MXPA99011279A - Optical detection of entrapped gas in a cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

Se describe un detectoróptico de fugas para utilizarse con un sistema de enfriamiento. El detector de fugas,óptico incluye una fuente de luz, un detector de luz y un dispositivo de conversión. La fuente de luz se acopla opcionalmente al detector de luz, por medio de una trayectoriaóptica. El detector de luz genera una señal electrónica en respuesta a la luz recibida de la fuente de luz. El dispositivo de conversión, el cual se une al detector de luz, genera una señal electrónica en respuesta a la cantidad de luz recibida de la fuente de luz. Esta señal electrónica puede indicar si ha ocurrido una fuga en el sistema de enfriamiento, por el cruce de una burbuja de gas atrapado, a través de la trayectoriaóptica formada por la fuente de luz y el detector de luz.

Description

OPTICAL GAS DETECTION TRAPPED IN A COOLING SYSTEM FIELD OF THE INVENTION: The invention relates in general to the field of cooling systems, and more particularly, to pressurized cooling systems, and to the optical detection of leaks within such systems. Specifically, the invention relates to an optical leak detector for use in a pressurized cooling system for a gasification unit.

Background: Gasification is a partial oxidation process that generates gases from an injection of a carbonaceous feed, steam and oxygen. The feed, steam and oxygen are injected into the gasification chamber through a feed injector. Typically, the feed injector has a feed channel and one or more oxygen channels, so that the feed remains isolated from the oxygen until it leaves the feed injector at the tip of the feed injector. Because gasification is an exothermic process, temperatures within the gasification chamber typically range from approximately 2000 ° F (1093 ° C) to approximately 2700 ° F (1482 ° C).

