DE102024001581A1 - Method and apparatus for determining the amount of gas in bubbles, counting bubbles and recording the total amount of gas flowing through. - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and a device are submitted for registration that allow bubbles to be counted and the amount of gas in bubbles to be determined.

Description

Bubble counters are well-known. They are used, for example, in aquariums and in chemistry. They usually consist of a glass or plastic tube of suitable diameter filled with liquid. The gas to be measured flows intermittently through the tube as bubbles, and the bubbles are usually counted in a unit of time, e.g., using a stopwatch, and the count is then extrapolated to a larger time period.

The device and method submitted for registration here were developed to control the gas flow of a CO2 collector for differentiating between biogenic and fossil components in the flue gas of combustion plants and to have a redundant additional method for regulation and control alongside the mass flow controller used.

Research results:

Bubble counters are used in (chemical) laboratories during experiments with gases to monitor the gas flow rate. Bubbles of uniform size emerge from the inlet tube and can be counted if the gas flow rate is not too high. The number of bubbles per unit of time is a measure of the amount of gas flowing through the apparatus or the amount of gas produced during a reaction. The sealing fluid in the bubble counter should be chosen so that it does not react with the gas. White oil (paraffin oil) is frequently used as the sealing fluid. Source: de.wikipedia.org

For bubble counters used in aquariums, a mixture of 20% glycerin and 80% demineralized water is recommended.

What does a bubble counter do?

A bubble counter allows you to accurately measure the number of CO2 bubbles released into your aquarium water by your CO2 system and then fine-tune the pressure regulator using the needle valve. A CO2 bubble counter is suitable for any planted aquarium or aquascape supplied with CO2 from a pressurized gas cylinder. Source: Google

Another process is being announced as a world first: World first CO2: 5ml sphere bubble counter from Kugelblasenzähler.de (Source: ebay.de)

However, no bubbles are counted here. Rather, it seems that a spherical valve opens after a pressure is reached, which in this case is generated by 5 milliliters of CO2 in a tube, and allows the gas to escape.

Further registrations can be found, among others, for the "Digital Bubble Counter" at evolutec.de.

Method for monitoring a fuel flow (F) flowing from a fuel storage tank (4), through a fuel line (3) and to a fuel dispensing nozzle (6) of a fuel dispensing system (1), the method comprising the following steps: generating a change in the flow rate of the fuel flow (F) by means of a valve system (11), wherein the change is based on the amount of gaseous fluid in the fuel flow (F), detecting the change in the flow rate of the fuel flow (F) and determining whether the detected change exceeds a specific level. DE6941944U

• CN000110779586A Gas bubble meter
• CN000111841153A Multi-cavity bubble meter for gas leakage detection system
• CN000210893278U Gas bubble meter
• GB000001274467A PHOTOELECTRIC BUBBLE METER FOR CHECKING GAS-TIGHT CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE
• US3590256A Device with photoelectric bubble indicator for the checking of gas-tight containers and the like by immersion in a liquid
• CN1952639A
• Klasse G01F15/08
• DE000002721563A1 [DE] SICHERHEITS-BLASENZAEHLER
• DE000007033381 UMEHRZWECK-BLASENZAEHLER IN
• KOMPAKTAUSFUEHRUNG.
• DE000029806851U1 [DE] Sicherheits-Blasenzähler
• DE102020007178A1 [DE] Messvorrichtung mit Blasenzähler zur Messung von Kohlendioxyd in der Aquarientechnik
• DE19691927551 oder oder

Double-chamber gas bubble counter, characterized by the arrangement of the bubble counting chamber (1) with opening (6) which in the preferred embodiment (Example A) is designed as a ground glass joint and the arrangement of the lower bubble counting chamber (2) with the opening (5), which is preferably designed as a ground glass joint, separated by the chamber partition (9).

