GB2197716A - Liquid contamination meter - Google Patents
Liquid contamination meter Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2197716A GB2197716A GB08627702A GB8627702A GB2197716A GB 2197716 A GB2197716 A GB 2197716A GB 08627702 A GB08627702 A GB 08627702A GB 8627702 A GB8627702 A GB 8627702A GB 2197716 A GB2197716 A GB 2197716A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- meter
- cell
- light
- contamination
- liquid
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 28
- 238000011109 contamination Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 26
- 239000012528 membrane Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 19
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000004973 liquid crystal related substance Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000005065 mining Methods 0.000 abstract description 3
- 229920002301 cellulose acetate Polymers 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000002480 mineral oil Substances 0.000 abstract 1
- 235000010446 mineral oil Nutrition 0.000 abstract 1
- 239000003921 oil Substances 0.000 description 17
- 230000003749 cleanliness Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000004040 coloring Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000000356 contaminant Substances 0.000 description 4
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 3
- 239000000020 Nitrocellulose Substances 0.000 description 1
- FJWGYAHXMCUOOM-QHOUIDNNSA-N [(2s,3r,4s,5r,6r)-2-[(2r,3r,4s,5r,6s)-4,5-dinitrooxy-2-(nitrooxymethyl)-6-[(2r,3r,4s,5r,6s)-4,5,6-trinitrooxy-2-(nitrooxymethyl)oxan-3-yl]oxyoxan-3-yl]oxy-3,5-dinitrooxy-6-(nitrooxymethyl)oxan-4-yl] nitrate Chemical compound O([C@@H]1O[C@@H]([C@H]([C@H](O[N+]([O-])=O)[C@H]1O[N+]([O-])=O)O[C@H]1[C@@H]([C@@H](O[N+]([O-])=O)[C@H](O[N+]([O-])=O)[C@@H](CO[N+]([O-])=O)O1)O[N+]([O-])=O)CO[N+](=O)[O-])[C@@H]1[C@@H](CO[N+]([O-])=O)O[C@@H](O[N+]([O-])=O)[C@H](O[N+]([O-])=O)[C@H]1O[N+]([O-])=O FJWGYAHXMCUOOM-QHOUIDNNSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000002817 coal dust Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000428 dust Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001914 filtration Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000010720 hydraulic oil Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000002401 inhibitory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012544 monitoring process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920001220 nitrocellulos Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000011148 porous material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001681 protective effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000000717 retained effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- WFKWXMTUELFFGS-UHFFFAOYSA-N tungsten Chemical compound [W] WFKWXMTUELFFGS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052721 tungsten Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010937 tungsten Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000012905 visible particle Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000000007 visual effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N15/00—Investigating characteristics of particles; Investigating permeability, pore-volume or surface-area of porous materials
- G01N15/06—Investigating concentration of particle suspensions
- G01N15/0606—Investigating concentration of particle suspensions by collecting particles on a support
- G01N15/0618—Investigating concentration of particle suspensions by collecting particles on a support of the filter type
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N15/00—Investigating characteristics of particles; Investigating permeability, pore-volume or surface-area of porous materials
- G01N2015/0042—Investigating dispersion of solids
- G01N2015/0053—Investigating dispersion of solids in liquids, e.g. trouble
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/59—Transmissivity
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/22—Fuels; Explosives
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Dispersion Chemistry (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)
Abstract
A liquid contamination meter for determining the degree of contamination of a sample filtered through a membrane 7 has a light source 1 which focuses light through a lens 3 and the membrane 7 onto a light cell 4. An output signal from the cell which is proportional to the degree of modulation of the light 6 determined by the opacity of the membrane 7 is indicated on an indicator 5. A regulated amount of mineral oil from a mining machine may be filtered through a membrane 7 of cellulose acetate. <IMAGE>
Description
LIQUID CONTAMINATION METER
This invention relates to a liquid contamination meter for determining the degree of contamination by foreign matter in a liquid. The meter finds particular although not exclusive application in determining the contamination of oils in a machine.
It is however able to be used for any liquid which has contaminants in it particularly those which would discolour the liquid.
In machines such as mining machines which are operating in an aggressive atmosphere where there is much dust or grit it is inevitable that there is contamination of the oil through contaminants getting into the machine through exhaust or ver.ting areas. Sanetimes the oil is contaminated by wear of the machine where particles of machinery such as meshing teeth in a gear box break off or are eroded away in small particles.
