Automated chemical metering system and method
First Claim
1. A system for controlling the amount of a substance input into a flow stream, said system comprising:
- control means for controlling an amount of a combination comprising, in known proportions, an inert indicator and said substance input into said flow stream at an input point; and
an indicator detection means, located in said flow stream downstream from said input point downstream, for obtaining a sample from said flow stream, for indicating the amount of said inert indicator in said sample, and for determining from said indicator amount, the amount of said substance input into the flow stream.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A chemical metering and control system is provided which maintains a desired level of a pesticide (or other chemical) in any open or closed channel flow stream with fluctuating flow rates. The system dispenses an amount of the pesticide at an injection point of the flow stream along with a fluorescent indicating dye, and then takes a sample downstream from the injection point to determine how much of the indicating dye is present in the flow stream, and therefore how much pesticide is present. At the sampling point a pump extracts a flow stream sample and passes the sample to a fluorometer which measures the amount of fluorescent indicating dye injected upstream. A proportional integral derivative (PID) controller then adjusts the level of the pesticide/dye mixture in order to achieve the appropriate concentration of pesticide in the flow stream.
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Citations
30 Claims
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1. A system for controlling the amount of a substance input into a flow stream, said system comprising:
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control means for controlling an amount of a combination comprising, in known proportions, an inert indicator and said substance input into said flow stream at an input point; and an indicator detection means, located in said flow stream downstream from said input point downstream, for obtaining a sample from said flow stream, for indicating the amount of said inert indicator in said sample, and for determining from said indicator amount, the amount of said substance input into the flow stream. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A system for controlling the amount of a chemical pesticide injected into a flow stream, said system comprising:
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a mixing tank containing a mixture, in known proportions, of the chemical pesticide to be injected and an inert fluorescent dye; a peristaltic pump for injecting said mixture into said flow stream at a first location therealong; a controller for controlling the operation of said pump; detection means located at a second location downstream from said first location and including a fluorometer, for obtaining a sample of said flow stream at said second location and for producing an output signal related to the amount of said inert fluorescent dye in said sample; and means for connecting said detection means to said controller so that the controller controls the operation of said pump in accordance with said output signal.
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16. A method of controlling the amount of a chemical introduced into a flow stream, said method comprising:
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creating a combination by mixing, in a known proportion, said chemical and an inert indicator; injecting an amount of said combination into said flow stream at an input point; determining the amount of said inert indicator in said flow stream at a location downstream from said input point; determining from the amount of said indicator in said flow stream the amount of said chemical in said flow stream; and adjusting, as necessary, the amount of said chemical in said flow stream by altering the amount of said combination injected into said flow stream based on the determined amount of said chemical. - View Dependent Claims (17)
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18. A method of determining the flowrate of a flow stream, said method comprising:
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producing a substance-indicator combination by mixing a substance and an inert indicator in known proportions; injecting, at a known injection rate, an amount of said combination into said flow stream at an input point; determining the concentration of said indicator in said flow stream at a location downstream of said input point; comparing the concentration of said inert indicator in said flow stream with the known proportion of said inert indicator in the combination being injected so as to determine a multiplying factor; and multiplying the known injection rate by said multiplying factor to determine the flowrate of the flow stream.
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19. A system for controlling the amount of a substance input into a flow stream, said system comprising:
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control means for controlling an amount of a combination comprising, in known proportions, an indicator and said substance, input into said flow stream at an input point; and an indicator detection means, located in said flow stream downstream from said input point, for obtaining a sample from said flow stream, for indicating the amount of said indicator in said sample, and for determining from said indicator amount, the amount of said substance input into the flow stream, said control means comprising a control pump for pumping said combination into the flow stream and a proportional integral derivative controller, responsive to said indicator means, for adjusting the amount of said combination pumped by said control pump, and said indicator detection means comprising a fluorometer for measuring the fluorescence of said sample, and an indicator pump for pumping said sample from the flow stream into said fluorometer. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
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30. A system for controlling the amount of a chemical pesticide injected into flowing water in a water channel in an outdoor environment, said system comprising:
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a mixing tank containing a mixture, in known proportions, of the chemical pesticide to be injected and a fluorescent dye; a first, peristaltic pump for injecting said mixture into the water of the water channel at a first location therealong; a controller for controlling the operation of said pump; a second, sampling pump, located at a second location along the water channel downstream from said first location, for obtaining a sample of the water in the water channel at said second location, a fluorometer connected to said sampling pump for receiving said sample from said sampling pump and for producing an output signal related to the amount of dye in said sample; and means for connecting said fluorometer to said controller so that the controller controls the operation of said first pump in accordance with said output signal.
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Specification