Apparatus for measuring the relative humidity within an aqueous liquid

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ASCERTAINING THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY WITHIN A LIQUID, INCLUDING, IN COMBINATION, A CHAMBER ADAPTED TO CONTAIN THE SUBJECT LIQUID, A HYGROMETER HAVING A SENSING ELEMENT, AIR CONDUCTING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHAMBER AND ADAPTED TO PLACE AIR INTO INTIMATE CONTACT WITH SUBJECT LIQUID IN SAID CHAMBER UNTIL SAID AIR ACQUIRES THE SAME RELATIVE HUMIDITY AS THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY WITHIN SUBJECT LIQUID IN SAID CHAMBER, HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS ADAPTED TO BRING SAID AIR TO THE TEMPERATURE AS THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SUBJECT LIQUID IN SAID CHAMBER AND MEANS ADAPTED TO SUBMIT SAID AIR WHILE HAVING THE SAME RELATIVE HUMIDITY AS THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY WITHIN SAID SUBJECT LIQUID AND THE SAME TEMPERATURE AS THAT OF SAID SUBJECT LIQUID TO THE SAID SENSING ELEMENT OF SAID HYGROMETER WHEREBY THE RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF SAID AIR AND CONSEQUENTLY THE EQUAL RELATIVE HUMIDITY WITHIN THE SUBJET LIQUID IS ASCERTAINED, SAID CHAMBER BEING A VERTICAL U-TUBE HAVING A LIQUID INLET INTO ONE LEG BELOW ITS TOP AND HAVING OVERFLOW OUTLET FROM THE OUTER LEG ESTABLISHING THE LIQUID LEVEL OF THE CHAMBER, THE UPPER END OF THE U-TUBE LEG WHICH HAS THE OVERFLOW OUTLET BEING ENLARGED AND FORMING A BOWL AND SAID OVERFLOW OUTLET BEING IN THE SIDE OF THE BOWL INTERMEDIATE ITS TOP AND BOTTOM, A CASE IN SAID BOWL WHEREBY THE CASE ACQUIRES THE SAME TEMPERATURE AS THAT OF THE LIQUID IN SAID BOWL AND SAID SENSING ELEMENT OF THE HYGROMETER BEING CONTAINED IN SAID CASE AND SAID MEANS BEING ADAPTED TO SUBMIT THE CONDITIONED AIR TO THE SENSING ELEMENT OF THE HYGROMETER INCLUDING AN AIR CONDUIT LEADING SAID AIR INTO THE CASE.