Device for determining a concentration of a chemical substance

• US 10,247,665 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2015
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitã¤T Hannover
• Original Assignee: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universitã¤T Hannover
• Inventors: Rissing, Lutz, Holz, Stephanie, Hoheisel, Dominik
• Primary Examiner(s): Akanbi, Isiaka O
• Application Number:
  US15/111,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20160334328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: 356432-438, 356 73, 356246
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/031 Multipass arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/05 Flow-through cuvettes G01N21/09 takes precedence; handling fluid samples G01N1/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 21/3151 using two sources of radiation of different wavelengths G01N21/33 - G01N21/39 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2201/06113 Coherent sources; lasers

Abstract

The invention relates to a device tier determining a concentration of a chemical substance dissolved in a liquid, which chemical substance absorbs light (10) of an absorption wavelength, wherein the device comprises: at least one flow-through chamber (2) having at least one inlet opening (4), at least one outlet opening (6), and at least one peripheral wall (24); at least one laser (8) for emitting light (10) of the absorption wavelength; and at least one detector (18) for detecting the emitted light (10); wherein the laser (8) and the detector (18) are arranged in such a way that the light (10) emitted by the laser (8) is conducted through the flow-through chamber (2) along at least two different paths before said light hits the detector (18), and wherein the device has two lasers (8) which emit light of different wavelengths. The invention further relates to a method for producing a flow-through chamber for such a device.

Claims

1. A device for determining a concentration of a chemical substance dissolved in a liquid, which substance absorbs light of at least one absorption wavelength, comprising:

at least one flow-through chamber having

at least one inlet opening,

at least one outlet opening, and

at least one peripheral wall;

at least two lasers which emit light of differing wavelengths, wherein said at least two lasers include at least one laser for emitting light of the at least one absorption wavelength; and

at least one detector for detecting emitted light,

wherein at least one of the at least one peripheral wall has at least one reflection segment which is arranged such that emitted light from at least some of the at least two lasers is deflected at the reflection segment from a first path to a second path, the different paths being in different planes.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein emitted light from at least some of the at least two lasers is reflected multiple times by the at least one reflection segment of the at least one peripheral wall before it is detected by the detector.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising at least one beam splitter for splitting emitted light from at least some of the at least two lasers into at least two partial beams, of which at least one of said at least two partial beams is conducted through the at least one flow-through chamber along at least two paths.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least a second of the at least two partial beams is not conducted through the at least one flow-through chamber.

5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two lasers includes at least a second laser which emits light of a second wavelength, which light is not absorbed by the chemical substance at the at least one absorption wavelength.

6. The device as claimed in claim 5, wherein emitted light of both the at least one laser and the at least a second laser is conducted through the at least one flow-through chamber along a same path or along paths of equal length before detection by the detector.

7. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the at least one flow-through chamber has at least one window through which emitted light from at least some of the at least two lasers can penetrate into the at least one flow-through chamber and leave the at least one flow-through chamber.

11. The device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the at least one window is made of glass.

8. A method for producing a flow-through chamber having at least one inlet opening, at least one outlet opening, and at least one peripheral wall, the method comprising the following steps:

a) producing an indentation in a workpiece,

b) positioning at least one peripheral wall element in the indentation, the peripheral wall element being a substrate produced in a coating method and mirror-covered at least in one reflection segment, wherein at least one of the at least one reflection segment is arranged such that emitted light is deflected at the reflection segment from a first path to a second path, the different paths being in different planes, and

c) closing the indentation with a lid element.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one peripheral wall element includes two peripheral wall elements, and wherein the two peripheral wall elements are positioned opposite one another in the indentation.

10. A method for producing a flow-through chamber having at least one inlet opening, at least one outlet opening, and at least one peripheral wall, the method comprising the steps of:

a) providing a mold,

b) carrying out casting by filling the mold with a chamber material,

c) hardening the chamber material in the mold, and

d) removing the hardened chamber material from the mold, the mold and the chamber material being such that the hardened chamber material forms a flow-through chamber having at least one portion of the peripheral wall and at least one reflection segment, wherein at least one of the at least one reflection segment is arranged such that emitted light is deflected at the reflection segment from a first path to a second path, the different paths being in different planes.