Microwave spectrometer
OwnerZhangwu Zhu, Warren P. Dickinsoninventors
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved microwave spectrometer for measuring the concentration of ethylene oxide gas and the concentration of water vapor in one or more gas samples taken from an ethylene oxide sterilization chamber.
Claims20
A microwave spectrometer which measures the concentration of a specified gas, and the concentration of water vapor, in one or more gas samples taken from a sterilization chamber, said microwave spectrometer comprising:
- a first microwave generator which generates microwaves at the absorption frequency of a specified gas;
- a second microwave generator which generates microwaves at the absorption frequency of water vapor;
- a first detector that measures microwaves at the absorption frequency of the specified gas;
- a second detector that measures microwaves at the absorption frequency of water vapor;
- and
- wherein the microwave spectrometer measures the concentration of the specified gas and the concentration of water vapor in one or more gas samples by alternatively generating and detecting microwaves having absorption frequencies of the specified gas and water vapor.
A microwave spectrometer which measures the concentration of a specified gas and the concentration of water vapor in one or more gas samples taken from a sterilization chamber, said microwave spectrometer comprising:
- a first microwave generator which generates microwaves at the absorption frequency of a specified gas;
- a second microwave generator which generates microwaves at the absorption frequency of water vapor;
- a first circulator connected to the first second microwave generator;
- a tuning cavity connected to the first circulator;
- a gas measurement cell connected the first circulator;
- a second circulator connected to the gas measurement cell;
- a first detector connected to the second circulator for measuring microwaves at the absorption frequency of the specified gas;
- a second detector connected to the second circulator for measuring microwaves at the absorption frequency of water vapor;
- and
- a control system connected to the first microwave generator, the second microwave generator, the tuning cavity, the second circulator, the first detector and the second detector,
- wherein the microwave spectrometer measures the concentration of the specified gas and the concentration of water vapor in one or more gas samples by alternatively generating, and tuning and detecting microwaves having absorption frequencies of the specified gas and water vapor.
A method of measuring the concentration of a specified gas, and the concentration of water vapor, in one or more gas samples taken from a sterilization chamber in a microwave spectrometer comprising the following steps:
- subjecting the gas sample(s) to a first set of microwaves generated at the absorption frequency of a specified gas;
- subjecting the gas sample(s) to a second set of microwaves generated at the absorption frequency of water vapor;
- detecting microwaves at the absorption frequency of the specified gas that pass through the gas sample(s);
- and
- detecting microwaves at the absorption frequency of water vapor that pass through the gas sample(s);
- and
- calculating the concentration of the specified gas and the concentration of water vapor from the difference in the generated and detected microwaves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.