# US 7,482,591 B2 · Carbonate scale detector

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- Number: US 7,482,591 B2
- Document ID: US7482591B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/946,658
- Filed: 2004-09-22
- Published: 2006-03-23
- Granted: 2009-01-27
- Earliest claimed: 2004-09-22
- Assignees: MIOX Corporation
- Inventors: Rodney E. Herrington; Curtis Mitchke
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7482591B2

## CPC

- G01N 21/15: Preventing contamination of the components of the optical system or obstruction of the light path
- G01N 21/59: Transmissivity (G01N21/25 takes precedence)
- G01N 21/85: Investigating moving fluids or granular solids
- G01N 21/05: Flow-through cuvettes (G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10)
- G01N 2021/157: {Monitoring by optical means}
- G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q)

## Abstract

An apparatus and method for detecting carbonate scale. An energy emitting device transmits energy through one optical window, through a fluid stream, and out through a second optical window where the energy is detected by an energy receiving device. As scale, such as that due to carbonate present in the fluid, accumulates on the wetted surface of the optical windows, the transmission of the energy through the optical windows is obscured. The optical windows may optionally be coated and electrically charged to promote the formation of carbonate scale on the wetted surface of the window. The optical windows can be cleaned by reversing their polarity. By correlating the rate of energy intensity reduction to carbonate scale formation, the concentration of carbonate in the fluid stream can be determined. The carbonate detector can be used to alarm, shutdown, or control operation of equipment that may be adversely affected by the presence of carbonate in the fluid stream.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus to detect scale formation in a fluid stream, said apparatus comprising:
a flow-through chamber for the fluid stream;
at least two optical windows comprising an electrically conductive coating, at least one of said optical windows functioning as a cathode and accumulating scale formation from the fluid stream;
an energy emitting device transmitting an energy beam through both said optical windows and the fluid stream; and
an energy receiving device for measuring an intensity of said energy beam; and
a processor for correlating said intensity with an amount of said scale formation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said energy emitting device comprises an infrared LED.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said energy receiving device comprises an infrared phototransistor.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said optical windows comprises a material selected from the group consisting of quartz and synthetic sapphire.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a control system comprising said processor for receiving a signal from said energy receiving device.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said signal is correlated to said intensity.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said control system is activated when said intensity reaches a level indicating a predetermined amount of scale formation.

### Claim 8 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a rate of change of said signal determines a concentration of carbonate in the fluid stream.

### Claim 9 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said control system comprises a circuit for quantifying a level of scale in the fluid stream.

### Claim 10 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said control system comprises an adjustable control mechanism providing adjustment for detection sensitivity.

### Claim 11 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said control system comprises a switch for transmitting a signal to an external device.

### Claim 12 (depends on 5)

The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said control system comprises a device selected from the group consisting of an alarm, an electrolytic cell controller, an ion exchange controller, and a reversible power supply.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said device comprises an electrolytic cell controller and said electrolytic cell controller deactivates a power supply for an electrolytic cell and initiates a cleaning cycle.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said device comprises an ion exchange controller and said ion exchange controller initiates regeneration of ion exchange resin.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 used to detect and control scale formation in electrolytic cell applications.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 useful for detecting carbonate scale formation.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 useful to control regeneration cycles in ion exchange resin systems.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 useful to detect and control scale formation in a system where scale formation is detrimental to system operation.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said system is selected from the group consisting of an electrolytic chlorine cell, an electrolytic device, a boiler water system, a distiller, a water softening system, and a membrane system.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said coating comprises at least one property selected from the list consisting of optically transparent, chemically resistant, chemically inert, electrolytically active, metallic, and a combination thereof.

### Claim 21 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said coating comprises a titanium coating.

### Claim 22 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said coating comprises a diamond coating.

### Claim 23 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein one of said optical windows comprises an anode.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising a power supply providing a positive electrical potential to said anode and a negative electrical potential to said cathode.

### Claim 25 (depends on 24)

The apparatus of claim 24 wherein an electrical polarity of said anode and said cathode is reversible.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The apparatus of claim 25 wherein reversing said polarity cleans a surface of said cathode.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The apparatus of claim 25 wherein reversing said polarity dissolves the scale formation.

### Claim 28 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an anode.

### Claim 29 (depends on 28)

The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said anode comprises a dimensionally stable anode.

### Claim 30 (depends on 28)

The apparatus of claim 28 wherein said optical windows comprise cathodes.

### Claim 31 (depends on 30)

The apparatus of claim 30 further comprising a reversible power supply providing a positive electrical potential to said anode and a negative electrical potential to said cathode.

### Claim 32

A method for detecting scale formation, the method comprising the steps of:
shining an energy beam through a first optical window, through a fluid stream, and through a second optical window, the windows comprising an electrically conductive coating and at least one window functioning as a cathode;
detecting an intensity of the energy beam; and
correlating the intensity with an amount of scale formation on at least one of the optical windows, thereby measuring the amount of scale formation.

### Claim 33 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32 wherein the energy beam comprises infrared energy.

### Claim 34 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of determining a concentration of carbonate in the fluid stream.

### Claim 35 (depends on 34)

The method of claim 34 wherein the determining step comprises measuring a rate of change of the intensity.

### Claim 36 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32 further comprising the step of activating a control system when a predetermined amount of scale formation is detected.

### Claim 37 (depends on 36)

The method of claim 36 further comprising the step of alerting an operator.

### Claim 38 (depends on 36)

The method of claim 36 further comprising the step of stopping operation of a system.

### Claim 39 (depends on 38)

The method of claim 38 further comprising the step of cleaning the system.

### Claim 40 (depends on 36)

The method of claim 36 further comprising the step of initiating regeneration of ion exchange resin in a water softening system.

### Claim 41 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32 further comprising the steps of applying a positive electrical potential to one of the optical windows and applying a negative electrical potential to the other optical window.

### Claim 42 (depends on 41)

The method of claim 41 further comprising the step of dissolving scale on at least one of the optical windows.

### Claim 43 (depends on 42)

The method of claim 42 wherein the dissolving step comprises the step of reversing the polarity of the optical windows.

### Claim 44 (depends on 42)

The method of claim 42 wherein the dissolving step comprising flushing the at least one optical window with an acid.

### Claim 45 (depends on 32)

The method of claim 32 comprising the step of providing an anode.

### Claim 46 (depends on 45)

The method of claim 45 wherein the anode comprises a third coated optical window.

### Claim 47 (depends on 45)

The method of claim 45 wherein the anode comprises a dimensionally stable anode.

### Claim 48 (depends on 45)

The method of claim 45 further comprising the step of applying a positive electrical potential to the anode and applying a negative electrical potential to the first and second optical windows.

### Claim 49 (depends on 48)

The method of claim 48 further comprising the step of cleaning the first and second optical windows.

### Claim 50 (depends on 49)

The method of claim 49 wherein the cleaning step comprises applying a negative electrical potential to the anode and applying a positive electrical potential to the first and second optical windows.