By monitoring the condition of the oil the state of the machine can be observed and protective action can be taken to change the oil or to anticipate a failure in the machine long before matters become serious. At present this is done by taking a sample of the oil from the machine, filtering it and doing a visual comparison on a patch test basis by viewing the amount of discolouration of the oil against a standard and if necessary viewing with a microscope any visible particles of debris trapped in the filter. This type of test although useful is very subjective and does not allow an accurate scientific control to be exercised over the degree of contamination.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid contamination meter which enables the degree of contamination of a liquid to be properly assessed against a known standard.
According to the present invention a liquid contamination meter for determining the degree of contamination of the liquid comprises a light source and a light sensitive cell arranged to receive light from the source and sampling means interspersed between the source and the cell to modulate the light received by the cell dependant on the degree of contamination of the material being sampled, and the cell being arranged to give an output signal proportional to the amount of light reaching it.
The sampling means is preferably a translucent filter membrane through which a regulated quantity of liquid to be measured is passed, the degree of contamination of the liquid varying the light transmitted from the source to the cell.
The output of the light sensitive cell is connected to an indicating meter and the signal received by this meter is arranged to operate the cell so as to give a linear indication of the degree of contamination of the liquid being sampled. Preferably the light cell is photo resistive and the meter indicates a change in resistance of the cell. Alternatively it may indicate a change of voltage of the cell.
The display device is conveniently a liquid crystal display although a moving coil instrument could be used if sufficient power is available.
Preferably the design of the meter is such that it has a high gain and depending on the range of liquids to be measured this gain may be made adjustable. In order to accomodate a range of liquids it is also convenient for calibrating means to be included in the meter to enable a zero to be set for each liquid being sampled. The zero adjustment feature will particularly be of value where liquids which have a base colour in them are being measured.
The meter may be either battery powered for local use or may be powered from the mains if used in a single location. In either case a voltage stablising circuit is necessary to ensure a constant output from the light source. The light source is preferably a tungsten source but depending on the nature of the liquid to be sampled a light source may be selected with a particular concentration of wave length with the cell being correspondingly selected to respond to the wave length.
In order that the invention may be readily understood one example of a liquid contamination meter in accordance therewith will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings Figure 1 shows in schematic form the construction of the meter and Figure 2 is a graphical indication of the responses obtained from the meter.
It is assumed that in this example the meter is specifically designed to sample hydraulic oils in mining machinery which is likely to be contaminated with coal dust and with small particles of grit or metal. The oil in the machine is able to be sampled by withdrawing in known manner by extracting a small typical sample from the oil for examination.
Referring now to Figure 1 of the drawing the meter comprises a light source 1 which is fed from a variable output transformer 2 which is voltage controlled. Light from the source 1 passes through a lens 3 which focuses the light onto a light cell 4 which is of a photo resistive nature. The cell 4 generates an output signal which is fed to an indicator 5 which in this case is a liquid crystal display calibrated in ISO units of cleanliness to give an instant output reading.
Interposed between the light cell 4 and the lens 3 is a posting device 6 which carries a membrane 7. The membrane in this example is a cellulose nitrate membrane of 47 trim diameter having a 1.2 micron pore size. This membrane has had filtered through it a regulated amount of oil extracted from the machine being examined.
To use the instrument a 50 millilitre sample of oil is taken from the machine and is processed on the membrane specimen 7 using a vacuum pump. The oil is drawn through the membrane and any contaminants are retained in the membrane and discolour it. The instrument is set by placing a clean membrane on the posting device 6 and inserting this as shown in Figure 1 into the instrument and adjusting the reading of the indicator 5 so that a zero reading is obtained. The clean membrane is then replaced with the membrane 7 which holds the contaminants and the light from the source 1 which reaches the light cell 4 is modulated depending on the amount of contamination of the membrane 7. This causes a variation in the output signal of the light cell 4 and because of the high gain of the instrument a significant indication is given on the indicator 5.
If reference is now made to Figure 2 which is a graph showing the cleanliness level in ISO units against the readings on the indicator 5 a direct reading of the degree of cleanliness of the oil can be obtained. For each liquid there is a maximum acceptable contamination level and for the oil in question this is shown in
Figure 2.
