Laminated membranes for diffusion limited gas sensors resistant to pressure variations
First Claim
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1. A micro-fuel cell sensor for sensing a dissolved gas in a fluid stream, the sensor comprising:
- a housing;
a sensing element comprising first and second gas diffusing electrodes spaced from one another, said sensing element disposed in said housing;
a fuel-cell spacer having an acidic electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes;
a first gas permeable membrane separating said first electrode from oil in the dissolved gas and enabling the gas to diffuse therethrough, said first gas permeable membrane is laminated to, affixed to and supported by a porous substrate, and said first gas permeable membrane being spaced from said first electrode enabling gas diffused through said first membrane to contact said first electrode, anda second gas permeable membrane separating said second electrode from atmospheric air and defining a second cavity therewith isolated from said first cavity.
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Abstract
A micro fuel cell sensor having laminated gas permeable membrane. The sensor comprises a housing, first and second gas diffusing electrodes spaced from one another, a fuel-cell spacer having an acidic electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes, and two gas permeable membranes. The first gas permeable membrane comprises a polymer laminated on a metal substrate, wherein the substrate comprises pores that have dimensions at least less than one-half the thickness of the polymer film.
29 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A micro-fuel cell sensor for sensing a dissolved gas in a fluid stream, the sensor comprising:
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a housing; a sensing element comprising first and second gas diffusing electrodes spaced from one another, said sensing element disposed in said housing; a fuel-cell spacer having an acidic electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes; a first gas permeable membrane separating said first electrode from oil in the dissolved gas and enabling the gas to diffuse therethrough, said first gas permeable membrane is laminated to, affixed to and supported by a porous substrate, and said first gas permeable membrane being spaced from said first electrode enabling gas diffused through said first membrane to contact said first electrode, and a second gas permeable membrane separating said second electrode from atmospheric air and defining a second cavity therewith isolated from said first cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for determining dissolved gasses in oil, the apparatus comprising:
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a housing; a micro-fuel cell sensor disposed in said housing; a cover member; said sensor comprising; a sensing element comprising first and second gas diffusing electrodes spaced from one another, said sensing element disposed in said housing; a fuel-cell spacer having an acidic electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes; a first gas permeable polymer membrane separating said first electrode from the oil with dissolved gas and enabling gas dissolved in oil to diffuse therethrough, said first gas permeable polymer membrane is laminated to, affixed to and supported by a porous sintered metallic substrate, and said first gas permeable polymer membrane being spaced from said first electrode enabling gas diffused through said first gas permeable polymer membrane to contact said first electrode, and a second gas permeable membrane separating said second electrode from atmospheric air and defining a second cavity therewith isolated from said first cavity. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. In a sensor having a housing, a sensing element comprising first and second gas diffusing electrodes spaced from one another, said sensing element disposed in said housing and comprising;
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a fuel-cell spacer having an acidic electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes, wherein said electrodes comprise platinum on carbon; a first gas permeable membrane separating said first electrode from the oil with dissolved gas and enabling gas dissolved in oil to diffuse therethrough, said first gas permeable membrane being spaced from said first electrode enabling gas diffused through said first membrane to contact said first electrode, wherein said gas permeable membrane is impervious to oil and further wherein a gas permeation rate through the first gas permeable membrane is less than a rate of an electrochemical gas sensing reaction occurring in the sensor; said first gas permeable membrane including; a polymer film consisting of at least one of Polytetrafluoroethylene, Perfluorinated Ethylene-Propylene Copolymer, Perfluoroalkoxy Polytetrafluoroethylene, Polyvinylidene fluoride, Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyimide, Polyethylene, Polyether Ester Ketone, Polycarbonate and Polyurethane; and
further the polymer film has a thickness in a range from about 25 micron (1 mil) to about 250 micron (10 mil);
wherein the polymer film is laminated to a porous sintered metallic disc to support the polymer film such that the polymer film remains affixed to the sintered metallic disc under positive and negative pressures and pores in the porous sintered metallic disc have diameters less than or equal to about one-half of the polymer film thickness; and
wherein a dimension of the pores of the sintered metallic disc are larger than the gas molecules to be analyzed by the sensor.
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20. A micro-fuel cell sensor for sensing a dissolved gas in a fluid stream, the sensor comprising:
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a housing; a sensing element comprising first and second gas diffusing electrodes spaced from one another, said sensing element disposed in said housing; a fuel-cell spacer having an acidic electrolyte disposed between said first and second electrodes; a first gas permeable polymer membrane separating said first electrode from oil in the dissolved gas and permeable to gas, said first gas permeable polymer membrane is laminated to, secured to an supported by a porous sintered metallic disc substrate, and said first gas permeable polymer membrane is spaced from said first electrode, and a second gas permeable membrane separating said second electrode from atmospheric air and defining a second cavity therewith isolated from said first cavity.
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Specification