Method and apparatus for detection of contaminants in a fluid
First Claim
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1. A contaminant detecting system for determining the presence of a contaminant in a fluid used in a microbial decontamination process, comprising:
- a capacitor having first and second conducting elements, said fluid being a dielectric therebetween, and being used to process an article in the microbial decontamination process;
sensing means responsive to a change in an electrical property of the capacitor, said change in the electrical property varying according to the presence of the contaminant in the fluid, said contaminant being removed from said article during the microbial decontamination process; and
control means for receiving a measured value from said sensing means indicative of the electrical property of the capacitor, said control means capable of detecting the presence of miscible and immiscible contaminants in the fluid, wherein said control means;
(a) determines the presence of a miscible contaminant in the fluid if the measured value deviates a predetemined amount from a threshold value, and (b) determines the presence of an immiscible contaminant in the fluid if said measured value spikes from a base value during a predetermined time period.
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Abstract
A contaminant detecting system for determining the presence of a miscible or immiscible contaminant in a fluid. The fluid acts as a dielectric between the plates of a capacitive sensing element. The measured capacitance value varies in accordance with the composition of the fluid, to indicate the presence or absence of the contaminant in the fluid.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A contaminant detecting system for determining the presence of a contaminant in a fluid used in a microbial decontamination process, comprising:
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a capacitor having first and second conducting elements, said fluid being a dielectric therebetween, and being used to process an article in the microbial decontamination process;
sensing means responsive to a change in an electrical property of the capacitor, said change in the electrical property varying according to the presence of the contaminant in the fluid, said contaminant being removed from said article during the microbial decontamination process; and
control means for receiving a measured value from said sensing means indicative of the electrical property of the capacitor, said control means capable of detecting the presence of miscible and immiscible contaminants in the fluid, wherein said control means;
(a) determines the presence of a miscible contaminant in the fluid if the measured value deviates a predetemined amount from a threshold value, and (b) determines the presence of an immiscible contaminant in the fluid if said measured value spikes from a base value during a predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for determining the presence of a contaminant in a fluid used in a microbial decontamination process, comprising:
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passing the fluid between a capacitor having first and second conducting elements, said fluid being a dielectric therebetween, and being used to process an article in the microbial decontamination process; and
determining a measured value indicative of an electrical property of the capacitor, said electrical property varying according to the presence of the contaminant in the fluid, said contaminant being removed from said article during the microbial decontamination process;
detecting the presence of a miscible contaminant in the fluid if the measured value deviates a predetermined amount from a threshold value, and detecting the presence of an immiscible contaminant in the fluid if the measured value spikes from a base value during a predetermined time period. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification