Method and apparatus for automatic titration and process control

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENT-CONTINUOUS TITRATION OF A FLUID SAMPLE TO A PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION A TITRATION CELL WITH DRAIN VALVE, AN AGITATOR FOR AGITATING FLUID IN SAID TITRATION CELL, A FIRST SET OF ELECTRODDES FOR COULOMETRICALLY GENERATING A TITRANT AT A CONSTANT RATE IN THE ELECTROLYTE WITHIN SAID TITRATION CELL, A SECOND SET OF ELECTRIDES FOR AMPEROMETRICALLY DETECTING THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION, AN ELECTROLYTE SUPPLY RESERVOIR WITH VALVE CONTROL WHEREBY A CONSTANT VOLUME OF ELECTROLYTE MAY BE PERIODICALLY SUPPLIED TO SAID TITRATION CELL, A SOURCE OF FLUID SAMPLE WITH METERING MEANS WHEREBY A CONSTANT VOLUME OF SAMPLE MAY BE ADDED TO SAID TITRATION CELL, A TIMER IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND SETS OF ELECTRODES, SAID TIMER MEASURING THE DURATION OF TITRANT GENERATION MEASURED FROM AFTER THE ADDITION OF FLUID SAMPLE TO THE MOMENT AT WHICH SAID SECOND SET OF ELECTRODES AMPEROMETRICALLY DETECTS THE PRESELECTED TITRANT CONCENTRATION, A PROGRAM-SEQUENCE CONTROLLER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID TITRATION CELL DRAIN VALVE, TO SAID VALVE CONTROL OF SAID ELECTROLYTE SUPPLY RESERVOIR, TO SAID METERING MEANS OF SAID SOURCE OF THE FLUID SAMPLE, TO SAID AGITATOR, AND TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SETS OF ELECTRODES SO AS TO ACTUATE IN SEQUENCE: SAID DRAIN VALVE OF SAID TITRATION CELL SO AS TO EMPTY SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY ALL LIQUIDS THEREFROM, SAID VALVE CONTROL OF SAID ELECTROLYTE SUPPLY RESERVOIR SO AS TO ADD A CONSTANT VOLUME OF ELECTROLYTE TO SAID TITRATION CELL, SAID AGITATOR SO AS TO AGIGATE SAID ELECTROLYTE WITHIN SAID TITRATION CELL, SAID FIRST SET OF ELECTRODES SO AS TO COULOMETRICALLY GENERATE SUFFICIENT TITRANT TO REACH THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION AS DETECTED BY SAID SECOND SET OF ELECTRODES, SAID METERING MEANS OF SAID SOURCE OF FLUID SAMPLE WHEREBY A CONSTANT VOLUME OF FLUID SAMPLE IS ADDED TO SAID TITRATION CELL, SAID FIRST SET OF ELECTRODES SO AS TO COULOMETRICALLY GENERATE SUFFICIENT TITRANT TO REACH THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION FOR THE SECOND TIME, WHEREBY THE TIME TO REACH THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION FOR THE SECOND TIME AS INDICATED BY SAID TIMER IS A MEASURE OF THE CONCENTRATION OF TITRANT-REACTIVE SUBSTANCE IN THE FLUID SAMPLE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR INTERMITTENT-CONTINUOUS TITRATION OF A FLUID SAMPLE TO A PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION A TITRATION CELL WITH DRAIN VALVE, AN AGITATOR FOR AGITATING FLUID IN SAID TITRATION CELL, A FIRST SET OF ELECTRODDES FOR COULOMETRICALLY GENERATING A TITRANT AT A CONSTANT RATE IN THE ELECTROLYTE WITHIN SAID TITRATION CELL, A SECOND SET OF ELECTRIDES FOR AMPEROMETRICALLY DETECTING THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION, AN ELECTROLYTE SUPPLY RESERVOIR WITH VALVE CONTROL WHEREBY A CONSTANT VOLUME OF ELECTROLYTE MAY BE PERIODICALLY SUPPLIED TO SAID TITRATION CELL, A SOURCE OF FLUID SAMPLE WITH METERING MEANS WHEREBY A CONSTANT VOLUME OF SAMPLE MAY BE ADDED TO SAID TITRATION CELL, A TIMER IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND SETS OF ELECTRODES, SAID TIMER MEASURING THE DURATION OF TITRANT GENERATION MEASURED FROM AFTER THE ADDITION OF FLUID SAMPLE TO THE MOMENT AT WHICH SAID SECOND SET OF ELECTRODES AMPEROMETRICALLY DETECTS THE PRESELECTED TITRANT CONCENTRATION, A PROGRAM-SEQUENCE CONTROLLER OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID TITRATION CELL DRAIN VALVE, TO SAID VALVE CONTROL OF SAID ELECTROLYTE SUPPLY RESERVOIR, TO SAID METERING MEANS OF SAID SOURCE OF THE FLUID SAMPLE, TO SAID AGITATOR, AND TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SETS OF ELECTRODES SO AS TO ACTUATE IN SEQUENCE: SAID DRAIN VALVE OF SAID TITRATION CELL SO AS TO EMPTY SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY ALL LIQUIDS THEREFROM, SAID VALVE CONTROL OF SAID ELECTROLYTE SUPPLY RESERVOIR SO AS TO ADD A CONSTANT VOLUME OF ELECTROLYTE TO SAID TITRATION CELL, SAID AGITATOR SO AS TO AGIGATE SAID ELECTROLYTE WITHIN SAID TITRATION CELL, SAID FIRST SET OF ELECTRODES SO AS TO COULOMETRICALLY GENERATE SUFFICIENT TITRANT TO REACH THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION AS DETECTED BY SAID SECOND SET OF ELECTRODES, SAID METERING MEANS OF SAID SOURCE OF FLUID SAMPLE WHEREBY A CONSTANT VOLUME OF FLUID SAMPLE IS ADDED TO SAID TITRATION CELL, SAID FIRST SET OF ELECTRODES SO AS TO COULOMETRICALLY GENERATE SUFFICIENT TITRANT TO REACH THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION FOR THE SECOND TIME, WHEREBY THE TIME TO REACH THE PRESELECTED REFERENCE TITRANT CONCENTRATION FOR THE SECOND TIME AS INDICATED BY SAID TIMER IS A MEASURE OF THE CONCENTRATION OF TITRANT-REACTIVE SUBSTANCE IN THE FLUID SAMPLE.