Automatic power control liquid particle counter with flow and bubble detection systems

An optical liquid particle counter system comprising:

• a liquid particle counter comprising:
• a flow chamber for flowing a liquid containing particles along a flow direction through a beam of electromagnetic radiation,
• an optical source, in optical communication with said flow chamber, for providing said beam of electromagnetic radiation;
• and
• an optical collection system for collecting and directing at least a portion of electromagnetic radiation onto a photodetector;
• wherein said photodetector produces an electric signal characteristic of the number and/or size of said particles detected;
• a fluid monitoring system in fluid communication with said flow chamber that detects bubbles in said liquid, a flow rate condition of said liquid, or both bubbles and a flow rate condition;
• an actuator for engaging or disengaging an optical interrupter capable of redirecting, reshaping, or reducing the fluence of electromagnetic radiation from said optical source entering said flow chamber;
• and
• a processor in operational communication with said fluid monitoring system and said actuator, wherein said processor receives monitoring data from said fluid monitoring system and provides a control signal to said actuator for engaging or disengaging said optical interrupter;
• wherein said processor flags said monitoring data indicative of the presence of bubbles in said liquid as corresponding to a portion of the liquid in said flow chamber, and said control signal comprises timing instructions for actuating said optical interrupter at a time corresponding to passage of said portion of said liquid through said beam of electromagnetic radiation.