Method and apparatus for determining the total carbon content of aqueous systems

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR RAPIDLY DETERMINING THE TOTAL CARBON CONTENT OF AN AQUEOUS SYSTEM CONTAINING A SMALL AMOUNT OF HIGHLY DISPERSED CARBONACEOUS MATTER WHICH METHOD COMPRISES (1) PASSING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF OXYGEN AT A CONSTANT FLOW RATE THROUGH A COMBUSTION CONDUIT HAVING A HEATED ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 700* TO ABOUT 1,100*C., WITHIN WHICH HEATED ZONE THERE IS POSITIONED A GAS-PERMEABLE DIFFUSING MEMBER AT A DISTANCE INTO THE HEATD ZONE FROM THE INLET END THEREOF SUFFICIENT TO DFINE, IN COMBINATION WITH THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT, A SAMPLE EXPANSION ZONE WITHIN THE HEATED ZONE OF ADEQUATE VOLUME TO AVOID THE FORMATION OF CONDENSATE UPSTREAM FROM THE HEATED ZONE, SAID DIFFUSING MEMBER BEING OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY CHEMICALLY INERT TO OXYGEN AND STEAM AT THE TEMPERATURE OF THE HEATED ZONE; (2) RAPIDLY INJECTING A SMALL PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF THE AQUEOUS SYSTEM TO BE ANALYZED INTO THE OXYGEN STREAM WITHIN THE HEATED ZONE OF THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF THE DIFFUSING MEMBER; (3) SWEEPING THE GASEOUS SIDE OF THE DIFFUSING MEMBER; ZONE THROUGH THE DIFFUSING MEMBER AND INTO A COOLING ZONE BY CONTINUING THE OXYGEN STREAM AT THE AFORESAID CONSTANT FLOW RATE WHEREBY THE GASEOUS PRODUCT IS COOLED; (4) THENCE SWEEPING THE COOLED GASEOUS PRODUCT INTO AN ANALYZER FOR QUANTITATIVELY INDICATING THE CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE GASEOUS PRODUCT.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR RAPIDLY DETERMINING THE TOTAL CARBON CONTENT OF AN AQUEOUS SYSTEM CONTAINING A SMALL AMOUNT OF HIGHLY DISPERSED CARBONACEOUS MATTER WHICH METHOD COMPRISES (1) PASSING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF OXYGEN AT A CONSTANT FLOW RATE THROUGH A COMBUSTION CONDUIT HAVING A HEATED ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE FROM ABOUT 700* TO ABOUT 1,100*C., WITHIN WHICH HEATED ZONE THERE IS POSITIONED A GAS-PERMEABLE DIFFUSING MEMBER AT A DISTANCE INTO THE HEATD ZONE FROM THE INLET END THEREOF SUFFICIENT TO DFINE, IN COMBINATION WITH THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT, A SAMPLE EXPANSION ZONE WITHIN THE HEATED ZONE OF ADEQUATE VOLUME TO AVOID THE FORMATION OF CONDENSATE UPSTREAM FROM THE HEATED ZONE, SAID DIFFUSING MEMBER BEING OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY CHEMICALLY INERT TO OXYGEN AND STEAM AT THE TEMPERATURE OF THE HEATED ZONE; (2) RAPIDLY INJECTING A SMALL PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF THE AQUEOUS SYSTEM TO BE ANALYZED INTO THE OXYGEN STREAM WITHIN THE HEATED ZONE OF THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT ON THE UPSTREAM SIDE OF THE DIFFUSING MEMBER; (3) SWEEPING THE GASEOUS SIDE OF THE DIFFUSING MEMBER; ZONE THROUGH THE DIFFUSING MEMBER AND INTO A COOLING ZONE BY CONTINUING THE OXYGEN STREAM AT THE AFORESAID CONSTANT FLOW RATE WHEREBY THE GASEOUS PRODUCT IS COOLED; (4) THENCE SWEEPING THE COOLED GASEOUS PRODUCT INTO AN ANALYZER FOR QUANTITATIVELY INDICATING THE CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE GASEOUS PRODUCT.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE TOTAL CARBON CONTENT OF AN AQUEOUS SYSTEM CONTAINING A SMALL AMOUNT OF HIGHLY DISPERSED CARBONACEOUS MATTER, WHICH APPARATUS COMPRISES: (1) OXYGEN FLOW CONTROL MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A CONFINED CONTINUOUS OXYGEN STREAM FROM A PRESSURIZED SOURCE OF SUPPLY AT A CONSTANT AND PREDETERMINED RATE; (2) A COMBUSTION CONDUIT HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, SAID COMBUSTION CONDUIT BEING COUPLED AT THE INLET TO THE OXYGEN FLOW CONTROL MEANS AND HAVING A HEATING ZONE IN WHICH THERE IS A GAS-PERMEABLE