Apparatus for the continuous analysis of oxygen and hydrogen

Claim 1

A MEASURING APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DETECTION AND ASSAY OF GASEOUS MEDIA CONTAINING AMOUNTS OF A MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF OXYGEN AND HYDROGEN IN A LOW CONCENTRATION RANGE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING CONDUIT MEANS INCLUDING GAS INLET MEANS LEADING THEREFROM, A FIRST PRESSURE REGULATING VALVE MEANS IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS ADAPTED TO REGULATE THE FLOW OF THE GASEOUS MEDIUM, A FLOW METER FOR THE DETERMINATION OF THE VOLUMETRIC RATE OF FLOW OF THE GASEOUS MEDIUM IN SERIES WITH SAID VALVE MEANS AND CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT THEREOF, A PURIFIER CHAMBER ADAPTED TO INCLUDE A PURGING MEDIUM FOR REMOVING IMPURITIES FROM SAID GASEOUS MEDIUM, A FIRST DRYER CHAMBER ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A MOISTURE GATHERING MEDIUM, AN INSULATED CATALYST REACTION CHAMBER ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A CATALYST OPERABLE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE TO CONTAIN A CATALYST REACTION REACTION O2+2H2-2H2O (GAS)+114.24 KILO CALORIES, SAID CONDUIT MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID PURIFIER AND DRYER CHAMBERS TO SAID REACTION CHAMBER FROM THE OUTPUT OF SAID FLOW METER, THERMAL RESPONSIVE TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS TO MEASURE THE TEMPERATURE INCREMENT DUE TO THE HEAT DEVELOPED BY SAID REACTION CHAMBER AND INCLUDSOCIATED WITH SAID REACTION CHAMBER AND INCLUDING AT LEAST TWO TEMPERATURE SENSING ELEMENTS POSITIONED ADJACENT SAID CATALYST AND ADAPTED TO ENABLE THE DETERMINATION OF THE HEAT OF THE REACTION INDEPENDENTLY OF ANY INFLUENCE FROM THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE, SAID THERMAL RESPONSIVE TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS EXHIBITING THE CHARACTERISTIC OF GENERATING A SMALL E. M. F., BACK E. M. F. COMPENSATING MEANS INCLUDING A SOURCE OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY CONNECTED TO SAID TEMPERATURE MEASURING MEANS TO SUPPLY A COMPENSATING POTENTIAL OF PROPER POLARITY THERETO AND ESTABLISH A ZERO POINT OF THE APPARATUS, AND CALIBRATION AND RE-CALIBRATION MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CATALYST CHAMBER AND ADAPTED TO ADJUST THE READINGS OF THE APPARATUS TO COMPENSATE FOR FLUCTUATIONS IN THE CATALYST ACTIVITY INTERPOSED IN SAID CONDUIT MEANS BETWEEN SAID FLOWMETER AND SAID PURIFIER CHAMBER.