Hydrogen sensor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A hydrogen sensor comprising:
- a sealed and evacuated chamber;
a first window in said chamber formed of a material selectively permeable to hydrogen to admit hydrogen from an adjacent atmosphere into said chamber;
a source of alpha particles in said chamber for ionizing the hydrogen therein;
a second window in said chamber formed of a material selectively permeable to helium, said second window providing an outlet from said chamber for helium formed by combination of alpha particles and electrons in said chamber; and
a pair of spaced electrodes in said chamber connected to a source of voltage for collecting electrons in said chamber, the resulting electron current being indicative of the concentration of hydrogen in said chamber.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A hydrogen sensing device for determining the concentration of hydrogen in a fluid atmosphere consists of a sealed chamber formed with a window which selectively allows diffusion of hydrogen into the chamber. Alpha particles from a source contained in the chamber ionize the hydrogen and a pair of polarized electrodes collect the resulting electrons to provide a current which is a function of the hydrogen concentration in the chamber. A second window permeable to helium allows escape of the helium from the chamber that is formed by the combination of electrons with alpha particles therein.
27 Citations
28 Claims
-
1. A hydrogen sensor comprising:
- a sealed and evacuated chamber;
a first window in said chamber formed of a material selectively permeable to hydrogen to admit hydrogen from an adjacent atmosphere into said chamber;
a source of alpha particles in said chamber for ionizing the hydrogen therein;
a second window in said chamber formed of a material selectively permeable to helium, said second window providing an outlet from said chamber for helium formed by combination of alpha particles and electrons in said chamber; and
a pair of spaced electrodes in said chamber connected to a source of voltage for collecting electrons in said chamber, the resulting electron current being indicative of the concentration of hydrogen in said chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- a sealed and evacuated chamber;
-
21. A device for sensing the hydrogen concentration in a fluid atmosphere, comprising:
- a first tubular member formed of an electrically conductive material which is selectively permeable to hydrogen;
a second tubular member formed of a material which is selectively permeable to helium secured in end-to-end relationship to said first tubular member to form therewith a tubular body;
a cylindrical member formed at least with an electrically conductive surface electrically insulated from and coaxially positioned with respect to said first tubular member to form therewith an annular chamber for receiving hydrogen which diffuses from said atmosphere through said first tubular member;
a coaxial cable sealed in one end of said tubular body, the center conductor of said coaxial cable being electrically connected to said electrically conductive surface of said cylindrical member and the outer conductor of said coaxial cable being electrically connected to said first tubular member;
means for sealing the other end of said body;
a source of alpha particles contained in said chamber for ionizing hydrogen therein, said first tubular member and said conductive surface of said cylindrical member serving as electrodes to collect the resulting electrons; and
gas passage means communicating said chamber with the inside surface of said second tubular member to provide escape of helium from said chamber. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
- a first tubular member formed of an electrically conductive material which is selectively permeable to hydrogen;
Specification