Method and apparatus for monitoring and measuring a gas
AssigneeComsip Delphi, Inc.
InventorsGary W. Lewis, Alfred D. Robinson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method and apparatus for monitoring and signalling the quantity of a known gas, or gases, in a gas mixture. The monitoring system is particularly adapted to continuously sense the quantity of hydrogen or oxygen in the containment gas mixture for a nuclear reactor electrical power generator. The monitoring system utilizes thermal conductivity gas measuring cells arranged in an electrical bridge network along with a catalytic reactor for modifying the constituency of the containment gas mixture undergoing measurement to provide the signal representative of the changes in constituency of the containment gas mixture at the power generating site.
Claims11
Apparatus for continuously monitoring and signalling the quantity of a preselected gas in a mixture of gases from a nuclear reactor pressure vessel comprising
- a compartment maintained at a preselected temperature,
- gas inlet means located outside of the compartment for continuously receiving a sample of gas to be monitored from a gas sample source and continuously conveying the sample to said compartment so as to continuously maintain the gas sample at said preselected temperature, while being conveyed through said compartment to thereby maintain the concentration of the mixed gases of the gas sample source,
- means located within the compartment for continuously receiving the gas from the inlet means and for continuously separating out a relatively small portion of the gas sample for measurement purposes,
- thermal conductivity gas sensing means arranged within said compartment for continuously measuring and signalling the quantity of a preselected, known gas in the gas sample,
- means for continuously conveying said small portion of the gas sample to said sensing means,
- catalytic reaction means arranged within said compartment for continuously altering one of the gas constituents in the gas sample conveyed therethrough,
- means for continuously conveying said small portion of the gas sample to said reaction means.
- means for continously conveying the reacted, sensed gas from said reaction means through said sensing means,
- means arranged within said compartment for continuously receiving the small portion of measured gas from said sensing means for maintaining a substantially constant mass flow of gas through said sensing means,
- means for continuously rendering said sensing means independent of the pressure of the gas received from said source,
- means arranged outside of said compartment for cooling gas, and
- means for continously conveying the remaining portion of the unmeasured gas from said separation means to the gas cooling means, and gas outlet means for continuously combining and conveying the cooled gas with the measured gas portions received from the constant mass flow control means for continuous conveyance back to the gas sample source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.