counter-hedge spiral mixing core, which includes a number of right-handed rotor segments and a number of left-handed rotor segments. The rotation directions of the right-handed rotor segments are opposite to those of the left-handed rotor segments. The right-handed rotor segments and the left-handed rotor segments are staggered and spaced apart, and the right-handed rotor segments are fixedly connected to the left-handed rotor segments.

[0010] Furthermore, the bidirectional counter-rotating spiral mixing core is integrally formed, and the right-handed rotor section is staggered 90 degrees relative to the left-handed rotor section along the spiral axis.

[0011] Furthermore, a first sealing ring that cooperates with the end of the fixed outer shell of the mixing core is provided at the inner bottom of the mixing joint, and a first sealing groove for installing the first sealing ring is provided on the mixing joint.

[0012] Furthermore, a plurality of second sealing rings are provided between the end of the mixing core fixed shell and the mixing joint, and a second sealing groove for installing the second sealing ring is provided on the mixing core fixed shell.

[0013] Furthermore, the air flow channel is provided with a conical guide groove on one side close to the spiral mixing smoothing channel.

[0014] Furthermore, the air flow channel and the diverter branch pipe are both provided with a pagoda connector at one end of the connection, and the air flow channel and the diverter branch pipe are sealed and connected by a hose.

[0015] Furthermore, the main pipe of the diverter is a pagoda connector.

[0016] Furthermore, an internal thread is provided on the mixing joint, and an external thread is provided on the end of the mixing core fixed shell.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: The diverter branch of the diverter assembly of the present invention can be connected to multiple multi-channel smoothing chamber assemblies, and each diverter branch is provided with a diverter control valve. By controlling the opening and closing of each diverter control valve, each spiral mixing smoothing channel is independent of each other, achieving control over the number of smoothing channels. By controlling the opening and closing of each diverter control valve, the gas flow rate within the corresponding spiral mixing smoothing channel can be adjusted, making the airflow of the entire smoother continuously adjustable. The smoother of the present invention can achieve truly continuous adjustment of airflow and homogenization degree, and can better be compatible with laser ablation systems with different gas flow rates.

[0018] The present invention increases or decreases the number of mixing cores by controlling the shunt control valves corresponding to a plurality of smooth channels, and can customize the number of smooth channels, thereby arbitrarily adjusting the smoothness of the signal while taking into account the signal response.

[0019] The several spiral mixing and smoothing channels of the present invention are independent of each other and can adjust and operate the airflow individually; online adjustment saves time and effort, does not require offline processing pipelines, and can obtain mass spectrometry signal feedback in real time; the number of smoothers and gas flow rate are continuously adjustable, and the smoothing degree and airflow size are more flexible and more precise.

[0020] The splitter assembly of the present invention has a splitting function (i.e., "one to many"), that is, the sample aerosol generated by a laser beam is divided into multiple aerosol beams to be connected to different mass spectrometers for different experimental analyses; the splitter assembly has a converging function (i.e., "many to one"), that is, the aerosols generated by multiple laser beams are mixed and synthesized into one aerosol beam, which is connected to a mass spectrometer for analysis.

[0021] The spiral mixing smooth channel of the present invention is provided with a gold-plated layer inside, and the gold-plated layer is in full contact with the gas or sample entering the spiral mixing smooth channel, and can effectively remove Hg in the gas or sample, and has a good Hg removal effect.

[0022] The mixing joint of the present invention and the mixing core fixed shell are connected by a detachable threaded connection, and the diverter assembly and the diverter main pipe are connected by a hose and a pagoda joint, so that the smoothing device is completely detachable, can be cleaned regularly, maintains high cleanliness and low background, and is conducive to high-precision analysis.

[0023] The spiral mixing smooth channel of the present invention has no dead angle, no residual sample, no cross contamination, and no signal loss. The metal product can effectively remove electrostatic adsorption, reduce sample accumulation, and maintain a high signal-to-noise ratio.

[0024] The bidirectional, counter-rotating spiral mixing core of this invention integrates aerosol mixing and pulse signal smoothing functions into a single device, reducing piping complexity and lowering costs. The smoother has a simple, stable, reliable structure, is easy to maintain, and reduces costs. A unidirectional spiral mixing core does not generate eddies or swirls, eliminating the risk of cross-contamination and providing extremely fast signal response.

[0025] The unidirectional spiral mixing core of the present invention can obtain faster signal response while taking into account good Hg removal efficiency; the bidirectional counter-hedge spiral mixing core can fully counter-hedge and mix aerosol particles, and can obtain better signal smoothing effect and Hg removal rate to the greatest extent.