Someone with knowledge in the art, - should appreciate that the operation of the gasification chamber depends on the condition and design of the feed injector. For example, if the tip of the feed injector is burned or thermally deformed, the suspension and oxygen may mix prematurely, which can create an inefficient operation of the unit or unsafe operating conditions. In order to reduce the likelihood of damage to the tip of the feed injector, a cooling system coupled to a cooling jacket or cooling coils is used around the tip of the feed injector, to maintain the temperature of the tip of the feed injector. feed injector within a given tolerance interval. The presence of a leak in the cooling system may allow carbon monoxide, synthesis gas or other gases to enter the cooling system, because the pressure of the reactor gas is significantly higher than the pressure in the reactor. cooling system. As a result of even a very fine leak, a significant amount of gas can enter the cooling system and lead to inadequate cooling of the feed injector tip and poor reactor performance. In addition, the presence of synthesis gas in the cooling system can lead to the accumulation of gaseous hydrogen and carbon monoxide, which, in turn, can lead to an explosion within the cooling system. For this reason, it should be recognized by one skilled in the art that a detection system for detecting trapped gas caused by leaks in the cooling system is important for the safe and efficient operation of a gasification unit. One type of conventional gas detection system, which attempts to detect leaks, uses gas sensitive probes to check for the presence of gases, such as carbon monoxide, air and the like in the cooling system. In such a system, the refrigerant, typically water or treated cooling water, travels through a return channel of the refrigerant and finds the tip of the feed injector and heats and in turn travels through a return channel of refrigerant. The hot refrigerant is returned to a heat exchanger, where the heat is removed and the refrigerant is returned to the refrigerant supply channel for additional use. A leak in the system can cause gases to get caught in the cooling system, especially if the leak occurs in the feed injector. When the gas is trapped in the cooling system, the gas bubbles can be made to naturally float upwardly within a leak detection channel, which is an alternative branch of the return channel. Ideally, the amount of gas is detected by a gas sensor located at a high point or at the top of the leak detection channel. In the presence of gas, the gas sensor generates an electronic signal that could be routed to a control system; the control system could trigger an alarm if the amount of gas present indicates that a leak has occurred within the cooling system, and corrective action can be taken. Under ideal circumstances, such a gas detection system would detect a leak in the cooling system before the tip of the power injector is damaged. In fact, the gas detection system described above has difficulty in detecting a leak, because it is extremely difficult to remove all the gas from the cooling system. Thus, it is not uncommon for the gas sensor to saturate even when there is no leakage in the cooling system. A person skilled in the art would understand that the saturation of the gas sensor makes the detection of gas trapped by leaks in the cooling system very difficult. Alternatively, one can carefully check the pH of the refrigerant, for changes that may be due to trapped gas and, therefore, to leaks. However, the use of such a system is limited to situations in which an acid gas, such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, etc., is trapped in the cooling system. An additional limitation is that coolant solutions, especially aqueous coolants, are often treated with basic compounds, to minimize corrosion. One of skill in the art would readily appreciate that trapped acid gases can react with corrosion prevention treatments and therefore, the leak may not be detected for a considerable amount of time. Thus, it would be beneficial to have an apparatus and method for detecting leaks in a cooling system that is capable of overcoming the drawbacks of conventional detection methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention is directed generally to an optical gas detector, for use in cooling systems, particularly cooling systems associated with a gasification unit. In an illustrative embodiment, the detection system includes a light source, a light detector, a conversion device, and a control system. The light source must be operatively coupled to a first optical fiber, the first optical fiber connects the light source to a first probe, the first probe is functionally effective to transmit light. The light detector must be coupled to a second optical fiber, the second optical fiber connects the light detector to a second probe, the second probe is functionally effective to receive light from the light source. The conversion device must be operatively coupled to the light detector, the conversion device generates an electronically adjusted signal in response to the light emitted by the light source, and received by the light detector. The control system receives the electronically adjusted signal from the conversion device with the control system that functionally responds to the electronic signal to provide an indication of at least one leak in the pressurized cooling system. The detection of the leak is due to the variability of the electronically adjusted signal with the transverse passage of a gas bubble through the optical path formed between the light source and the light detector. In an illustrative embodiment, at least one of the probes is selected from the group consisting of a high pressure probe, a high temperature and high pressure probe, and preferably, at least one of the probes is a sapphire probe. In another embodiment, the light source can be a coherent light source, or it can be a collimated light source that is not coherent. The light detector can be selected from the group including a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube, and a charge coupled device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 illustrates some of the components in an optical gas detection system, according to the invention. Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the invention for a high pressure cooling system. Figure 3 illustrates a conversion device used in the embodiment shown in Figure 2. Figure 4 illustrates another illustrative embodiment of the invention, for a low pressure cooling system.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE MODALITIES Figure 1 illustrates some of the components of an optical gas detector 200, according to the invention. The light source 203 is aligned with the light detector 205, so that an optical path 210 is formed between them. The optical path 210 runs through a coolant channel 211, which is defined by a tube of the coolant channel, through which the coolant flows. The refrigerant may be any fluid that is suitable for such use, including aqueous solutions, in which compounds have been dissolved for the treatment of corrosion. The light source 203 can be any type of coherent or incoherent source of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., a laser or xenon lamp). If an incoherent light source is used, it is preferred that it be collimated by conventional collimating means such as lenses or apertures. The light detector 205 may be of any type of conventional detector (e.g., a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube, or a load coupled device). The light detector 205 generates an electronic signal corresponding to the amount of light received from the light source 203. The conversion device 215 converts the electronic signal received from the light detector 205 into an adjusted electronic signal (for example, a 4-20 mA electronic signal), which is sent to a control system 220. If a leak develops within a cooling system, the gases can enter the cooling system when the gas pressure is greater than the pressure in the cooling system. For example, the gas pressure in the gasifier reactor is much higher than the pressure in the cooling jacket or the cooling coils used to cool the tip of the feed injector. The presence of gas in the cooling system generates bubbles in the coolant, and therefore, in the coolant channel. Thus, the detection of bubbles within the coolant channel can indicate the presence of a leak in the cooling system. For example, the present invention utilizes the detection of bubbles in the refrigerant, as a first indicator of a leak in the cooling jacket or in the cooling coils of the feed injector tip. If bubbles are detected, the control system compares the difference between the received signal with a reference signal, to determine if there is a leak. If the comparison indicates a leak, the control system activates an alarm to alert the operations personnel, the presence of a leak. Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention used in a high pressure cooling system 300. High pressure, as used in this application, means pressures of about 400 (2758 Kpa) to about 1000 psig (6895 KPa). The high pressure system includes a channel 303 tube, a power supply 305, a light source 310, a light source 315, a detector 320, a detector 325, and a conversion device 340. The tube of the channel 303 , it encloses the coolant channel, through which, the coolant flows in the cooling system. Figure 2 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the channel of the channel. The channel of the channel is designed with four threaded holes (not shown), in which the light probes, or alternatively, the light sources and the detectors themselves, are connected. A light source / light detector pair (for example 310 and 320), are connected in opposite holes, so as to form an optical path 330. Similarly, the light source 315 and the light detector 325 form a path optics 335. Any object that traverses an optical path will deflect light in multiple directions. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the number and placement of the pair of holes in Figure 2 has been made for illustrative purposes. The light sources and the light detectors of the Figure 2, are connected to the tube of the channel via four conventional optical fibers. The interface between the channel of the channel and the optical fibers are probes, which should be conventional connectors used for such purposes and which are not shown. The probes are conventional sapphire probes, which can be selected to have tolerance to high pressure, high temperature or high pressure, high temperature. The high temperatures as used in this application are related to temperatures higher than the atmospheric boiling point of water, and preferably, values greater than about 500 ° F (260 ° C). The use of probes and optical fibers allows remote placement of light sources and light detectors. However, an alternative mode could result from directly connecting the light sources and the detectors to the channel of the channel. In another alternative embodiment, a laser diode is used as the light source, and a feedback loop that includes a beam splitter and detector can be used to prevent the attenuation of the laser diode over time. In such an arrangement, the initial laser beam generated from the laser diode is divided and one part is used to detect leaks, while the other part is reflected back to the detector. The signal from the detector can be amplified and used in a feedback system, for the power supply of the laser diode, to maintain a constant light intensity. In this way, the attenuation of the light source with time can be reduced. A bandpass filter in front of the light detector can also be used in the present invention to prevent scattering or scattered light from reaching the detector. Each of the detectors (i.e., the detector 320 and the detector 325) is connected to the conversion device 340, which receives the signals corresponding to the detected amount of light. Figure 3 shows an amplified view of the conversion device 340. The conversion device receives a signal from the detector 320, along the line 400 and a signal from the detector 325, along the line 405. "The device of conversion 340 includes amplifiers 410 and 415, adder 420 and transducer 425. Amplifier 410 amplifies the electronic signal received from detector 320 along line 400; similarly, amplifier 415 amplifies the electronic signal received from the detector 325 along the line 405. The two amplified signals are sent to the adder 420. The adder 420 combines the two amplified signals to generate a combined electronic signal, which is sent to the transducer 425. Although it is shown with two amplifiers, a The person skilled in the art would understand that depending on the signal received from the light detectors, less than two amplifiers can be used. adjusted electronics (for example, a 4-20 mA signal), which can be sent to a control system (not shown). The control system can analyze the signal received from the transducer, to determine if a leak is present in the cooling system. If the control system has determined that a leak is present, an appropriate alarm may be activated, before the tip of the power injector is damaged.

