Apparatus for and method of determining oxygen and carbon dioxide in sealed containers

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING DISSOLVED O2 AND CO2 IN A LIQUID IN A CONTAINER AND O2 IN THE HEADSPACE OF SAID CONTAINER WHEREIN SAID APPARATUS INCLUDES A SOURCE OF INERT GAS FOR PROVIDING A STREAM OF GAS AT A CHOSEN RATE, A PRESSURE GAUGE FOR MEASURING TOTAL GAS PRESSURE IN SAID CONTAINER, HOLLOW TUBULAR PIERCING MEANS FOR PENETRATING A CONTAINER WITHOUT LOSS OR INLEAKAGE OF GAS AT THE REGION OF PENETRATION, SAID PIERCING MEANS HAVING A SHARP TIP, THE TIP OF SAID PIERCING MEANS BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE IN THE HEADSPACE OR IN THE LIQUID AFTER PIERCING SAID CONTAINER, SAID PRESSURE GAUGE BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID PIERCING MEANS, MEAN FOR REMOVING CO2 AND VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS FROM A GAS STREAM, AND MEANS FOR MEASURING THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF SAID GAS STREAM, WHEREIN SAID IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES: VALVE MEANS HAVING FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD PORTS AND AN OFF POSITION, AND CONNECTING MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FIRST PORT TO ANY OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD PORTS AND SAID OFF POSITION, A SYRINGE DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST PORT, A HOLLOW PROBE TUBE LYING WITHIN SAID HOLLOW PIERCING MEANS AND HAVING TWO ENDS, ONE OF THE ENDS OF SAID HOLLOW PROBE TUBE BEING PROXIMATE THE TIP OF SAID PIERCING MEANS AND THE OTHER OF ITS ENDS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND PORT OF SAID VALVE MEANS; AND A BRANCHED TUBE HAVING THREE PORTS, THE FIRST OF SAID TUBE PORTS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID THIRD VALVE PORT, THE SECOND OF SAID TUBE PORTS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE OF INERT GAS AND THE THIRD OF SAID TUBE PORTS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID MEANS FOR REMOVING CO2 AND VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS FROM SAID GAS STREAM AND TO SAID OXYGEN-CONTENT MEASURING MEANS FOR INTRODUCTION OF A SAMPLE TAKEN BY SAID SYRINGE AND FROM SAID SYRINGE INTO SAID GAS STREAM AND FLOW IN SEQUENCE THROUGH SAID MEANS FOR REMOVING CO2 AND VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS AND OXYGEN-CONTENT MEASURING MEANS, THEREBY MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO DETERMINED THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF SAID SAMPLE, THE CO2 CONTENT OF SAID SAMPLE BEING DETERMINABLE FROM THE READING OF SAID PRESSURE GAUGE.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING DISSOLVED O2 AND CO2 IN A LIQUID IN A CONTAINER AND O2 IN THE HEADSPACE OF SAID CONTAINER WHEREIN SAID APPARATUS INCLUDES A SOURCE OF INERT GAS FOR PROVIDING A STREAM OF GAS AT A CHOSEN RATE, A PRESSURE GAUGE FOR MEASURING TOTAL GAS PRESSURE IN SAID CONTAINER, HOLLOW TUBULAR PIERCING MEANS FOR PENETRATING A CONTAINER WITHOUT LOSS OR INLEAKAGE OF GAS AT THE REGION OF PENETRATION, SAID PIERCING MEANS HAVING A SHARP TIP, THE TIP OF SAID PIERCING MEANS BEING SELECTIVELY POSITIONABLE IN THE HEADSPACE OR IN THE LIQUID AFTER PIERCING SAID CONTAINER, SAID PRESSURE GAUGE BEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID PIERCING MEANS, MEAN FOR REMOVING CO2 AND VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS FROM A GAS STREAM, AND MEANS FOR MEASURING THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF SAID GAS STREAM, WHEREIN SAID IMPROVEMENT COMPRISES: VALVE MEANS HAVING FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD PORTS AND AN OFF POSITION, AND CONNECTING MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID FIRST PORT TO ANY OF SAID SECOND AND THIRD PORTS AND SAID OFF POSITION, A SYRINGE DETACHABLY CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST PORT, A HOLLOW PROBE TUBE LYING WITHIN SAID HOLLOW PIERCING MEANS AND HAVING TWO ENDS, ONE OF THE ENDS OF SAID HOLLOW PROBE TUBE BEING PROXIMATE THE TIP OF SAID PIERCING MEANS AND THE OTHER OF ITS ENDS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SECOND PORT OF SAID VALVE MEANS; AND A BRANCHED TUBE HAVING THREE PORTS, THE FIRST OF SAID TUBE PORTS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID THIRD VALVE PORT, THE SECOND OF SAID TUBE PORTS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID SOURCE OF INERT GAS AND THE THIRD OF SAID TUBE PORTS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID MEANS FOR REMOVING CO2 AND VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS FROM SAID GAS STREAM AND TO SAID OXYGEN-CONTENT MEASURING MEANS FOR INTRODUCTION OF A SAMPLE TAKEN BY SAID SYRINGE AND FROM SAID SYRINGE INTO SAID GAS STREAM AND FLOW IN SEQUENCE THROUGH SAID MEANS FOR REMOVING CO2 AND VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPONENTS AND OXYGEN-CONTENT MEASURING MEANS, THEREBY MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO DETERMINED THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF SAID SAMPLE, THE CO2 CONTENT OF SAID SAMPLE BEING DETERMINABLE FROM THE READING OF SAID PRESSURE GAUGE.

