Methods for detecting contaminants in a liquid

• US 7,691,329 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Tamaki, Ryo, Potyrailo, Radislav Alexandrovich, Monk, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): Soohoo; Tony G
• Assistant Examiner(s): EOM, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US11/560,485
• Publication Number:
  US 20080116908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 422/68.1, 422 82- 8203
• US Class Current: 422/82.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 27/126 comprising organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/1893 using flow cells
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 17/022 for monitoring liquid coolants or moderators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for detecting contaminants in a liquid comprises: contacting a sensor with a liquid, generating electrical information based upon a concentration of the contaminant in the liquid, transmitting the electrical information to a controller, and determining the concentration of a contaminant in the liquid. The sensor can comprise a film, a purge chamber, and a transducer, which are configured such that a first surface of the film is in fluid communication with the liquid and the purge chamber is in fluid communication with a second surface of the film that is opposite the first surface, and wherein the transducer is in fluid communication with the purge chamber.

Claims

1. A method for detecting contaminants in a liquid, comprising:

contacting a sensor with the liquid, wherein the sensor comprises a film, a purge chamber defined by a manifold having an inlet and an outlet, and a transducer in fluid communication with the purge chamber, and wherein a first surface of the film is in fluid communication with the liquid and the purge chamber is in fluid communication with a second surface of the film that is opposite the first surface, and wherein the film is made of a material that allows ionic transport of the contaminant from the liquid, through the film, and into the purge chamber;

generating electrical information based upon a concentration of the contaminant in the liquid;

transmitting the electrical information to a controller;

determining the concentration of a contaminant in the liquid; and

purging the purge chamber by causing a purge media to flow through the inlet of the manifold, into the purge chamber such that the purge media is in fluid contact with the transducer, and through the outlet of the manifold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting electrical information from the transducer to the controller in the form of a radiofrequency.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the electrical information is selected from the group consisting of resonant complex impedance, complex impedance at multiple frequencies, electrochemically-modulated impedance, electrical current, electrical potential, and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing electrical information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to contacting a sensor with a liquid, thereby preconditioning the liquid.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the preconditioning further comprises a process selected from the group consisting of temperature adjusting, pressurizing, stirring, mixing with a chemical, and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting a conductivity probe with the liquid, determining an electrical conductivity of the liquid, and correcting the concentration of the sample based upon the electrical conductivity.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising using a univariate correction for the correcting the concentration.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining a temperature of the liquid and correcting the electrical conductivity based upon the temperature.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting a conductivity probe with the liquid in the purge changer, monitoring the conductivity of the liquid, and using a changes in the conductivity as the trigger to process data from the sensor.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising correcting for bulk effects of the film.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the bulk effects are selected from the group consisting of leaching of a component of the film, degradation of performance of a component of the film, and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the correcting for the bulk effects comprises impedance measurements.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the correcting for the bulk effects comprises one of potentiometric and impedance measurements.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising correcting for surface effects of the film.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the surface effects are selected from the group consisting of surface contamination of the film, erosion of the film, and combinations comprising at least one of the foregoing.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the correcting for the surface effects of the film comprises impedance measurements.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the correcting for the surface effects comprises one of potentiometric and impedance measurements.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensor is a potentiometric sensor comprising a working electrode and a reference electrode.