The use of the instrument enables a quick indication to be obtained of the state of cleanliness of the oil in the machine and if it appears that it is becoming highly contaminated corrective action is swiftly able to be taken. The readings obtained are positive and do not rely on a subjective judgement of a degree of contamination.
Certain liquids particularly oils already contain a colouring matter. This can be compensated for by suitable use of a calibration membrane which has a 50 millilitre sample of clean oil initially drawn through it. This calibration membrane is then put into the instrument to give an initial reading which is used as a datum or alternatively the zero is set to take account of the colouring in the liquid.
Certain colourings may have a particular inhibiting effect on the colour of the light source 1 and in this case a suitable selection of wavelength of the colouring can be made so that the maximum advantage is taken of the capabilities of the meter.
The main source 2 may be replaced with an alternative battery powered source to enable the instrument to be used on location remote from a main site. As long as the battery source is stablised no inaccuracies will occur in the readings obtained from the meter.
Calibration discs of a semi-transparent nature may also be provided with the instrument to set the gain and zero.
Claims (10)
1. A liquid contamination meter for determining the degree of contamination of a liquid comprising a light source, a light sensitive cell arranged to receive light from the source and sampling means interposed between the source and the cell to modulate the light received by the cell dependant on the degree of contamination of the material being sampled, the cell being arranged to give an output signal proportional to the amount of light reaching it.
2. A meter as claimed in claim 1 wherein the sampling means is a translucent filter membrane through which a regulated quantity of liquid to be measured is passed, the degree of contamination varying the quantity of the light transmitted from the source to the cell.
3. A meter as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the output signal from the light cell is arranged to be fed to an indicating meter calibrated to give a linear indication of the degree of contamination of the liquid being sampled.
4. A meter as claimed in claim 3 wherein the light cell is of a photo resistive nature and the indicating meter measures the change in resistance of the cell.
5. A meter as claimed in claim 3 wherein the light cell is a photo resistive cell and the indicating meter measures a change in voltage of the cell.
6. A meter as claimed in claim 3, 4 or 5 wherein the indicating meter is a liquid crystal or moving coil instrument.
7. A meter as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the instrument has a high gain.
8. A meter as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the meter is adjustable to take account of the translucent properties of an uncontaminated sample of carrier for the sample.
9. A meter as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the power source is either mains electric or battery.
10. A liquid contamination meter substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08627702A GB2197716A (en) | 1986-11-20 | 1986-11-20 | Liquid contamination meter |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08627702A GB2197716A (en) | 1986-11-20 | 1986-11-20 | Liquid contamination meter |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB8627702D0 GB8627702D0 (en) | 1986-12-17 |
| GB2197716A true GB2197716A (en) | 1988-05-25 |
Family
ID=10607616
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08627702A Withdrawn GB2197716A (en) | 1986-11-20 | 1986-11-20 | Liquid contamination meter |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2197716A (en) |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1402825A (en) * | 1972-03-27 | 1975-08-13 | Salen & Wicander Ab | Method and device for determining the concentration of small amounts of oil in water |
| GB1415311A (en) * | 1971-08-25 | 1975-11-26 | Trans Sonics Inc | Method and apparatus for monitoring hyperfine particles in a fluid medium |
| EP0136422A1 (en) * | 1983-08-01 | 1985-04-10 | International Business Machines Corporation | LC/FTIR system with thermospray solvent separation |
| US4572671A (en) * | 1982-07-20 | 1986-02-25 | Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. | Densitometer for an electrophoresis apparatus |
-
1986
- 1986-11-20 GB GB08627702A patent/GB2197716A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1415311A (en) * | 1971-08-25 | 1975-11-26 | Trans Sonics Inc | Method and apparatus for monitoring hyperfine particles in a fluid medium |
| GB1402825A (en) * | 1972-03-27 | 1975-08-13 | Salen & Wicander Ab | Method and device for determining the concentration of small amounts of oil in water |
| US4572671A (en) * | 1982-07-20 | 1986-02-25 | Olympus Optical Co., Ltd. | Densitometer for an electrophoresis apparatus |
| EP0136422A1 (en) * | 1983-08-01 | 1985-04-10 | International Business Machines Corporation | LC/FTIR system with thermospray solvent separation |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB8627702D0 (en) | 1986-12-17 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |