Probe and method for detecting alcohol

A method of measuring a concentration of a normally volatile alcohol in a liquid comprising:

• (E) contacting said liquid with a membrane that is permeable to vapors of said alcohol but substantially impermeable to said liquid;
• (F) providing a measuring chamber having an open end closed against said liquid by said membrane and having an inlet port and an outlet port;
• (G) providing a detector within said measuring chamber capable of an essentially quantitative detection of said alcohol and of generating an electrical signal in relation with said quantitative detection;
• (H) providing an indicator capable of converting said signal into an indication of said concentration of said alcohol in said liquid;
• and
• (I) intermittently purging said measuring chamber with a controlled stream of a purge gas fed into said inlet port of said measuring chamber.

A probe for in-line measurement of a concentration of a normally volatile alcohol in a process stream of liquid comprising:

• (A) a membrane that is permeable to vapors of said alcohol but substantially impermeable to said liquid, said membrane disposed in the vicinity of said liquid process stream;
• (B) a measuring chamber having an open end closed against said liquid by said membrane and having an inlet and an outlet;
• (C) a pressure means for feeding a purge gas via said inlet into said measuring chamber and out of said chamber by means of said outlet, and at least one valve for intermittently controlling passage of said purge gas through said measuring chamber, said valve adapted for cyclical purging of said measuring chamber;
• and
• (D) a detector arranged within said measuring chamber capable of an essentially quantitative detection of said alcohol and of generating an electrical signal in proportion with said detection.

A method of in-line measurement of a concentration of a normally volatile alcohol in a process stream of liquid comprising:

• (E) contacting said liquid with a membrane that is permeable to vapors of said alcohol but substantially impermeable to said liquid, said membrane disposed in the vicinity of said liquid process stream;
• (F) providing a measuring chamber having an open end closed against said liquid by said membrane and having an inlet port and an outlet port;
• (G) providing a detector within said measuring chamber capable of an essentially quantitative detection of said alcohol and of generating an electrical signal in relation with said quantitative detection;
• (H) providing an indicator capable of converting said signal into an indication of said concentration of said alcohol in said liquid;
• and
• (I) intermittently and cyclically purging said measuring chamber with a controlled stream of a purge gas fed into said inlet port of said measuring chamber.

A probe for in-line measurement of a concentration of a normally volatile alcohol in a flowing liquid comprising:

• (A) a membrane that is permeable to vapors of said alcohol but substantially impermeable to said liquid, said membrane mounted in a flow chamber;
• (B) a measuring chamber having an open end closed against said liquid by said membrane and have an inlet and an outlet;
• (C) a pressure means for feeding a purge gas via said inlet into said measure chamber and out of said chamber by means of said outlet, and at least one valve for intermittently and cyclically controlling passage of said purge gas through said measuring chamber;
• and
• (D) a detector arranged within said measuring chamber capable of an essentially quantitative detection of said alcohol and of generating an electrical signal in proportion with said detection.

A method of in-line measurement of a normally volatile alcohol in a flowing liquid comprising:

• (E) contacting said flowing liquid with a membrane that is permeable to vapors of said alcohol but substantially impermeable to said liquid, said membrane mounted in a floor chamber;
• (F) providing a measuring chamber having an open end closed against said liquid by said membrane and having an inlet port and an outlet port;
• (G) providing a detector within said measuring chamber capable of an essentially quantitative detection of said alcohol and of generating an electrical signal in relation with said quantitative detection;
• (H) providing an indicator capable of converting said signal into an indication of said concentration of said alcohol in said liquid;
• and
• (I) intermittently and cyclically purging said measuring chamber with a controlled stream of a purge gas fed into said inlet port of said measuring chamber.