Abstract: In a first mode, a monitoring system inputs humidified gas through at least a portion of a conduit. At least a portion of the water in the humidified gas adheres to the inner surface of the conduit, inhibiting contaminants in the gas sample from adhering to the inner surface. The water in the humidified gas may also push any contaminants adhered to the surface of the sample line back out the sample line. In a second mode, after previously passing the humidified gas through the conduit, the monitoring system controls a flow of a gas sample including the contaminants through the conduit to a gas analyzer. The one or more layer of water on the inner surface of the conduit prevents or reduces a buildup of undesirable contaminants on an inner surface of a conduit that conveys gas samples.

Abstract: A portable (handheld) volatile organic compound monitoring system for monitoring, for fugitive emissions, a device that includes a coded identification tag. The system includes a housing, a tag reader, analysis chamber structure, a sample probe coupled to the analysis chamber, and pump structure for drawing a gas sample to be analyzed through the sample probe into the analysis chamber. Ionization apparatus is coupled to the analysis chamber for ionizing a gas sample drawn into the analysis chamber from the device being monitored, and a sensor responsive to ionized gas in the chamber produces an output signal as a function of an ionization characteristic of the ionized gas. First storage stores a plurality of response factors as a function of various types of volatile organic compounds to be monitored, second storage stores tag information read by the tag reader, and circuitry responsive to tag information stored in the second storage selects a response factor from the first storage.