[0026] The analysis efficiency of the present invention is greatly improved, and multiple mass spectrometers can be used online to analyze the same sample at the same time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 It is a front view of the present invention; Figure 2 An exploded view of the present invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the mixing joint; Figure 4 Schematic structural diagram of the mixing core fixing housing; Figure 5 Front view of the mixing core fixing housing and the unidirectional spiral mixing core; Figure 6 Cross-sectional view of the mixing core fixing housing and the unidirectional spiral mixing core; Figure 7 Schematic structural diagram of the bidirectional counter-jet spiral mixing core; Figure 8 Working principle diagram of the present invention; Figure 9 Comparison diagram of the smoothing effect without a smoother and the present invention at an ablation frequency of 1 Hz (taking the geological sample 208 Pb as an example).

[0028] Explanation of the main component symbols in the figure is as follows: 1. Shunt component; 11. Shunt main pipe; 12. Shunt control valve; 13. Hose; 2. Multi-channel smoothing cavity component; 21. Mixing joint; 211. Air flow channel; 212. Conical diversion groove; 213. First sealing groove; 214. Internal thread; 22. Mixing core fixing housing; 221. Second sealing groove; 222. External thread; 23. Bidirectional spiral mixing core; 231. Right-handed wing section; 232. Left-handed wing section. Specific embodiments

[0029] The following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention to facilitate those skilled in the art of the present technology to understand the present invention. However, it should be clear that the present invention is not limited to the scope of the specific embodiments. For those of ordinary skill in the art of the present technology, as long as various changes are within the spirit and scope of the present invention defined and determined by the appended claims, these changes are obvious, and all inventions and creations using the concept of the present invention are within the scope of protection.

[0030] As Figure 1 and 2 shown, the continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother has two shunt components 1 and at least two multi-channel smoothing cavity components 2. At Figure 1In this embodiment, preferably, there are five multi-channel smoothing cavity components 2, and the five multi-channel smoothing cavity components 2 are connected between two shunt components 1. The shunt component 1 and the multi-channel smoothing cavity component 2 are preferably made of metal materials, such as stainless steel, aluminum alloy or titanium alloy. The shunt component 1 includes a shunt main body. On one side of the shunt main body, there is a shunt main pipe 11, and the shunt main pipe 11 is preferably a pagoda connector. On the other side, there are shunt branch pipes that cooperate with several multi-channel smoothing cavity components 2. Each shunt branch pipe is provided with a shunt control valve 12. By opening and closing the shunt control valve 12, the number and smoothness of the smoothing channels can be controlled separately. The air flow of the entire smoother is continuously adjustable. In addition, through the opening and closing degree of the shunt, quantitative distribution of sample particles can also be achieved. The multi-channel smoothing cavity component 2 includes two mixing joints 21 and a mixing core fixed housing 22. The two ends of the mixing core fixed housing 22 are respectively threadedly connected to the two mixing joints 21. A spiral mixing core is fixed inside the mixing core fixed housing 22. The spiral mixing core can be a unidirectional spiral mixing core or a two-way counter-flow spiral mixing core 23. By combining the spiral mixing cores in several multi-channel smoothing cavity components 2, different smoothing effects can be obtained. A spiral mixing and smoothing channel is formed between the spiral mixing core and the mixing core fixed housing 22. The inner wall of the spiral mixing and smoothing channel is provided with a gold plating layer. While smoothing the signal, the gold plating layer can adsorb the Hg element carried by it. The air flow carrying the sample collides and counterflows several times in the spiral mixing and smoothing channel, and then spirally rises, greatly mixing the uneven sample particles evenly and smoothing the signal pulsation. The gold plating layer on the inner wall of the spiral mixing and smoothing channel can effectively adsorb the Hg element carried by it while smoothing the signal. The mixing joint 21 is provided with an air flow channel 211 communicating with the spiral mixing and smoothing channel, and one side of the air flow channel 211 is connected to the shunt branch pipe. A gold plating layer can also be provided on the inner wall of the air flow channel 211 of the mixing joint 21 to ensure the smoothing effect at the inlet and outlet ends of the spiral mixing and smoothing channel.

[0031] As Figure 3 shown, at the inner bottom of the mixing joint 21, there is a first sealing ring 213 that cooperates with the end of the mixing core fixed housing 22. The mixing joint 21 is provided with a first sealing groove 213 for installing the first sealing ring 213. The air flow channel 211 is provided with a conical diversion groove 212 on the side close to the spiral mixing and smoothing channel. Both ends of the air flow channel 211 and the shunt branch pipe where they are connected are provided with pagoda connectors, and the air flow channel 211 and the shunt branch pipe are hermetically connected through a hose 13.

