Process for monitoring the quality of water

• US 4,977,094 A
• Filed: 10/23/1989
• Issued: 12/11/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ionics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ionics Incorporated
• Inventors: Parsi, Edgardo J., Goldstein, Arthur J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALEXANDER, LYLE
• Application Number:
  US07/426,614
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 436/38, 436/143, 436/150, 436/157, 436/181, 422/76, 422/78
• US Class Current: 436/157
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/22 in the gaseous state specially adapted for biological material G01N33/497; measuring breath flow A61B5/087
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/06 of a liquid involving electrolysis G01N27/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 31/12 using combustion G01N25/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1846 Total carbon analysis
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 20/20 Controlling water pollution; Waste water treatment

Abstract

A process is disclosed for monitoring the quality of water, said process comprising a first heated zone, means for introducing at least a portion of said water into said first heated zone, means for gently evaporating at least part of the water in the first heated zone and passing the vapor into and through a second heated zone, means for maintaining the temperature of said second heated zone in the range of from about 450° to about 1000° C., means for collecting and condensing vapor from said second heated zone to condensed liquid water and means for measuring the electrical impedance of at least a portion of said condensed liquid water.

Claims

1. A process for monitoring volatile organic compounds in water comprising gently boiling at least part of a first portion of said water containing volatile organic compounds into a heated zone while maintaining the temperature of said zone substantially less than 450 °

C., collecting and condensing at least part of the first portion of water vapor from said zone into a first condensed liquid water sample and measuring the electrical impedance of said first condensed liquid water sample thereby obtaining a first impedance measurement, subsequently gently boiling at least part of a second portion of said water into said zone while maintaining the temperature in said zone in the range of from about 450°

to about 1000°

C., whereby reformable and/or oxidizable volatile organic compounds in said water are reformed and/or oxidized at least in part into second compounds volatile in said temperature range which second compounds are at least partially soluble in water and at least partially ionizable therein, collecting and condensing at least part of the second portion of water vapor from said zone into a second condensed liquid water sample measuring the electrical impedance of said second condensed liquid water sample thereby obtaining a second impedance measurement and comparing said first and second impedance measurements to determine the volatile organic content of said water.

2. A process for monitoring volatile organics contained in water comprising boiling at least part of a first sample of said water containing volatile organic compounds in a first heated zone while maintaining said first zone at a temperature which is not sufficient to oxidize and/or reform said volatile organics, collecting and condensing at least part of the resulting vapor from the said first sample from the said first heated zone into a first liquid water sample and measuring the electrical impedance of said first liquid water sample thereby obtaining a first impedance measurement, boiling at least part of a second sample of said water in a first heated zone while maintaining said first zone at a temperature which is not sufficient to oxidize and/or reform said volatile organics, passing into a second heated zone at least part of the resulting water vapor from said first zone while maintaining said second heated zone at a temperature sufficient to oxidize and/or reform said volatile organics into water soluble, electrically conducting substances, collecting and condensing at least part of the resulting vapor from the second sample of said water from the second heated zone into a second liquid water sample and measuring the electrical impedance of said second liquid water sample thereby obtaining a second impedance measurement and comparing said first and second impedance measurements to determine the volatile organic content of said water.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the first heated zone is maintained at a water vaporizing temperature which is substantially below 450°

C.

4. The process of claim 2 wherein the second heated zone is maintained at a temperature from about between 450°

C.-1000°

C.

5. The process of claim 2 wherein the first heated zone is gently boiled and maintained at a temperature sufficient to vaporize off water and volatile organics so as to enrich the resulting water vapor in volatile organics while simultaneously allowing dissolved, non-volatile, conductive salts to be substantially retained in said first heated zone.

6. The process of claim 2 wherein said impedance measurements are taken continuously during the process of monitoring said volatile organics.