Renewable mercury meniscus electrode with mercury circulation system and contaminant removal
AssigneeAMS Trace Metals, Inc.
InventorVladimir Dozortsev
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Abstract
This disclosure provides a voltammetric measurement system predicated on a mercury electrode. To minimize mercury consumption and/or disposal, the disclosed system includes a recirculatory system and mechanisms for cleaning mercury that permit mercury to be reclaimed, purified and reused on a nearly indefinite basis. Optional embodiments provide a modular design including a specially designed measurement cell, and for an automated control system to facilitate these ends.
Claims27
A voltametric measurement system, comprising:
- electrodes to measure an electrochemical property of an aqueous solution, wherein one of the electrodes is to form a liquid mercury surface in contact with the aqueous solution;
- a recirculatory system comprising a trap to collect liquid mercury shed from the one of the electrodes and a pump to recirculate the liquid mercury collected by the trap back to the one of the electrodes;
- and
- a cleaning system to remove contaminants from the liquid mercury following measurement of the electrochemical property, wherein the cleaning system is to introduce a chelating agent in the presence of the liquid mercury as collected in the trap in order to dissolve said contaminants from a surface of the collected liquid mercury;
- the voltametric measurement system further comprising means for cleaning the liquid mercury using catalysis, wherein said means includes a metal in contact with each of the liquid mercury and the aqueous solution.
A voltametric measurement system, comprising:
- electrodes to measure an electrochemical property of an aqueous solution, wherein one of the electrodes is to form a liquid mercury surface in contact with the aqueous solution;
- a recirculatory system comprising a trap to collect liquid mercury shed from the one of the electrodes and a pump to recirculate the liquid mercury collected by the trap back to the one of the electrodes;
- and
- means for cleaning the mercury to remove contaminants following measurement of the electrochemical property, wherein said means is to introduce a chelating agent in the presence of the liquid mercury as collected in the trap in order to dissolve said contaminants from a surface of the collected liquid mercury.
A method of performing a voltametric measurement using a mercury electrode, the method comprising:
- receiving an aqueous solution into a measurement chamber;
- using electrodes of a voltametric measurement system to measure an electrochemical property of the received aqueous solution, wherein of the electrodes is to form a liquid mercury surface in contact with the aqueous solution;
- collecting in a trap liquid mercury shed from the one of the electrodes and using a pump and a recirculatory system to recirculate liquid mercury from the trap back to the one of the electrodes in between measurements of aqueous solution by the voltametric measurement system;
- and
- intermittent to measurements of aqueous solution by the voltametric measurement, controlling the voltametric measurement system so as to within the measurement chamber remove contaminants from the liquid mercury using a chelating agent in the presence of the liquid mercury as collected in the trap in order to dissolve said contaminants from a surface of the collected liquid mercury.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.