Apparatus and method for detecting leakage in a gas reactor

• US 5,939,618 A
• Filed: 08/08/1997
• Issued: 08/17/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Inventors: Hu, Tien J., Tseng, Jeng D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): Politzer, Jay L.
• Application Number:
  US08/908,882
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 73/40.7, 73/40.5 R, 73/40.5 A, 73/49.2, 73/40, 702/45, 422/186.07, 204/176, 210/760
• US Class Current: 73/40
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/10 Preparation of ozone
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/11 by electric discharge
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2201/90 Control of the process
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 3/2807 for pipes G01M3/2892, G01M3/30 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention discloses an apparatus and a method for detecting a gas leakage from a gas reactor by utilizing flow sensors mounted on and in fluid communication with a gas inlet conduit and a gas outlet conduit. The volume of gas flow through the inlet conduit and the outlet conduit are continuously monitored while the gas reactor is in its operating mode so that any gas leakage can be detected and the gas reactor can be shut off or bypassed in order to eliminate fire and safety hazards.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting gas leakage in a silent discharge ozone gas reactor comprising:

a first conduit for feeding a reactant gas to a silent discharge ozone gas reactor,

a second conduit for withdrawing a product gas from said gas reactor,

a first flow sensor in fluid communication with said first conduit for outputting a first signal indicative of a flow rate in said first conduit,

a second flow sensor in fluid communication with said second conduit for outputting a second signal indicative of a flow rate in said second conduit, and

means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of said gas reactor.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of the gas reactor comprises manual observation of flow rate readings in said first and second conduit.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of the gas reactor comprises a logic device having at least one logic gate.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of the gas reactor comprises a digital circuit.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gas reactor is an ozone generator.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reactant gas comprises oxygen and said product gas comprises ozone.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gas reactor is an electrostatic discharge type ozone generator.

8. An apparatus for detecting ozone leakage from an silent discharge ozone generator comprising:

a first conduit for feeding a reactant gas to an silent discharge ozone generator,

a second conduit for withdrawing ozone from said silent discharge ozone generator,

a first flow sensor in fluid communication with said first conduit for outputting a first signal indicative of a flow rate in said first conduit,

a second flow sensor in fluid communication with said second conduit for outputting a second signal indicative of a flow rate in said second conduit, and

means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of said silent discharge ozone generator.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said reactant gas comprises oxygen.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of the ozone generator comprises a machine operator visually observing flow rate readings.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of the ozone generator comprises a logic means having at least one logic gate.

12. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said means for comparing said first signal to said second signal and for determining a leakage status of the ozone generator comprises a digital circuit.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8 further comprising an alarm means connected to said means for determining a leakage status of said ozone generator for sounding an alarm when a leakage of ozone is detected.

14. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said ozone generator is of the electrostatic discharge type.

15. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said first and second flow sensors have a sensitivity of one cubic centimeter/second.

16. A method for detecting ozone leakage from an silent discharge ozone generator comprising the steps of:

providing an ozone generator having an inlet conduit and an outlet conduit,

monitoring a first flow rate in said inlet conduit,

monitoring a second flow rate in said outlet conduit, and

comparing said first flow rate to said second flow rate.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said inlet conduit conveys an oxygen reactant gas and said outlet conduit conveys an ozone product gas.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein said first and second flow rate are monitored by flow sensors.

19. A method according to claim 16 further comprising the step of sounding an alarm when said second flow rate monitored is smaller than said first flow rate monitored.

20. A method according to claim 16 further comprising the step of comparing said first flow rate to said second flow rate by a logic device.