• CN000110779586A Gas bubble meter
• CN000111841153A Multi-cavity bubble meter for gas leakage detection system
• CN000210893278U Gas bubble meter
• GB000001274467A PHOTOELECTRIC BUBBLE METER FOR CHECKING GAS-TIGHT CONTAINERS AND THE LIKE
• US3590256A Device with photoelectric bubble indicator for the checking of gas-tight containers and the like by immersion in a liquid
• CN1952639A
• Class G01F15/08
• DE000002721563A1 [DE] SAFETY BUBBLE COUNTER
• DE000007033381 REUSABLE BUBBLE COUNTER IN
• COMPACT VERSION.
• DE000029806851U1 [DE] Safety bubble counter
• DE102020007178A1 [DE] Measuring device with bubble counter for measuring carbon dioxide in aquarium technology
• DE19691927551 or

A bladder detector that uses ultrasound is in
https://www.siansonic.com/products- air-bubble- ultrasonic air bubble detectors described .

Summary: All registered methods only consider and describe the counting of bubbles.

A disadvantage of the aforementioned methods is that
The bubbles being counted are not always perfectly spherical. Rather, it can happen that slightly more gas flows into the counter tube, resulting in a larger bubble that fills the tube over a longer distance – and thus can no longer be considered a bubble. The "bubble" is formed into a cylinder with a spherical segment at its upper end.
Furthermore, it can be observed that the sealing fluid remains above the bubble, and thus the measuring gas present for bubble formation cannot form a bubble due to the temporary absence of the sealing fluid at the inlet to the tube. The counter tube is then filled with gas, and the sealing fluid is forced out of the upper end. This occurs particularly when the bubbles are produced too quickly and the diameter of the counter tube is too small.

Furthermore, none of the above-mentioned applications or electronic bubble counters available on the market provide for determining the amount of gas in the bubbles and summing it up into a total amount.

The invention aims to develop a bubble counter that can count the bubbles and determine and display the amount of gas in the bubbles, calculate and sum the contents, and record, store, and display the total amount of measuring gas flowing through in a unit of time, and is used to regulate the measuring gas proportionally to the amount of flue gas.

Furthermore, the invention aims to develop a device that allows controlled bubble flow and bubble elongation to create an improved, temporally measurable and content-calculable, so-called “gas cylinder” (4).

For this purpose, the counter tube (1), which is positioned in an outer tube (5) filled with barrier fluid (3) up to above the counter tube (1), is provided with a bore (2) at its lower end. Through this bore, the amount of barrier fluid (3) displaced upwards by the bubbles (8) or gas cylinders located in the counter tube and which overflows at the end of the counter tube (6) can flow into the counter tube at any time.

It has been shown that with a high volume of gas flowing into the counter tube, the pressure can rise so high that bubbles can escape from the bore (2). According to the invention, this is prevented by inserting a pipe section or a hose section (10) of any length and shape into the counter tube (1). This ensures that there is always enough sealing fluid in the counter tube (1) to form a new bubble or a new gas cylinder (4) in a controlled manner.

The objection that some of the gas to be measured escapes through this bore can be refuted: The pressure build-up in the device caused by the gas flowing into the counter tube (1) forces the sealing fluid (3) back into the counter tube (1) through the bore (2) or the nozzle (10) at the same pressures and quantities. Only with extremely high gas quantities and pressure differences not adapted to the device can the gas being measured escape uncounted, but it remains in the system. The exit of the gas to be measured at the opening (2) and the pipe or hose section (10) is influenced by the internal resistance of the counter tube (1) and the height of the (water) column (12) of the sealing fluid (3).

The detected quantity of gas flows at the end (9) of the outer tube (5) into the following pipes, hoses, devices, equipment or into the atmosphere.

The method submitted for registration, in combination with the device described above, uses at least one light barrier (6 and 7), a camera, or an acoustic transmitter/receiver, ideally a damped laser light barrier consisting of a transmitter (6) and a receiver (7). The light barrier (6 and 7) is activated when it passes a bubble and switches accordingly to either enabled or disabled.

This continues until the bubble (8) or the gas cylinder (4) is located in the area of the counter tube (31) that is detected by the light barrier or the acoustic sensor.

This means that the sensors are active or passive as long as a bubble or gas cylinder is in the “field of view”, and this always depends on the amount of measuring gas in relation to the inner diameter of the counter tube (1).