Claim 8

A method of determining O2 and CO2 in a liquid in a container and O2 in the headspace of said container by means of apparatus including a hollow piercing needle, said needle having a tip the position of which is vertically adjustable, a hollow probe within said needle and essentially concentric therewith, said probe having one end proximate the tip of said piercing needle, a pressure gauge for reading total gas pressure connected to said piercing needle, valve means having first, second and third ports and an off position, a syringe connected to said first port, the other end of said hollow probe being connected to said second port, a branched tube having three tube ports one of which is connected to said third valve means port, a second of said tube ports being connected to an oxygen-free gas source and the third of said tube ports being connected to a train comprising sequentially a gas scrubber, a CO2 absorber, an activated carbon filter and an oxygen-content measuring means, said method comprising the steps of attemperating said container and the contents thereof, drawing a volume of inert gas into said syringe, expelling said volume of inert gas through said probe to flush any oxygen out of same, piercing said container and positioning the tip of said probe in said liquid, drawing a sample of liquid into said syringe and returning said liquid to said container a sufficient number of times to ensure equilibration of liquid and gas phases, said removal and return of liquid being continued until a constant reading is observed on said gas pressure gauge when all liquid is returned and said valve means is placed in said off position, noting said constant reading, drawing a known volume of liquid into said syringe, expelling said known volume of liquid through said branched tube into a stream of inert gas for transfer into said gas scrubber which retains said liquid while said inert-gas stream carries CO2 and O2 into said CO2 absorber and carbon filter and said O2 thence into said oxygen-content measuring means for determining the quantity of O2 in said known volume of liquid, raising said probe into said headspace in said container, drawing a representative known volume of headspace gas into said syringe, and expelling said known volume of headspace gas into said gas stream for passage through said gas scrubber, CO2 absorber, and carbon filter and thence to said oxygen-content measuring means for determining the O2 content of said known volume head-space gas, all transfers to and from said Syringe to and from selected ports being carried out by manipulation of said valve means, the combination of the data thus obtained with the measured volume of said liquid and the measured volume of said container making it possible to determine the CO2 and O2 content of said liquid and the O2 content of said headspace.

Claim 9

A method of determining O2 and CO2 in a liquid in a container and O2 in the headspace of said container by means of apparatus including a hollow piercing needle, said needle having a tip the position of which is vertically adjustable, a hollow probe within said needle and essentially concentric therewith, said probe having one end proximate the tip of said piercing needle, a pressure gauge for reading total gas pressure connected to said piercing needle, valve means having first, second and third ports and an off position, a syringe connected to said first port, the other end of said hollow probe being connected to said second port, a branched tube having three tube ports one of which is connected to said third valve means port, a second of said tube ports being connected to an oxygen-free gas source and the third of said tube ports being connected to a train comprising sequentially a gas scrubber, a CO2 absorber, an activated carbon filter and an oxygen-content measuring means, said method comprising the steps of attemperating said container and the contents thereof, drawing a volume of inert gas into said syringe, expelling said volume of inert gas through said probe to flush any oxygen out of same, piercing said container and positioning the tip of said probe in said liquid, drawing a sample of liquid into said syringe and returning said liquid to said container a sufficient number of times to ensure equilibration of liquid and gas phases, said removal and return of liquid being continued until a constant reading is observed on said gas pressure gauge when all liquid is returned and said valve means is placed in said off position, noting said constant reading, drawing a known volume of liquid into said syringe, expelling said known volume of liquid through said branched tube into a stream of inert gas for transfer into said gas scrubber which retains said liquid while said inert-gas stream carries CO2 and O2 into said CO2 absorber and carbon filter and said O2 thence into said oxygen-content measuring means for determining the quantity of O2 in said known volume of liquid, raising said probe into said headspace in said container, drawing a representative known volume of headspace gas into said syringe, and expelling said known volume of headspace gas into said gas stream for passage through said gas scrubber, CO2 absorber, and carbon filter and thence to said oxygen-content measuring means for determining the O2 content of said known volume head-space gas, all transfers to and from said Syringe to and from selected ports being carried out by manipulation of said valve means, the combination of the data thus obtained with the measured volume of said liquid and the measured volume of said container making it possible to determine the CO2 and O2 content of said liquid and the O2 content of said headspace.

Claim 11

A method of determining the dissolved O2 content in a liquid in an open container comprising the steps of inserting a hollow probe into said liquid, said probe being connected to a first side port of a multi-ported valve means having a central port, connecting the central port of said valve means to said first side port, drawing a sample of known volume into a syringe connected to said central port, connecting said central port to a second side port, said second side port being connected in turn to a T-tube through which a stream of inert gas is flowing in sequence through a gas scrubber, a CO2 absorber and an activated carbon filter to an oxygen-content determining means, and injecting the contents of said syringe into said gas stream through said second side port and said T-tube, whereby the O2 in said sample is carried to said oxygen-content determining means for determining the quantity of dissolved O2.

Claim 12

A method of determining the dissolved O2 content in a liquid in an open container comprising the steps of inserting a hollow probe into said liquid, said probe being connected to a first side port of a multi-ported valve means having a central port, connecting the central port of said valve means to said first side port, drawing a sample of known volume into a syringe connected to said central port, connecting said central port to a second side port, said second side port being connected in turn to a T-tube through which a stream of inert gas is flowing in sequence through a gas scrubber, a CO2 absorber and an activated carbon filter to an oxygen-content determining means, and injecting the contents of said syringe into said gas stream through said second side port and said T-tube, whereby the O2 in said sample is carried to said oxygen-content determining means for determining the quantity of dissolved O2.