Combustible gas analyzer
AssigneeHoneywell Inc.
InventorEugene L. Szonntagh
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A combustible gas analyzer for determining the Wobbe Index of a combustible gas uses a constant pressure combustible gas supply and constant flow rate air supply to provide oxygen and gas for combustion. The air is supplied directly to be mixed with the combustible gas while the gas is passed through a variable orifice or valve before mixing with the air supply. A zirconium oxide detector is arranged to measure the oxygen content of the combustion products to enable a predetermined oxygen level to be reached. The valve is operated by a valve control response to the output of the zirconium oxide detector to maintain the preset oxygen level. The position of the valve is monitored as a representation of the Wobbe Index of the combustible gas.
Claims10
A combustible gas analyzer comprising
- flow rate control means for supplying combustion air at a predetermined flow rate,
- pressure control means for supplying a combustible gas to be analyzed at a constant pressure,
- gas mixing means for mixing said air from said flow rate control means and a combustible gas to be analyzed,
- valve means located between said pressure control means and said mixing means for performing a valving operation on a flow of a combustible gas to be analyzed to said mixing means, said valve means including a variable restriction and drive means for varying said restriction,
- combustion means connected to an output of said mixing means for producing a combustion of a mixture of said air and said combustible gas from said mixing means,
- detector means for detecting the oxygen content of combustion products from the combustion of said air and said combustible gas by said combustion means,
- control means responsive to said detector means for producing a control signal for controlling said valving operation of said valve means to achieve a preselected oxygen content of said combustion products,
- circuit means for applying said control signal to said drive means to effect a corresponding variation of said variable restriction,
- monitoring means for monitoring the size of said restriction to produce a signal representative of the size of said restriction and
- display means for displaying said signal from said monitoring means as an indication of the Wobbe Index of said combustible gas.
A method for analyzing a combustible gas to determine the Wobbe Index of the gas including the steps of supplying air as a source of combustion oxygen at a constant flow rate and a combustible gas to be analyzed at a constant pressure, passing the gas through a valve arranged to provide a variable restriction to the flow of the gas, mixing the air and the gas output of the valve, producing a combustion of the mixed gas and air, detecting the oxygen content of the combustion products resulting from the combustion of the gas and air, controlling the valve restriction to provide a preselected oxygen content of the combustion products and monitoring the size of the restriction imposed by the valve as an indication of the Wobbe Index of the gas to be analyzed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.