Measuring and testing – Sampler – sample handling – etc. – Withdrawing through conduit or receptacle wall
Patent
1996-12-16
1998-10-06
Raevis, Robert
Measuring and testing
Sampler, sample handling, etc.
Withdrawing through conduit or receptacle wall
422 75, G01N 100
Patent
active
058179542
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an automated analyzing apparatus for measuring chemical constituents or contaminants contained in liquid samples. More particularly, this invention relates to a simple and versatile analyzer suitable for real-time water quality monitoring.
BACKGROUND ART
In the area of water and wastewater analysis, measurements of dissolved oxygen, inorganic nutrients, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus, total nitrogen, major cations and anions, toxic organics, and trace metals are frequently used.
Conventionally, since the water quality measurements noted above are conducted in the laboratory after a sample was taken and transferred except certain constituents and physical parameters, immediate analysis in the field is required. The introduction of unmanned automatic analyzers, however, has made it practical to get continuous or semi-continuous data directly from the field. Water quality monitoring on a real-time basis has been realized by employing a wired or a wireless telemetry data aquisition system. A fully automated analyzing system installed in the field can reduce manpower, time, cost, etc., as well as provide a huge amount of water quality data that helps to monitor a water's current status and long-term trends. Many applications of automatic water quality monitoring have been made, such as: monitoring of effluent discharged from point sources; oceanographic survey covering large geographic area using the ship-of-opportunity; water quality monitoring buoy moored at a fixed location; concurrent water quality measurement at multiple places. Unmanned water quality measuring apparatuses currently being used carry out the experimental procedures that simulate human operation. They generally consist of a sampling unit, a mixing chamber, a reaction vessel, a liquid delivering means, reservoirs for sample and reagents, detectors, power supplies, and control units.
The conventional automatic analyzing apparatus is arranged so as to collect a sample from the sources, mix the sample with some reagents supplied from reservoirs by liquid delivering pumps, make the sample and reagents react in a reaction vessel under a specific condition, measure the concentration by a detector, and then discharge the reactants with the aid of pump. A heating and a cooling chambers, if necessary, can be installed to digest the sample or to speed up the reaction. The conventional automatic analyzing apparatus also can be designed so that a series of experimental procedures and conditions are preset and controlled by microprocessors or computers.
Automatic and quantitative delivery of liquids in the predescribed apparatus has been convenienced by employing peristaltic pumps, known device for providing pockets of fluid. The peristaltic pump, for example, may have the construction shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,358,609 and 4,233,001. In general, an automatic analyzing apparatus requires several peristaltic pumps at each fluid path, which results in a high production cost of instrument as well as an oversized volume and weight. Due to its large size and large electric power requirement, a field station or a specially designed vessel or buoy having a large enough space and power supply must be constructed in order to install several automatic analyzers in the field. In some autoanalyzers, an inert gas source and fast-acting solenoid valves are used to transfer liquid from the pressurized reservoirs to the reaction chambers (for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,056). One or more automatically actuated solenoid valves are used to introduce respective pressurized reagents into the reaction chamber to process the sample. The volume of the reagents introduced into the reaction chamber is controlled by a valve opening time of the respective reagent valve. Since flow rate and volume of the reagent wholly depend on pressure of reservoirs and valve opening time, it is very difficult to accurately dispense liquids whose viscosity changes as temperature varies.
In order to improve the drawba
REFERENCES:
patent: 3160477 (1964-12-01), Wasilewski
patent: 4165218 (1979-08-01), Vanhumbeeck et al.
patent: 4459865 (1984-07-01), Welker
patent: 4476095 (1984-10-01), Scott et al.
Cho Sung Rok
Kahng Sung Hyun
Kim Eun Soo
Lee Kun Young
Lee Soo Hyung
Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute
Raevis Robert
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