DIFFUSING MEMBER OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY CHEMICALLY INERT TO OXYGEN AND STREM AT COMBUSTION SUPPORTING TEMPERATURES, SAID DIFFUSING MEMBER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN THE HEATING ZONE OF THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT AT A DISTANCE FROM THE INLET THEREOF SUFFICIENT TO DEFINE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT A SAMPLE EXPANSION ZONE OF ADEQUATE VOLUME TO AVOID THE FORMATION OF CONDENSATE UPSTREAM FROM THE HEATING ZONE, AND SAID COMBUSTION CONDUIT BEING ADAPTED AT THE OXYGEN INLET END THEREOF TO RECEIVE SAMPLE INJECTION MEANS FOR RAPIDLY INJECTING A SMALL PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF THE AQUEOUS SYSTEM TO BE ANALYZED INTO THE HEATING ZONE; (A) HEATING MEANS IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT FOR MAINTAINING THE HEATING ZONE THEREOF AT A CONTROLLED COMBUSTION SUPPORTING TEMPERATURE; (3) COOLING MEANS COUPLED TO THE OUTLET OF THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT IN WHICH THE TEMPERATURE OF THE GASEOUS PRODUCT RECEIVED FROM THE HEATING ZONE IS COOLED; (A) CONDENSATE REMOVAL INTEGRAL WITH THE COOLING MEANS WHEREIN CONDENSATE IS SEPARATED FROM THE COOLED GASEOUS PRODUCT; AND (4) CARBON DIOXIDE DETECTION MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COOLING MEANS FOR QUANTIATIVELY INDICATING THE CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE GASEOUS PRODUCT FROM THE HEATING ZONE; SAID OXYGEN FLOW CONTROL MEANS, COMBUSTION CONDUIT, COOLING MEANS, AND CARBON DIOXIDE DETECTION MEANS BEING COUPLED IN THE ORDER SPECIFIED BY SUITABLE INTERCONNECTING CONDUITS TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS GAS TRAIN.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE TOTAL CARBON CONTENT OF AN AQUEOUS SYSTEM CONTAINING A SMALL AMOUNT OF HIGHLY DISPERSED CARBONACEOUS MATTER, WHICH APPARATUS COMPRISES: (1) OXYGEN FLOW CONTROL MEANS FOR MAINTAINING A CONFINED CONTINUOUS OXYGEN STREAM FROM A PRESSURIZED SOURCE OF SUPPLY AT A CONSTANT AND PREDETERMINED RATE; (2) A COMBUSTION CONDUIT HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, SAID COMBUSTION CONDUIT BEING COUPLED AT THE INLET TO THE OXYGEN FLOW CONTROL MEANS AND HAVING A HEATING ZONE IN WHICH THERE IS A GAS-PERMEABLE DIFFUSING MEMBER OF A MATERIAL WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY CHEMICALLY INERT TO OXYGEN AND STREM AT COMBUSTION SUPPORTING TEMPERATURES, SAID DIFFUSING MEMBER BEING POSITIONED WITHIN THE HEATING ZONE OF THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT AT A DISTANCE FROM THE INLET THEREOF SUFFICIENT TO DEFINE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT A SAMPLE EXPANSION ZONE OF ADEQUATE VOLUME TO AVOID THE FORMATION OF CONDENSATE UPSTREAM FROM THE HEATING ZONE, AND SAID COMBUSTION CONDUIT BEING ADAPTED AT THE OXYGEN INLET END THEREOF TO RECEIVE SAMPLE INJECTION MEANS FOR RAPIDLY INJECTING A SMALL PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF THE AQUEOUS SYSTEM TO BE ANALYZED INTO THE HEATING ZONE; (A) HEATING MEANS IN HEAT EXCHANGE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT FOR MAINTAINING THE HEATING ZONE THEREOF AT A CONTROLLED COMBUSTION SUPPORTING TEMPERATURE; (3) COOLING MEANS COUPLED TO THE OUTLET OF THE COMBUSTION CONDUIT IN WHICH THE TEMPERATURE OF THE GASEOUS PRODUCT RECEIVED FROM THE HEATING ZONE IS COOLED; (A) CONDENSATE REMOVAL INTEGRAL WITH THE COOLING MEANS WHEREIN CONDENSATE IS SEPARATED FROM THE COOLED GASEOUS PRODUCT; AND (4) CARBON DIOXIDE DETECTION MEANS COUPLED TO SAID COOLING MEANS FOR QUANTIATIVELY INDICATING THE CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE GASEOUS PRODUCT FROM THE HEATING ZONE; SAID OXYGEN FLOW CONTROL MEANS, COMBUSTION CONDUIT, COOLING MEANS, AND CARBON DIOXIDE DETECTION MEANS BEING COUPLED IN THE ORDER SPECIFIED BY SUITABLE INTERCONNECTING CONDUITS TO PROVIDE A CONTINUOUS GAS TRAIN.