Liquid evaporator

Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid evaporator and to a method for evaporating liquids.

1 . A method for evaporating at least a part of a liquid, said method comprising feeding said liquid through a channel past an opening, said opening leading to a vapour chamber which is maintained at a temperature above evaporation temperature of said liquid, and said liquid is heated in a region of the opening by electromagnetic radiation so that at least a part of the liquid evaporates and vapour enters the heated vapour chamber. 
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said heating is carried out by a focused and pulsed laser beam. 
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein said liquid is a mixture. 
     
     
         4 . A liquid evaporator comprising: at least
 a body in which a channel and a chamber, which are connected to one another through an opening, are formed, said channel being configured so that liquid can be fed past the opening and there being an evaporation region adjacent to the opening, and optionally including the opening, and wherein said liquid can be irradiated with electromagnetic radiation, and   means for heating the chamber.   
     
     
         5 . A liquid evaporator according to  claim 4 , wherein said evaporation region comprises a cover which is at least partially transparent for said electromagnetic radiation being used. 
     
     
         6 . A liquid evaporator according to  claim 4 , wherein said channel, opening and chamber are configured so that a liquid flowing through said channel remains in said channel because of capillary forces and/or interfacial energies, and does not flow freely into the chamber. 
     
     
         7 . A liquid evaporator according to  claim 4 , wherein said channel has a curvature in a region of said opening, which generates Dean vortices in a flowing liquid. 
     
     
         8 . A liquid evaporator according to  claim 4 , further comprising
 a gas outlet in said chamber,   connections in said chamber for evacuating and/or flushing the vapour chamber, and   lamellar structures in the chamber, which are connected in a thermally conductive fashion to said means for heating said chamber and which are optionally arranged to shield said gas outlet from said opening.   
     
     
         9 . A liquid evaporator according to  claim 4 , wherein said liquid evaporator is produced as a microsystem in a silicon-on-glass technology, silicon being used for the body and glass being used for the transparent cover. 
     
     
         10 . The liquid evaporator according to  claim 4 , which is capable of being used in a microanalysis system, optionally in a micro mass spectrometer or a micro gas chromatograph.