DD232362A1 - APPARATUS FOR COLLECTING WET ATMOSPHERIC DEFICIENCIES FOR ION DETERMINATION - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for collecting atmospheric wet rainfall (wet-only sampler) for determining the ion content. The known precipitation catching devices are not able to exclude dew, hoarfrost and dry deposits from the collection as well as to obtain sufficiently large amounts of sample liquid from low amounts of precipitation. The device according to the invention has a collecting vessel with a large collecting diameter, which is electronically controlled, opened and covered. The triggering is done via a heated sensor. The heating causes in a surprising manner that dew and frost are excluded from the collection as well as a rapid coverage of the collecting vessel after precipitation occurs. The device is used primarily for measuring precipitation contaminants, in particular the determination of acidity.

Description

The sensor 3 is equipped with a two-stage electric heater, whereby

No wetting occurs due to dew and frost and the collecting vessel thus remains closed,

- Thawing snowflakes quickly, causing the lid to open

- After precipitation end a rapid drying and thus cover the receptacle takes place.

At temperatures above +4 ⁰ C, the simple heating stage is effective and at lower temperatures there is an automatic switch to a higher heating capacity.

With the 2nd heating level, the heater 7 is automatically turned on in the drain port 8 of the collecting container 1 at the same time, which allows sampling even at negative temperatures.

The rotatable cover plate 2 was provided at the collecting opening with a diaphragm 10, to prevent that on the cover plate 2 deposited dust can be flushed into the collecting container 1. For stabilization and as wind protection, a diaphragm 11 was also attached to the outer edge of the cover plate 2. Cover plate 2 runs on rollers and closes the sump 1 so that no dust gets into the container.

The control part 4 contains the designed as inserts electronic circuit and engine, transmission and transformer. The device operates with 42V ac voltage or can be operated via a isolating transformer with220V ac voltage. The electrical connections are located in the junction box. 5

The massive device foot 6 gives the device a good stability. An additional anchoring in the ground is possible.

The device for capturing wet atmospheric precipitation is versatile as a wet-only sampler:

in local investigations of wet deposits, acidity and conductivity determinations, as well as measurements of global mass transport in the atmosphere. In principle, the device can be used for all relevant air pollutants whose concentration is to be determined in the rainwater. In addition, the analysis of precipitation samples can provide basic information about the washout and rainout of air pollutants and atmospheric transformation processes.

Examples of such applications are:

- Specific measurement of the content of individual anions and cations and of the pH of the precipitation water. Such measurements are gaining in importance because of the increasing acidification of soils and waters and the associated ecological damage. In particular, the analysis of single precipitation in conjunction with studies on the origin of the air masses (trajectory determination) leads to statements about the causative emission areas.

- studies on the heavy metal content of precipitation; This includes measurements of the global heavy metal content as well as investigations on heavy metal deposits in the vicinity of large emitters (metallurgical plants, power stations, etc.).

- determination of the concentration of radioactive substances in the precipitation water; These include tasks of environmental monitoring in nuclear power plants, as well as general studies on the content of rainwater in radioactive isotopes.

The device can also be used for other specific tasks, especially where as large a sample as possible must be obtained in short times or at low precipitation intensities. The use of the device for purely meteorological investigations is also possible.

By attaching a 2nd collecting funnel, a separate detection of the wet and dry deposits is possible by automatic rotation of the cover plate.

Claims (2)

Invention claim: Apparatus for collecting wet atmospheric precipitation for determining the content of ions with collecting container for collecting precipitates, characterized in that a funnel-shaped collecting container (1) has a large collection surface which is opened by a horizontally located cover plate (2) mounted eccentrically about the axis of rotation (9) and closing, wherein the opening and closing is triggered by a sensor (3) in response to the atmospheric conditions and via an electronically controlled transmission and control part (4); the sensor (3) is made of metal, applied to insulating material, and is heated in two stages as a function of the air temperature. The first stage is constantly in operation and ensures that after the end of the precipitation the sensor dries quickly and dew and frost do not cause wetting and thus triggering; the second stage is designed to maintain this function even at low temperatures and in addition to melting snowflakes. For this 1 page drawing Field of application of the invention The invention relates to a device for collecting wet atmospheric samplers for ion content determination. Characteristic of the known technical solutions A variety of precipitation catching devices are known which serve to measure precipitation in a given unit of time. These devices are unsuitable for ion content determinations of precipitation since the sample amounts of all low intensity precipitates are too small. In addition, these devices also collect the dry atmospheric precipitates used for certain studies, e.g. the long-distance transport of certain emission products, are disturbing. From DE-AS1227260 a device for the fractional collection of atmospheric precipitation is known, which allocates the collected sample quantities in succession to a plurality of collecting vessels via a central collecting funnel. This device also has the disadvantage that too little sample liquid is collected from individual precipitation of low intensity and that dew, frost and dry deposits are not excluded from the sampling. Object of the invention It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for collecting atmospheric precipitates for ion content determination, which makes it possible to collect sufficient quantities of low-intensity precipitates, which excludes dew, frost and dry deposits from the collection and which also under extreme atmospheric conditions, z. B. storms, flawless and largely maintenance-free works. Explanation of the essence of the invention It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for collecting atmospheric precipitates for ion content determination, which has a large collecting surface and excludes precipitation from the collection which is not to be investigated by a controlled cover. This object is achieved by the present invention, a funnel-shaped collecting container with a large collecting surface is opened and closed by a horizontal, eccentrically mounted cover plate. The cover plate is automatically controlled by the atmospheric conditions. The opening and closing of the cover plate is triggered by a sensor. The sensor used on insulating material applied at a small distance opposite electrodes made of metal. When wetting the insulation resistance between the electrodes is smaller and via an electronic circuit, a gear motor is driven, which opens the cover plate. When the sensor dries, the cover plate is closed. To avoid a moisture build-up on the sensor, this is slightly inclined. The prevention of the opening of the device at dew and frost is achieved in a surprisingly simple manner by a two-stage electrical heating of the sensor: The small amounts of liquid of dew or frost are evaporated by the heating that no humidification of the sensor causing the triggering of the gear motor occurs. At the same time is achieved by the heating, that in each case after the precipitation end of the sensor dries quickly and the cover of the collecting vessel is done quickly, so that no unwanted dry deposits can get in there. The heating is designed in two stages. While the 1st heat level is constantly working, the 2nd heating stage automatically switched on at temperatures below +4 "C, in order to achieve the effect described above even at low temperatures. The cover plate is provided around its collecting opening with an upwardly projecting annular aperture, which prevents the flushing of depositing deposits on the cover plate and at the same time serves for mechanical stiffening and as wind stabilization. A second panel includes the cover plate and protrudes down. It also serves for mechanical stiffening and wind stabilization and prevents the penetration of dry deposits into the collecting vessel. Ausführungsbeispiei The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment in conjunction with FIG. Figure 1 shows the device for collecting wet atmospheric deposition in a perspective view. About the funnel-shaped, consisting of PVC collecting container 1 is the eccentrically mounted, about the rotation axis 9 rotatable, also made of PVC cover plate 2. It is driven by the transmission and control part 4, which in turn is triggered by the SensorS depending on the atmospheric conditions , The sensor 3 works after the. · - Principle of conductivity: when wetted, the electrodes become conductive and an electronic circuit activates a geared motor which opens the cover plate 2. The cover plate 2 is closed again as soon as the sensor electrodes are dried. The drying time is 5 minutes. The opening or closing time of the cover plate 2 is just under 30 seconds.- - ...