Leaks in the cooling system cause bubbles to form in the coolant channel. If bubbles are present within the channel of the channel 303, they are likely to travel through either the optical path 330 or the optical path 335. When the optical path 330 is not obstructed (i.e., there are no bubbles in the trajectory), most of the light emitted from the light source 310 is received by the detector 320. If the bubbles travel the optical path 330, they will scatter the emitted light from the light source 310. The scattering causes the emitted light to move in multiple directions, so the detector 320 will receive less light, since only a small portion of the light will be in the direction of the detector 320. Similar results occur when a bubble travels the optical path 335. The detection of a smaller amount of light causes the electronic signal generated by the detector 320 to be smaller . Thus, a smaller signal is amplified and a smaller signal is generated by the transducer. The difference between the signals of an unobstructed optical path and the signals of an obstructed optical path can be compared by a control system. If the differential signal is greater than a specific value, the bubbles indicate the presence of a leak in the cooling system. The control system activates an alarm in response to the detection of a leak.

The previous example was given for illustrative purposes. Thus, one skilled in the art will realize that both pairs of light source / light detector could be used simultaneously to indicate if a leak is present in the cooling system. The simultaneous use of both light detectors (ie, 320 and 325), would provide a better resolution, allowing a more efficient detection of a slow leak, which generates fewer bubbles. A second embodiment of the invention, which can be used in a low pressure cooling system, is illustrated in Figure 4. Low pressure, as defined in this application, is related to pressures of less than about 400 psig (2758 KPa ). The low pressure system includes a coolant channel 505, an exhaust path 510, a power supply 305, a light source 310, a light detector 320, a conversion device 500 and a sight tube 515. The system Low pressure works similarly to the high pressure system. A portion of the coolant channel 505 is shown in Figure 4 with the exhaust path 510, which allows some fluid to leave the coolant channel. A sight tube 515 is connected to the exhaust path 510. The light source 310 and the light detector 320 are positioned on opposite sides of the sight tube, so that the optical path 520 is formed; a portion of the optical path 520 is within the sight tube 515. The conversion device 500 includes an amplifier and a transducer. When the electronic signal generated by the detector 320 is received by the conversion device 510, the electronic signal is amplified and converted into an adjusted electronic signal (e.g., a 4-20 mA signal), which can be received by the main control (not shown). Leaks in the cooling system cause bubbles to form in the coolant channel. ~ If bubbles are present within the coolant channel 505, it is likely that a portion of them will be within the liquid in the exhaust path 510. Any bubbles within the exhaust path 510 will pass through the sight tube 515, and they will traverse optical path 520. As mentioned above, crossing the optical path varies the amount of light received by detector 320, and alters the corresponding generated electronic signal. A control system analyzes the differential signal that corresponds to the amount of light received with the bubbles in the optical path, with the amount of light received without bubbles in the optical path. If the differential signal is greater than a specific value, the control system activates an alarm, due to the detection of a leak.