[0032] As Figure 4As shown, a plurality of second sealing rings are provided between the end of the mixing core fixing housing 22 and the mixing joint 21, and a second sealing groove 221 for installing the second sealing ring is provided on the mixing core fixing housing 22. An internal thread 214 is provided on the mixing joint 21, and an external thread 222 is provided at the end of the mixing core fixing housing 22. The first sealing ring 213 and the second sealing ring can be an O-ring, a Y-ring, a V-ring or a U-ring.

[0033] As Figure 5 and 6 shown, the spiral mixing core is a unidirectional spiral mixing core, and a unidirectional spiral mixing smooth channel is formed between the unidirectional spiral mixing core and the mixing core fixing housing 22. When using the unidirectional spiral mixing core, no eddy current, swirl, etc. are generated, there is no risk of cross-contamination, and the signal response is extremely fast.

[0034] As Figure 7 shown, the spiral mixing core is a two-way counter-jet spiral mixing core 23, and a two-way counter-jet spiral mixing smooth channel is formed between the two-way counter-jet spiral mixing core 23 and the mixing core fixing housing 22. The two-way counter-jet spiral mixing core 23 is an integral reverse screw, which is mainly composed of spirals in different directions arranged at intervals, and forms a corresponding two-way spiral rising channel with the fixed housing to fully mix and smooth the aerosol particles. The two-way counter-jet spiral mixing core 23 includes a plurality of right-handed wing segments 231 and a plurality of left-handed wing segments 232. The rotation directions of the right-handed wing segments 231 and the left-handed wing segments 232 are opposite, and the plurality of right-handed wing segments 231 and the plurality of left-handed wing segments 232 are arranged alternately at intervals and are fixedly connected between the right-handed wing segments 231 and the left-handed wing segments 232. The two-way counter-jet spiral mixing core 23 is integrally formed, and the right-handed wing segment 231 is offset 90 degrees along the spiral axis relative to the left-handed wing segment 232. During specific operation, the right-handed wing segment 231 and the left-handed wing segment 232 respectively form channels rising in different directions with the mixing core fixing housing 22, so that the two-way counter-jet spiral mixing core 23 integrates the aerosol mixing function and the pulse signal smoothing function into one device, reduces the complexity of the pipeline, and reduces the cost. As Figure 9 is a comparison chart of the smoothing effect without a smoother and the present invention at an ablation frequency of 1 Hz (taking the geological sample 208 Pb as an example).

[0035] Working process and principle: The aerosol generated by laser ablation is purged by tube gas to the diverter main pipe 11 of the first diverter assembly 1, and the aerosol particles are distributed to a number of independent multi-channel smoothing cavity assemblies 2 through several diverter branch pipes of the diverter assembly 1; the diverter branch pipes are connected to the mixing joints 21 of each smoothing channel through hoses 13, and then the aerosol particles are fully mixed and smoothed in the counter-flow spiral cavity formed by the spiral mixing core and the fixed housing 22, and then transmitted to the mixing joints 21 at the outlet. The aerosol in each parallel smoothing channel is combined into a beam of aerosol by the second diverter assembly 1 and is transported from the common port of the second diverter assembly 1 to the analytical instrument or other pipelines.

