Method and apparatus for measuring chemical concentration in a fluid
First Claim
1. A chemical concentration detecting system for determining a concentration of an antimicrobial chemical component in a multi-component decontamination solution comprised of the antimicrobial chemical component and a base fluid, said system comprising:
- a capacitor having first and second plates exposed to the decontamination solution, said decontamination solution comprising a dielectric therebetween; and
processing means for determining a sensed electrical properly value of the capacitor, said sensed electrical property value varying according to the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the decontamination solution, wherein said antimicrobial chemical component is selected from a group consisting of;
hydrogen peroxide, peracid, peracetic acid, bleach, ozone, ammonia, ethylene oxide, a fluorine containing chemical, and a chlorine containing chemical.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A chemical concentration detecting system for determining the relative concentrations of a multiple component chemical solution. The multi-component solution is preferably comprised of an antimicrobial chemical and a base fluid that acts as a diluent for the antimicrobial chemical, or as a vehicle or carrier for the antimicrobial chemical. A capacitor is exposed to the decontamination solution, wherein the decontamination solution acts as the dielectric between the plates of the capacitor. Permittivity of the dielectric is affected by the relative concentrations of the components, and thus a measurement of the capacitance is used to determine the relative concentration levels of the components in the solution.
38 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A chemical concentration detecting system for determining a concentration of an antimicrobial chemical component in a multi-component decontamination solution comprised of the antimicrobial chemical component and a base fluid, said system comprising:
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a capacitor having first and second plates exposed to the decontamination solution, said decontamination solution comprising a dielectric therebetween; and
processing means for determining a sensed electrical properly value of the capacitor, said sensed electrical property value varying according to the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the decontamination solution, wherein said antimicrobial chemical component is selected from a group consisting of;
hydrogen peroxide, peracid, peracetic acid, bleach, ozone, ammonia, ethylene oxide, a fluorine containing chemical, and a chlorine containing chemical. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 50, 51, 52)
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14. A method for determining a concentration of an antimicrobial chemical component in a multi-component decontamination solution composed of the antimicrobial chemical component and a base fluid, the method comprising the steps of:
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exposing a capacitor, having first and second plates, to the decontamination solution, said decontamination solution comprising a dielectric therebetween;
sensing an electrical property of the capacitor to obtain a sensed electrical property value, said sensed electrical property value varying according to the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the decontamination solution; and
determining the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in accordance with said sensed electrical property value, wherein said antimicrobial chemical component is selected from a group consisting of;
hydrogen peroxide, peracid, peracetic acid, bleach, ozone, ammonia, ethylene oxide, a fluorine containing chemical, and a chlorine containing chemical. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for determining a concentration of an antimicrobial chemical component in a multi-component decontamination solution comprised of the antimicrobial chemical component and a base fluid, the method comprising the steps of:
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exposing a capacitor, having first and second plates, to the decontamination solution, said decontamination solution comprising a dielectric therebetween;
sensing an electrical property of the capacitor to obtain a sensed electrical property value, said sensed electrical property value varying according to the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the decontamination solution;
accessing pre-stored data including electrical property values and corresponding concentration values indicative of the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the decontamination solution; and
determining the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in accordance with said pre-stored data. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A chemical concentration detecting system for determining a concentration of an antimicrobial chemical component in a multi-component decontamination solution comprised of the antimicrobial chemical component and a base fluid, said system comprising:
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a capacitor having fist and second plates exposed to the decontamination solution, said decontamination solution comprising a dielectric therebetween;
processing means for determining a sensed electrical property value of the capacitor, said sensed electrical properly value varying according to the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the decontamination solution; and
a memory for storing a set of data including electrical property values and corresponding concentration values indicative of the relative concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the decontamination solution. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. A method for determining whether rinse water used during a decontamination process is devoid of an antimicrobial chemical component, said method comprising:
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exposing a capacitor, having first and second plates, to the rinse water, said rinse water comprising a dielectric therebetween;
sensing an electrical property of the capacitor to obtain a sensed electrical property value, said sensed electrical property value varying according to the concentration of the antimicrobial chemical component in the rinse water; and
determining whether the sensed electrical property is indicative of the presence of an antimicrobial chemical component in the rinse water by accessing pre-stored data.
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Specification