Apparatus for determining the oil content of substances

Claim 1

A CAPACITANCE CELL FOR DETERMINING THE RELATIVE PROPORTIONS OF TWO LIQUIDS OF KNOWN DIELECTRIC CONSTANT COMPRISING AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL CONSTITUTING ONE PLATE OF A CONDENSER AND HAVING AN INLET END AND AN OUTLET END, AN INNER CYLINDRICAL CUP-LIKE MEMBER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL CONSTITUTING THE SECOND PLATE OF A CONDENSER DISPOSED COAXIALLY WITHIN SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH LIQUID INLET MEANS AND AIR VENT MEANS AT THE INLET END AND LIQUID OUTLET MEANS AT THE OUTLET END, A FIRST ROD AXIALLY DISPOSED TO SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER EXTENDING INTO THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER THROUGH THE OUTLET END THEREOF, AN ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE SHEATH SURROUNDING SAID FIRST ROD, A CONICAL SHAPED END PIECE OF ELECTRICALLY NON-CONDUCTIVE MATERIAL SECURED TO THE END OF SAID FIRST ROD WITHIN THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND BEARING AGAINST THE BOTTOM OF THE INNER CYLINDRICAL CUP-LIKE MEMBER, ADJUSTMENT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST ROD ADAPTED TO PROPEL AND AND RETRACT SAID FIRST ROD AXIALLY WITHIN SAID OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, A CYLINDRICAL PLUG OF ELECTRICALLY NONCONDUCTIVE MATERIAL INSERTED INTO THE OPEN END OF THE INNER CUP-LIKE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER TO SEAT SAID INNER CUPLIKE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, A SECOND ROD PROVIDED WITH A CONICAL END MEMBER EXTENDING AXIALLY INTO THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER THROUGH THE INLET END THEREOF AND BEARING AGAINST THE PLUG IN THE OPEN END OF THE INNER CUP-LIKE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, ADJUSTMENT MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND ROD ADAPTED TO PROPEL AND RETRACT SAID SECOND ROD AXIALLY WITHIN THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROD CONSTITUTING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING AND POSITIONING THE INNER CUP-LIKE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER COAXIALLY WITHIN THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER TO DEFINE A FIRST ELONGATED ANNULAR SPACE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS SECTION BETWEEN THE INNER CURVILINEAR WALL OF THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND THE OUTER CURVILINEAR WALL OF THE INNER CUP-LIKE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND ALSO DEFINING SECOND AND THIRD ANNULAR SPACES BETWEEN THE INLET AND OUTLET ENDS OF THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND THE CORRESPONDING ADJACENT ENDS OF THE INNER CUP-LIKE CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID SECOND AND THIRD ANNULAR SPACES BEING COEXTENSIVE WITH THE ADJACENT CYLINDER ENDS, SAID THREE ANNULAR SPACES ALL BEING IN COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER AND WITH THE AIR VENT MEANS AND WITH THE LIQUID INLET AND OUTLET MEANS, ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO A CONDUCTIVE SURFACE OF THE INNER CYLINDRICAL CUP-LIKE MEMBER AND EXTENDING THROUGH THE OUTER CYLINDRICAL MEMBER TO THE EXTERIOR THEREOF, AN ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ROD EXTENDING THROUGH THE END OF THE OUTER CYLINDERICAL MEMBER ADJACENT THE CONDUCTIVE BOTTOM OF THE INNER CYLINDRICAL CUP-LIKE MEMBER INTO THE ANNULAR SPACE DEFINED BY THE SAID ENDS OF SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBERS, ADJUSTMENT MEANS CONNECTED TO THE ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ROD FOR PROPELLING AND RETRACTING SAID ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ROD WITHIN SAID ANNULAR SPACE THEREBY TO EFFECT A CHANGE IN THE ELECTRICAL CAPACITANCE OF THE CELL, AND MEANS CONNECTED TO THE LIQUID OUTLET MEANS FOR OPENING AND CLOSING SAID LIQUID OUTLET MEANS.