# US 2022/0034860 A1 · Ion conductivity filter and measurement system

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- Number: US 2022/0034860 A1
- Document ID: US20220034860A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/942,589
- Filed: 2020-07-29
- Published: 2022-02-03
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-29
- Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
- Inventors: Ali M. Al-Tawfiq; Ali M. Al-Sulaiman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20220034860A1

## CPC

- G01N 33/1813: {Specific cations in water, e.g. heavy metals}
- G01N 27/333: Ion-selective electrodes or membranes (glass electrodes G01N27/36)
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

An apparatus for measuring the cation conductivity of a fluid sample includes a housing having an inlet disposed at a first end of the housing and an outlet disposed at a second end of the housing, the second end opposite the first end, wherein the inlet of the housing is configured to receive the fluid sample. The apparatus includes a first cellulose filter disposed in the housing adjacent to the inlet; a second cellulose filter disposed in the housing adjacent to the outlet; and a cation exchange resin filter disposed in the housing between the first cellulose filter and the second cellulose filter. The outlet of the housing is configured to be fluidically connected to a cation conductivity sensor configured to measure a cation conductivity of an effluent output from the outlet of the housing.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for measuring the cation conductivity of a fluid sample, the apparatus comprising:
a housing having an inlet disposed at a first end of the housing and an outlet disposed at a second end of the housing, the second end opposite the first end, wherein the inlet of the housing is configured to receive the fluid sample;
a first cellulose filter disposed in the housing adjacent to the inlet;
a second cellulose filter disposed in the housing adjacent to the outlet; and
a cation exchange resin filter disposed in the housing between the first cellulose filter and the second cellulose filter,
wherein the outlet of the housing is configured to be fluidically connected to a cation conductivity sensor configured to measure a cation conductivity of an effluent output from the outlet of the housing.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first cellulose filter comprises a 0.45 μm cellulose filter.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second cellulose filter comprises a 0.45 μm cellulose filter.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cation exchange resin filter is formed of a material comprising acidic functional groups.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, comprising:
a side inlet disposed along a length of the housing; and
a side outlet disposed along the length of the housing,
wherein the side inlet and side outlet are aligned with the cation exchange resin filter.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the side inlet is configured to be fluidically connected to a fluid source.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, comprising a source of regeneration fluid fluidically connected to the side inlet.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the source of regeneration fluid comprises a source of hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a distance between the side inlet and the inlet of the housing is less than a distance between the side outlet and the inlet of the housing.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the cation conductivity sensor.

### Claim 11

A method of measuring the cation conductivity of a fluid sample, the method comprising:
flowing the fluid sample through an ion conductivity filter, comprising:
flowing the fluid sample across a first cellulose filter disposed in a housing, wherein the first cellulose filter is disposed adjacent to an inlet to the ion conductivity filter, the inlet disposed at a first end of the housing;
flowing the fluid sample from the first cellulose filter across a cation exchange resin filter disposed in the housing; and
flowing the fluid sample from the cation exchange resin filter across a second cellulose filter disposed in the housing, wherein the second cellulose filter is disposed adjacent to an outlet from the ion conductivity filter, the outlet disposed at a second end of the housing, the second end opposite the first end; and
providing an effluent from the outlet of the ion conductivity filter to a cation conductivity sensor configured to measure a cation conductivity of the effluent.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, comprising by the cation conductivity sensor, measuring the cation conductivity of the effluent.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, comprising comparing the measured cation conductivity of the effluent to a baseline cation conductivity.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The method of claim 12, comprising determining a contamination of the fluid sample based on the measured cation conductivity of the effluent.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, comprising determining that the fluid sample is contaminated when the measured cation conductivity of the effluent exceeds a baseline cation conductivity by at least a threshold amount.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein flowing the fluid sample across the cation exchange resin filter comprises binding contaminant cations from the fluid sample to the cation exchange resin filter.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The method of claim 16, wherein the cation exchange resin filter releases hydrogen ions responsive to the binding of contaminant cations.

### Claim 18 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein flowing the fluid sample across the first cellulose filter comprises removing suspended solids from the fluid sample.

### Claim 19 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein flowing the fluid sample across the second cellulose filter comprises removing particulate matter from the cation exchange resin filter from the fluid sample.

### Claim 20 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, comprising flowing a regeneration fluid across the cation exchange resin filter.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The method of claim 20, comprising flowing the regeneration fluid into a side inlet disposed along a length of the housing and aligned with the cation exchange resin filter, across the cation exchange resin filter, and out a side outlet disposed along the length of the housing and aligned with the cation exchange resin filter.

### Claim 22 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, comprising rinsing the cation exchange resin filter with a cleaning fluid.

### Claim 23 (depends on 22)

The method of claim 22, comprising flowing the cleaning fluid into a side inlet disposed along a length of the housing and aligned with the cation exchange resin filter, across the cation exchange resin filter, and out a side outlet disposed along the length of the housing and aligned with the cation exchange resin filter.

### Claim 24 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, comprising detaching the ion conductivity filter from the cation conductivity sensor.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The method of claim 24, comprising filling the housing with a fluid and capping the inlet and outlet of the ion conductivity filter.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The method of claim 25, comprising storing the capped, detached ion conductivity filter.

### Claim 27

A method of making an apparatus for measuring the cation conductivity of a fluid sample, the method comprising:
disposing a first cellulose filter in the interior of a housing adjacent to an inlet disposed at a first end of the housing;
disposing a cation exchange resin filter in the interior of the housing adjacent to the first cellulose filter; and
disposing a second cellulose filter in the interior of the housing adjacent to the cation exchange resin filter and adjacent to an outlet disposed at a second end of the housing, the second end opposite the first end,
wherein the outlet is configured to be fluidically connected to a cation conductivity sensor configured to measure a cation conductivity of an effluent output from the outlet.