Method for determining the end of useful life of an inert gas purifier and apparatus therefore
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for determining the end of useful life of an inert gas purifier (104) having an impure inert gas inlet (106) in fluid communication with a housing (108) containing a gas sorbing material (110), said housing being in fluid communication with a purified gas outlet (112), said apparatus comprising:
- A. a means (114) for measuring the gas pressure (P1) at the inlet (106), andB. a means (116) for measuring the gas pressure (Po) at the outlet (112); and
C. a means (118) for determining the gas pressure difference (Pd=P1-Po) between the inlet (106) and the outlet (112); and
D. a means (120) for comparing (Pd) with a predetermined pressure value (Pp) and indicating when Pd is greater than Pp thus indicating that the inert gas purifier (104) has reached the end of useful lifein which the predetermined pressure value (Pp) is that value corresponding to the pressure difference (Pd) when the impurity level of the purified gas reaches a critical value above which the purified gas is considered insufficiently pure.
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Abstract
The present invention provides a process, and an apparatus for accomplishing that process, for indicating when an inert gas purifier is about to loose its required level of purification efficiency. The inert gas purifier can therefore be replaced before the impurity levels of its purified output gas reach undesirably high values.
22 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An apparatus for determining the end of useful life of an inert gas purifier (104) having an impure inert gas inlet (106) in fluid communication with a housing (108) containing a gas sorbing material (110), said housing being in fluid communication with a purified gas outlet (112), said apparatus comprising:
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A. a means (114) for measuring the gas pressure (P1) at the inlet (106), and B. a means (116) for measuring the gas pressure (Po) at the outlet (112); and C. a means (118) for determining the gas pressure difference (Pd=P1-Po) between the inlet (106) and the outlet (112); and D. a means (120) for comparing (Pd) with a predetermined pressure value (Pp) and indicating when Pd is greater than Pp thus indicating that the inert gas purifier (104) has reached the end of useful life in which the predetermined pressure value (Pp) is that value corresponding to the pressure difference (Pd) when the impurity level of the purified gas reaches a critical value above which the purified gas is considered insufficiently pure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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6. An apparatus of claim 6 in which the predetermined pressure value (Pp) is a value less than that corresponding to the pressure difference (Pd) when the impurity level of the purified gas reaches a critical value above which the purified gas is considered insufficiently pure.
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11. An apparatus for determining the end of useful life of an inert gas purifier (104) having an impure inert gas inlet (106) in fluid communication with a housing (108) containing an alloy of Zr-V-Fe when the inert gas to be purified is He, Ne, Ar, Kr or Xe or an alloy of Zr-Fe when the inert gas to be purified is in N2 , said housing (108) being in fluid communication with a purified gas outlet (112) said apparatus comprising:
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A. means (114) for measuring the gas pressure (P1) at the inlet (106) said means indicating the pressure in terms of an electric signal; and B. means (116) for measuring the gas pressure (Pp) at the outlet (112) said means indicating the pressure in terms of an electric signal; and C. means (118) for determining the gas pressure difference (Pd =Pi -Po) between the inlet (106) and the outlet (112) in terms of an electric signal; and D. means (120) for comparing Pd with a predetermined pressure value (Pp) and indicating when Pd >
Pp in terms of an electric signal which indicates that the inert gas purifier (104) has reached the end of useful life where (Pp) is chosen to be between that value at which the impurity level of the purified gas starts to increase and that value corresponding to the pressure difference (Pd) when the impurity level of the purified gas reaches a critical value above which the purified gas is considered insufficiently pure.
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12. A method for determining the end or useful life of an inert gas purifier having an impure inert gas inlet in fluid communication with a housing containing a gas sorbing material, said housing being in fluid communication with a purified gas outlet said method comprising the steps of:
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A. measuring the gas pressure (P1) at the inlet; and B. measuring the gas pressure (Po) at the outlet; and C. determining the gas pressure difference (Pd=P1-Po) between the inlet and the outlet; and D. comparing Pd with a predetermined pressure value Pp and indicating when Pd is greater than Pp to indicate that the inert gas purifier has reached the end of useful life in which the predetermined pressure value (Pd) when the impurity level of the purified gas reaches a critical value above which the purified gas is considered insufficiently pure. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for determining the end of useful life of an inert gas purifier having an impure inert gas inlet in fluid communication with a housing containing an alloy of Zr-V-Fe when the inert gas to be purified is He, Ne, Ar, Kr or Xe or an alloy of Zr-Fe when the inert gas to be purified is N2, said housing being in fluid communication with a purified gas outlet said method comprising the steps of:
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A. measuring he gas pressure (P1) at the inlet by a means which indicates the pressure in terms of an electric signal; and B. measuring the gas pressure (Pp) at the outlet by a means which indicates the pressure in terms of an electric signal; and C. determining the gas pressure difference (Pd =P1 -Po) between the inlet and the outlet in terms of an electric signals; and D. comparing Pd with a predetermined pressure value (Pp) which when Pd >
Pp in terms of an electric signal which indicates that the inert gas purifier has reached the end of useful life where Pp is chosen to be between that value at which the impurity level of the purified gas starts to increase and that value corresponding to the pressure difference when the impurity level of the purified gas reaches a critical value above which the purified gas is considered insufficiently pure.
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Specification