[0036] This signal smoother is mainly used in the aerosol transmission pipeline after laser ablation to generate aerosol particles. Specifically, it is located after ablation and before mass spectrometer analysis. Two lasers perform ablation simultaneously. The generated aerosol particles are purged by He to the next pipeline. Through the first three-way valve, they are connected and converged into one pipeline, which is connected to the main shunt pipe 11 of the first shunt component 1. After being mixed by a number of multi-channel smoothing cavity components 2, it flows out from the main shunt pipe 11 of the second shunt component 1. The main shunt pipe 11 of the second shunt component 1 is connected to the main shunt pipe 11 of the third shunt component 1. One shunt branch pipe of the third shunt component 1 is connected to the mass spectrometry instrument 1. Two shunt branch pipes of the third shunt component 1 are connected into one pipeline through the second three-way valve, and the common port of the second three-way valve is connected to the mass spectrometer 2. The remaining two branch ports are connected to the mass spectrometry instrument 3 through the third three-way valve. In this way, after the aerosol particles generated by the two lasers are mixed into one kind of aerosol particles, they are then distributed to three different mass spectrometry instruments through the shunt for chemical analysis simultaneously. The advantage is that the analysis efficiency is greatly improved, and various sample information can be obtained simultaneously. For example, the elemental content analysis is carried out by the analysis instrument 1, the isotope age determination is carried out by the analysis instrument 2, and the isotope ratio analysis is carried out by the analysis instrument 3. Through this method, rich data information can be obtained from scarce samples. In this multi-mass spectrometry analysis, usually the contents of various elements and analysis objects are inconsistent, and the conventional analysis method cannot achieve signal matching. Using the present invention, by opening and closing the valves at the branch ports of the third shunt, the amount of samples corresponding to each mass spectrometer can be controlled, the air flow can be changed, and thus the amount of aerosol particle distribution can be changed to meet the signal requirements of each mass spectrometer. It can be adjusted continuously online and the signal response of each mass spectrometer can be feedback in real time, which is easy to operate, has a simple pipeline and low cost. Another advantage is that after sufficient mixing, the aerosol is distributed by the shunt, which greatly avoids the fractionation effect of the sample and improves the analysis accuracy and accuracy. It should be noted that the lasers here are two lasers. The purpose of this is the solid standard addition method, that is, one laser system ablates the sample and the other system ablates the standard. After the sample is mixed with the sufficient standard, it is analyzed, which improves the analysis accuracy and the application potential of the solid standard addition method. It should be noted that during the operation of this embodiment, the number of mass spectrometry instruments or the number of laser ablation systems can be increased or decreased according to experimental requirements.

Claims

1. A continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother, characterized in that, It includes two shunt components (1) and at least two multi-channel smoothing cavity components (2), and several of the multi-channel smoothing cavity components (2) are connected between the two shunt components (1); The shunt component (1) includes a shunt main body. On one side of the shunt main body, there is a shunt main pipe (11), and on the other side, there are shunt branch pipes that cooperate with several of the multi-channel smoothing cavity components (2). A shunt control valve (12) is provided on each shunt branch pipe; The multi-channel smoothing cavity component (2) includes two mixing joints (21) and a mixing core fixed housing (22). The two ends of the mixing core fixed housing (22) are respectively threadedly connected to the two mixing joints (21). A spiral mixing core is fixed inside the mixing core fixed housing (22). A spiral mixing and smoothing channel is formed between the spiral mixing core and the mixing core fixed housing (22). The inner wall of the spiral mixing and smoothing channel is provided with a gold plating layer; an air flow channel (211) communicating with the spiral mixing and smoothing channel is provided on the mixing joint (21), and one side of the air flow channel (211) is connected to the shunt branch pipe.

2. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, wherein The spiral mixing core is a unidirectional spiral mixing core, and a unidirectional spiral mixing and smoothing channel is formed between the unidirectional spiral mixing core and the mixing core fixed housing (22).

3. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, wherein The spiral mixing core is a two-way counter-flow spiral mixing core (23). A two-way counter-flow spiral mixing and smoothing channel is formed between the two-way counter-flow spiral mixing core (23) and the mixing core fixed housing (22). The two-way counter-flow spiral mixing core (23) includes several right-handed wing segments (231) and several left-handed wing segments (232). The rotation directions of the right-handed wing segments (231) and the left-handed wing segments (232) are opposite. The several right-handed wing segments (231) and the several left-handed wing segments (232) are arranged alternately at intervals, and the right-handed wing segments (231) and the left-handed wing segments (232) are fixedly connected to each other.

4. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 3, wherein The two-way counter-flow spiral mixing core (23) is integrally formed, and the right-handed wing segments (231) are offset by 90 degrees along the spiral axis relative to the left-handed wing segments (232).

5. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, wherein A first sealing ring (213) for cooperating with the end of the mixing core fixed housing (22) is provided at the inner bottom of the mixing joint (21), and a first sealing groove (213) for installing the first sealing ring (213) is provided on the mixing joint (21).

6. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, wherein Several second sealing rings are provided between the end of the mixing core fixed housing (22) and the mixing joint (21), and a second sealing groove (221) for installing the second sealing ring is provided on the mixing core fixed housing (22).

7. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, characterized in that A tapered diversion groove (212) is provided on one side of the air flow channel (211) close to the spiral mixing and smoothing channel.

8. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, wherein Both the air flow channel (211) and the shunt branch pipe are provided with bellows connectors at the connected ends, and the air flow channel (211) and the shunt branch pipe are hermetically connected through a hose (13).

9. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shunt main pipe (11) is a bellows connector.

10. The continuously adjustable multi-channel signal smoother according to claim 1, characterized in that, Internal threads (214) are provided on the mixing joint (21), and external threads (222) are provided at the end of the mixing core fixed housing (22).

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