The present invention uses bubbles as indicators, the detection of bubbles provide early detection of leaks in a pressurized cooling system, for a gasification unit. As previously noted, very small leaks inside the jacket or cooling coils, from a feed injector, allows the gas to enter the cooling system. The resulting bubbles in the refrigerant will significantly affect the transmission of light through the refrigerant. Thus, slow and / or very small leaks can be detected, which results in a safer operation of the gasification system. The present invention also allows the detection of various types of gases (e.g., carbon monoxide and hydrogen), which may have entered the coolant channel through the tip of the feed injector, or into the cooling heat exchangers. of synthesis gas. One skilled in the art will appreciate and understand, however, that the gas detection system of the present invention need not be limited to use in cooling systems associated with synthesis gas reactors. As noted above, in any situation, in which the gas surrounding the cooling coils or coils, heat exchangers, cooling jackets, etc., is greater than the pressure inside the cooling system, the gas will be trapped in the cooling system . Not only does the gas trapped in the cooling system reduce the efficiency of the cooling system, depending on the gas, it can cause another problem related to safety to arise. Thus, one skilled in the art will appreciate and understand that the gas detection system of the present invention can be used in any of these situations, in which the cooling systems are at a lower pressure than the surrounding gas. In addition, the present invention does not require significant amounts of additional piping. In each of the described embodiments, the invention uses preexisting tubing. Finally, the components of the present invention are common and relatively inexpensive. The cost associated with light sources and light detectors reduces the cost of cooling system equipment by more than five percent over cooling systems equipped with gas verification equipment. In view of the above description, one skilled in the art will appreciate that an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, in an optical leak detector for use in a pressurized cooling system, in which the cooling system includes at least one cooling channel. refrigerant through which the refrigerant flows. The detector includes a light source, a light detector, a conversion device and a control system. The light source must be operatively coupled to a first optical fiber, which connects the light source to a first probe, the first probe is functionally effective to transmit light. Preferably, the light source is a coherent light source, such as a laser, but it can also be a non-coherent light source, which is collimated to form a light beam. The light detector must be coupled to a second optical fiber, the second optical fiber connects the light detector to a second probe, which is functionally effective to receive light from the light source. Preferably, the probes can be selected from the group including a high pressure probe, a high temperature probe, and a high temperature, high pressure probe, most preferably, the probe can be a sapphire probe resistant to high pressure and temperature, and the other properties of the refrigerant. The light detector can be selected from the group including a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube, and a charge coupled device. The conversion device must be operatively coupled to the light detector. The conversion device generates an electronic signal adjusted in response to the light emitted by the light source, and received by the light detector. The adjusted electronic signal varies functionally with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant, through an optical path formed between the light source and the light detector. In an alternative embodiment, the conversion device includes an amplifier coupled to the first light detector, the amplifier is functionally effective to amplify the electronic signals of the light detectors. The conversion device also includes a transducer coupled to the amplifier, the transducer must be functionally effective to receive the electronic signal from the amplifier and general the electronic signal adjusted for the control system. The adjusted electronic signal from the conversion device is received by the control system functionally responding to the electronic signal to provide an indication of at least one leak in the cooling system. Another illustrative embodiment of the present invention is an optical leak detector for a low pressure cooling system, the low pressure cooling system includes at least one coolant channel, through which the coolant flows. The optical leak detector includes a light source, a light detector, an exhaust pipe, a conversion device and a control system. The light source must be operatively coupled to a first optical fiber, which connects the light source to a first probe, which is functionally effective to transmit light. Preferably, the light source must be a coherent light source, however, it can also be a non-coherent light source, which has been collimated. The light detector must be coupled to a second optical fiber, the second optical fiber connects the light detector to a second probe. The second probe must be functionally effective to receive light from the light source and transmit it to the light detector. Preferably, the light detector should be selected from the group including a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube, and a load coupled device. The exhaust pipe is coupled to the coolant channel and is functionally effective to receive the coolant and any trapped bubbles from the coolant channel. In addition, the exhaust pipe must be positioned between the first and second probes, and intersect at least a part of the optical path formed between the two probes. Preferably, the exhaust pipe is a tube with high pressure sight. The conversion device must be operatively coupled to the light detector, the conversion device generates an electronic signal adjusted in response to the light emitted by the light source, and received by the light detector. Preferably, the conversion device includes an amplifier coupled to the first light detector, the amplifier is functionally effective to amplify the electronic signals of the light detector, and a transducer coupled to the amplifier, the transducer must be functionally effective to receive the electronic signal of the amplifier and generates the electronic signal adjusted for the control system. Since the adjusted electronic signal varies functionally with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant, through an optical path formed between the light source and the light detector, trapped air or gas can be detected. The adjusted electronic signal is sent to, which functionally responds to the adjusted electronic signal to provide an indication of a leak in the low pressure cooling system. The control system can then trigger an alarm and take an automatic and pre-programmed corrective action as needed. Yet another illustrative embodiment of the present invention is an optical leak detector for a high pressure cooling system, especially a system as used in a gasification unit. The cooling system must include at least one cooling channel through which the refrigerant flows, however, it may contain such channels. The optical leak detector of the present illustrative embodiment includes: a first light source, a first light detector, a second light source, a second light detector, a channel tube, which defines the coolant channel, a conversion device and a control system. The first light source must be operatively coupled to the first optical fiber, which connects the first light source to a first probe, the first probe is functionally effective to transmit the light. The first light detector must be coupled to a second optical fiber, the second optical fiber connects the first light detector to a second probe, the second probe is functionally effective to receive light from the first light source. The first light source is optically coupled to the first light detector by an optical path, which is created between the two, inside the coolant channel. The second light source must be operatively coupled to a third optical fiber, which connects the second light source, to a third probe. The third probe, like the first probe must be functionally effective to transmit light. The second light detector must be coupled to a fourth optical fiber, the fourth optical fiber connects the second light detector to a fourth probe. Like the second probe, the fourth probe must be functionally effective to receive light from a second light source. The second light source is optically coupled to the second light detector, by a second optical path, which is created between the two, inside the coolant channel. The second optical path may be parallel, perpendicular or in a different plane than that of the first optical path described above. Light sources can be coherent light sources, such as lasers, or they can be non-coherent light sources, which have been collimated into beams of light. As noted above, the channel tube defines the coolant channel, but also serves to align the probes of the light source with the light detection probes. Thus, the channel of the channel has four threaded holes, the threaded holes are operatively coupled with the probes and align the probes as described above. The probes can be selected from the group consisting of a high pressure probe, a high temperature probe and a high pressure, high temperature probe, but preferably, the probes are sapphire probes, which are capable of withstanding high pressures and found temperatures. The conversion device must be operatively coupled to both the first and second light detectors. The role of the conversion device is to generate an adjusted electronic signal, in response to the light emitted by the light sources, and received in the light detectors. The adjusted electronic signal varies functionally with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant, through one or both of the optical paths formed between the light sources and the light detectors. Preferably, the conversion device includes at least two amplifiers coupled to the first and second light detectors, the amplifiers are functionally effective to amplify the electronic signals of the first and second light detectors. Preferably, the light detectors are selected from the group consisting of a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube and a charge coupled device. The conversion device further includes an adder, which must be functionally effective to generate a combined electronic signal, in response to adding an electronic signal from the first light detector to an electronic signal from the second light detector. In addition, the conversion device includes a transducer coupled to the adder, the transducer must be functionally effective to receive the combined electronic signal of the adder, and generate the electronic signal adjusted for the control system. The control system receives the adjusted electronic signal from the conversion device, and responds functionally to the electronic signal, to provide an indication of at least one leak in the high-pressure cooling system. This response may include triggering alarms and automatic actions, predetermined, necessary, in response. In addition, one skilled in the art should understand and appreciate that the present invention also encompasses a method for optically detecting leaks in a cooling system. Such method includes: transmitting light from a light source; detect the light transmitted from the light source; generate an electronic signal adjusted in response to the detected light and analyze the electronic signal to determine if a leak is present in the cooling system. Because the adjusted electronic signal varies with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant, through an optical path formed between the light source and the light detector, the electronic signal can be analyzed by a control system and if necessary , the control system activates an alarm indicating a leak in the cooling system. In the practice of such a method, the light source is a coherent light source, or it can be an incoherent light source, which has been collimated. The light detector used in the method can be a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube or a charge coupled device. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, having the benefits of the disclosure, that numerous variants of the preceding illustration will be possible without departing from the inventive concept described herein. Accordingly, it is the claims set forth below, and not merely the foregoing illustration, that claim to define the claimed exclusive rights.

