Contaminant monitor for a flowing liquid

Abstract

A method for detecting bubbles in a liquid characterized by the steps of: a) flowing a liquid through a chamber; b) allowing bubbles in the liquid to escape within the chamber; and c) sensing the gaseous volume within the chamber to determine whether any gas bubbles were present in the liquid. An apparatus of the present invention includes a sealed chamber, a pump for pumping a liquid through the sealed chamber, and a mechanism for detecting gaseous accumulation within the chamber. The mechanism for detecting gaseous accumulation preferably includes a floating device having a float portion and a magnet portion, and a magnetic detector for detecting the magnetic field strength generated by the magnet portion. The magnetic field strength can be used to calculate the liquid level within the chamber which can, in turn, used to calculate the gaseous volume within the chamber. An analyzer coupled to the magnetic detector may produce a detection signal when the gaseous volume exceeds a predetermined criteria to alarm an operator that excessive amount of bubbles are present in the liquid.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.