Testing device for testing a gas guide element

A testing device for determining an operational capability of a gas guide element of a gas-measuring system, which gas guide element is configured to route or guide a fluid, and which gas-measuring system comprising a gas sensor system with at least one gas sensor, a pumping device comprising a pump configured to deliver gas, a state of flow sensor sensing either a state of flow in the gas guide element or an operating state of the pumping device, and the gas guide element, the testing device comprising:

• a test gas source;
• and
• a control unit with an associated memory and operative connections to the pumping device, the sensor system and the state of flow sensor, wherein:
• the gas guide element is arranged between the pump, the state of flow sensor and the gas sensor system;
• the gas guide element, the gas sensor system and the pumping device being connected to one another fluidically and configured for interaction such that a quantity of gas can be fed to the gas sensor system and to the state of flow sensor, from a measuring location located remotely from the gas sensor, and such that a quantity of gas can be fed to the remotely located measuring location by the pumping device;
• the state of flow sensor is configured to detect a measured value, which indicates a pressure in the gas guide element;
• the test gas source is arranged at the pumping device and the gas guide element;
• the gas sensor system and the pumping device are connected fluidically such that a quantity of test gas can be fed as a quantity of gas to the remotely located measuring location from the test gas source;
• the control unit is configured to receive measured values detected and provided by the state of flow sensor, which measured values indicate the state of flow in the gas guide element or an operating state of the pumping device;
• the control unit is configured with the associated memory to store the measured values detected and provided by the state of flow sensor, which indicates the state of flow in the gas guide element or an operating state of the pumping device;
• the control unit is configured, to determine the operational capability of the gas guide element, to coordinate the pumping device in interaction with the state of flow sensor by means of a sequence of steps beginning from a measuring operation, the sequence of steps comprising:
• the control unit putting the pumping device into a first operating state for a first predefined time period, so that a quantity of test gas is delivered from the test gas source to the gas guide element in a direction toward the remotely located measuring location by means of the gas guide element and selecting a duration of the first predefined time period based on technical properties of the gas guide element and based on technical properties of the pumping device such that the gas guide element is filled with the test gas over a length from the remotely located measuring location to the pumping device;
• the control unit putting the pumping device into a second operating state for a second predefined time period in a second step, so that a quantity of gas is delivered by means of the gas guide element from the gas guide element in a direction from the remotely located measuring location, to the state of flow sensor and a duration of the second predefined time period is selected by the control unit based on the first predefined time period and based on technological properties of the pumping device;
• the control unit receiving, during the second predefined time period, a plurality of measured values provided by the state of flow sensor, which indicate the state of flow in the gas guide element or an operating state of the pumping device, and the control unit determining, in the second step, at a beginning of the second predefined time period, a beginning value of the system size, which value represents a current density and/or dynamic viscosity of the gas in the gas guide element, and stores the beginning value of the system size as a first comparison data value in the memory, and at the end of the second predefined time period, the control unit determines an end value of the system size, which represents the current density and/or dynamic viscosity of the gas in the gas guide element, and stores the end value as a second comparison data value in the memory;
• the control unit performing a comparison between the first comparison data value and the second comparison data value and determines an indicator of the operational capability of the gas guide element based on the comparison between the first comparison data value and the second comparison data value and a predefined comparison criterion;
• and
• the control unit determining an output signal which indicates the indicator of the operational capability of the gas guide element and the control unit providing the output signal as an output.