Using a suitable calculation program that can calculate the volume of a cylinder from base area x height, the volume of a bubble (8) or a gas cylinder (4) is calculated. The height of the gas cylinder (4) is determined from the active signal of the light barrier or acoustic sensor.

The clearly safe and elegant option is to capture the bladder contents by means of measurement. the transit time of the bubble using a light barrier or an acoustic measuring method and multiplication by the content of the bubbles, calculated from the transit time (= cylinder height or bubble diameter with V = 4/3 * r ³ * π) of the gas cylinder with the base area of the counter tube, calculated using the known formula for the area of a circle (A = r ² x π),

Experiments have shown that the gas cylinder in the Geiger counter has a hemisphere at its upper end. Since the radius of the sphere is known (D_{Geiger counter}), this portion of the gas cylinder that does not quite correspond to a cylinder end can be calculated using the formula: V_hemisphere = (4/3 × r³ × π) : 2. Because the tube diameter is constant, the formula can be permanently inserted into the calculation program for different tube diameters.

Ideally, the light barrier is a laser light barrier, although other light barriers also serve their purpose. However, the ideal laser light barrier has an excessively high transmission energy. Therefore, according to the invention, it is equipped with a filter.

To simplify the manufacturing process, the device is produced to specified dimensions and tested accordingly. Official testing, evaluation, and certification of the device are being pursued.

These (inventive) problems are solved by the independent claims. Dependent claims are directed toward advantageous further developments. It should be noted that the features listed individually in the dependent claims can be combined with one another in any technologically meaningful way and define further embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the features specified in the claims are further detailed and explained in the description, which also presents further preferred embodiments of the invention.

Reference symbol list

1

Geiger counter tube

2

Inlet bore for the circulating barrier fluid

3

Barrier fluid

4

Approximately cylindrical bladder

5

Container for sealing fluid and Geiger counter tube

6

Light barrier transmitter

7

Light barrier receiver

8

Blistering

9

Output measuring gas

10

Inlet nozzle for circulating sealing fluid

11

Inlet, feed or flow of measuring gas

12

Flow direction of barrier fluid

13

Hemisphere above the approximately cylindrical bubble

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 6941944U [0009]
• CN 000110779586A [0010]
• CN 000111841153A [0010]
• CN 000210893278U [0010]
• GB 000001274467A [0010]
• US 3590256A [0010]
• CN 1952639A [0010]
• DE 000002721563A1 [0010]
• DE 000007033381 [0010]
• DE 000029806851U1 [0010]
• DE 102020007178A1 [0010]
• DE 19691927551 [0010]

Cited non-patent literature

• air-bubble-detectors-ultrasonic-air-bubbledetectors described [0011]

Claims (5)

Method and apparatus for determining the amount of gas in bubbles, counting and summing bubbles, and recording the total amount of measuring gas flowing through in a unit of time, storing and displaying the values, characterized in that a bubble counter tube (1) filled with barrier liquid (3) is placed in a container (5) which is also filled with sufficient suitable barrier liquid (3) and a light barrier (6, 7), a camera or an acoustic sensor detects the passage of a bubble (3) in the bubble counter tube (1), wherein the transit time of the bubble (8) and the time interval of the bubble-free sections (14) are measured and used as a basis for further operations calculating the gas contents of the bubble (3). Method and apparatus for determining the gas quantity of bubbles, counting bubbles, summing them, and recording the total quantity of sample gas flowing through in a unit of time, storing and displaying the values according to the Claim 1 characterized in that the counter tube (1) is provided with a bore (2) or an inlet nozzle (10) through which the barrier fluid (3) displaced by the bubbles (8) in the counter tube flows. Method and apparatus for determining the gas quantity of bubbles, counting bubbles, summing them, and recording the total quantity of sample gas flowing through in a unit of time, storing and displaying the values according to the Claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the measurement results of the method for controlling the quantity of measuring gas to be detected and collected in a sodium or potassium hydroxide solution of a combustion plant are usable. device according to the Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that laser light barriers are preferably used, wherein the laser beam is attenuated by means of a unit that filters or scatters the beams. device according to the Claims 1 until 4 , characterized in that the bubble counter tube is arranged in a position deviating from the vertical.