Inductive Desolvation Gas Heating for Electrospray Ion Sources
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrospray ion sources face inefficiencies in heating the desolvation gas due to the use of resistance heating, which is not very satisfactory, especially with high voltages involved in the spraying process.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of electromagnetic induction heating, using a conductive element with windings to heat the desolvation gas without mechanical contact, where AC current induces heat in a conductive heater device, such as a coil or spiral, to efficiently heat the gas before it reaches the spray capillary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If resistance heating is used to heat the desolvation gas, then the gas can be heated to high temperatures, but the heating efficiency is low and heat transfer to the spray capillary and analyte solution occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical contact-based resistance heating system with an electromagnetic induction heating system. The induction heating apparatus uses a magnetic field generated by a coil to induce eddy currents in a conductive heating element, which then heats the desolvation gas without mechanical contact. This substitution improves heating efficiency by directly coupling energy transfer through electromagnetic fields rather than through resistive heating elements that contact the gas flow path.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a conductive heating element (such as a metal block or plate) as an intermediary between the induction coil and the desolvation gas. The coil generates a magnetic field that induces currents in the conductive element, which then transfers heat to the gas through thermal conduction. This intermediary approach allows efficient energy transfer while maintaining spatial separation between the coil and the gas flow, reducing direct heat transfer to the spray capillary.
2Temperature
If resistance heating is used to heat the desolvation gas, then the gas can be heated effectively, but the device complexity increases due to direct contact heating elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical contact heating elements with a simpler electromagnetic induction system consisting of a coil and a conductive heating element. The induction coil can be positioned outside the gas flow path, eliminating the need for heating elements that must be directly contacted by or positioned within the spray capillary assembly. This reduces mechanical complexity while achieving effective gas heating.
3Productivity
If heated desolvation gas is blown into the spray cloud, then droplet evaporation is enhanced, but heat transfer to the spray capillary and analyte solution may occur causing gas bubbles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a conductive heating element as an intermediary that is heated by induction and then transfers heat to the desolvation gas. This intermediary approach allows precise control of the heating zone, concentrating thermal energy where needed for droplet evaporation while minimizing heat transfer to the spray capillary and analyte solution. The spatial separation between the induction coil, heating element, and spray capillary reduces the risk of thermal damage and gas bubble formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The induction heating system provides localized heating to the desolvation gas through the conductive heating element positioned in the gas flow path. This local quality approach ensures that thermal energy is concentrated in the region where desolvation is needed, while other regions (particularly near the spray capillary) remain at lower temperatures, preventing gas bubble formation and maintaining system stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method provides efficient and contact-free heating of the desolvation gas, minimizing heat transfer to the spray capillary and analyte solution, allowing for precise temperature control and improved desolvation of ions for analytical spectrometry.
Implementation Method 1
A conductive element having a plurality of windings, such as a coil or spiral (which may be called a flat 'pancake' coil), is supplied with an AC current in the kilohertz-megahertz range; the electromagnetic field inside the conductive element having a plurality of windings induces heat in an electrically conductive heater for the gas heating device by the generation of eddy currents
Implementation Method 2
The spray cloud consists of tiny droplets which have to be evaporated until the analyte ions are completely desolvated. For this drying of the droplets, thermal energy is required. The thermal energy can be supplied by a further gas stream, called desolvation gas. This inert gas, in most cases nitrogen, may be blown by jet nozzles from the side into the spray cloud
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to the generation of desolvated ions by electrospraying to be investigated analytically, e.g. according to the charge-related mass m/z and/or ion mobility. The cloud of highly charged droplets drawn from the spray capillary by a high voltage is usually focused and stabilized by a beam of nebulizing gas surrounding the cloud of tiny droplets. For a fast drying of the droplets, an additional desolvation gas is usually heated to a temperature of up to several hundred degrees centigrade and blown into the cloud of droplets. The invention particularly relates to the heating of the gas which is instrumental in the generation of desolvated ions as part of the electrospraying process without any mechanical or electrical contact between the heating power supply and the heater itself, but rather by heating the heater for the gas using electromagnetic induction.