US 11,988,635 B2
Flow recirculation for mobility separation improvement
Mikhail V. Ugarov, San Jose, CA (US); Vladimir Gurevich, Cupertino, CA (US); Pablo Nieto Ramos, Campbell, CA (US); and Alexander A. Makarov, Bremen (DE)
Assigned to Thermo Finnigan LLC, San Jose, CA (US); and Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Bremen (DE)
Filed by Thermo Finnigan LLC, San Jose, CA (US); and Thermo Fisher Scientific (Bremen) GmbH, Bremen (DE)
Filed on May 13, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/744,408.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/201,823, filed on May 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0365026 A1, Nov. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 27/622 (2021.01)
CPC G01N 27/622 (2013.01) 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ion mobility analyser, comprising:
a mobility separation cell including a set of electrodes defining an ion separation region, the mobility separation cell having an ion inlet end and an ion outlet end and a gas flow within the ion separation region, the gas flow within the ion separation region being co-axial with the major axis of ion travel, at least a portion of the set of electrodes having a set of direct current (DC) potentials applied thereto to generate a DC field in the ion separation region; and
a gas recirculator including an inlet end opening to a location downstream of the ion separation region and an outlet end opening to a location upstream of the ion separation region, the gas recirculator having a pump for causing gas to flow from the inlet end to the outlet end;
wherein the DC field acts to oppose ion motion, such that ions are trapped within the ion separation region in axial locations determined by ion mobility; and
wherein at least fifty percent of the gas flow within the ion separation region is supplied by the gas recirculator.