Pressure Sensing Dissolved Inorganic Carbon
AssigneeWoods Hole Oceanographic Institution
InventorsJason KAPIT, Anna MICHEL
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Detecting dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in a liquid by directing liquid through a conduit, acidifying a portion of the liquid to a pH at least as low as 4.0 to form an acidified liquid portion, and exposing a first surface of a membrane to the acidified liquid portion, the membrane being permeable to CO2 gas but impermeable to the liquid. A second surface of the membrane is exposed to a first headspace to collect CO2 passed through the membrane, and the amount of CO2 in the headspace is quantified by a pressure sensor to obtain a sensed CO2 pressure. The amount of DIC in the liquid is determined based on the sensed CO2 pressure.
Claims6
A method for detecting dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in a liquid, comprising:
- directing liquid through a conduit;
- acidifying a portion of the liquid to a pH at least as low as 4.0 to form an acidified liquid portion;
- exposing a first surface of a membrane to the acidified liquid portion, the membrane being permeable to CO2 gas but impermeable to the liquid;
- exposing a second surface of the membrane to a first headspace to collect CO2 passed through the membrane;
- quantifying the amount of CO2 in the headspace utilizing a pressure sensor to obtain a sensed CO2 pressure;
- and
- determining the amount of DIC in the liquid based on the sensed CO2 pressure.
A system to detect dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) in a liquid, the system disposed in a housing and comprising:
- a conduit having a first opening to receive a liquid, a passage, and a second opening to discharge the liquid;
- an acidification module configured to interact with the liquid in the passage to acidify a portion of the liquid to a pH at least as low as 4.0 to form an acidified liquid portion;
- a membrane having a first membrane surface configured to be exposed to the acidified liquid portion, the membrane being permeable to CO2 gas but impermeable to the liquid and having a second membrane surface configured to be exposed to a first headspace to collect CO2 passed through the membrane;
- a pressure sensor configured to quantify the amount of CO2 in the headspace to obtain a sensed CO2 pressure;
- and
- a microprocessor configured to determine the amount of DIC in the liquid based on the sensed CO2 pressure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.