Method of continuously measuring organic substances in water,and device for carrying out the method

Claim 2

Apparatus for continuously measuring the volumetric proportion of organic substances in water, comprising a flow channel for water samples to be measured continuously, said flow channel having a lateral wall, a plano-parallel plate optically denser than the water sample to be measured being disposed in said wall, said plate having bevelled lateral wall surfaces through which light beams are reflectively passable through said plate, at least two laser light-emitting diodes disposed relative to said plate so that light beams from said diodes are able to traverse said plate in a path consitituting multiple total reflection therein, one of said diodes being con-structed to emit an infrared light beam of a range of wavelengths which only the OH valences of the water absorb and the other of said diodes being constructed to emit an infrared light beam of a range of wavelengths which the OH valences of the water and the CH valences of the organic substances absorb, means for alternatingly gating said diodes at periodic intervals, at least one light detector means with after-connected amplifying means for respectively detecting the light rays from said diodes and amplifying the resulting signal from said detector means, said detector means and said amplifying means being gatable in synchronism with the gating of sAid diode by said gating means, means for integrating the amplified signals resulting from respective light beams, and means for producing a signal responsive to the difference between the respective integrated signals.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said planoparallel plate is formed of sapphire.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein one of said laser light-emitting diodes is constructed to emit a light beam having a wavelength within the wave number range between 2800cm 1 and 3, 100cm 1, and the other of said laser light-emitting diodes is constructed to emit a light beam having a wavelength within the wave number range between 2,650cm 1 and 2,700cm 1.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3, including a respective amplifying means for the signal from the detector means for each of the respective light beams, the amplifying means for the light beam of a range of wavelengths which only the OH valences of the water absorb effecting a relative amplification equal to that of the other amplifying means multiplied by a constant factor.