Claims (19)

CHAPTER CLAIMEDICATORÍO Having described the invention, it is considered as a novelty and, therefore, the content is claimed in the following CLAIMS:

1. An optical leak detector for a cooling system, the cooling system includes at least one channel of the refrigerant, through which the refrigerant flows, the detector is characterized in that it comprises: a light source, the light source is operatively coupled to a first optical fiber, the first optical fiber connects the light source, to a first probe, the first probe is functionally effective to the transmission of light; a light detector, the light detector is coupled to a second optical fiber, the second optical fiber connects the light detector to a second probe, the second probe is functionally effective to receive light from the light source; a conversion device, the conversion device is operatively coupled to the light detector, the conversion device generates an electronic signal adjusted in response to the light emitted by the light source and received by the light detector, where the signal Adjusted electronics vary functionally with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant, through an optical path formed between the light source and the light detector; and a control system for receiving the adjusted electronic signal from the conversion device, the control system functionally responds to the electronic signal, to provide an indication of at least one leak in the pressurized cooling system.

The optical leak detector according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the probes is selected from the group consisting of a high pressure probe, a high temperature probe, and a high pressure, high temperature probe .

3. The optical leakage detector according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the probes is a sapphire probe.

4. The optical leak detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the light source is a coherent light source.

The optical leak detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the light detector is selected from the group consisting of a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube and a load coupled device.

The optical leak detector according to claim 1, characterized in that the conversion device comprises: an amplifier coupled to the first light detector, the amplifier is functionally effective to amplify the electronic signals of the light detector, and a coupled transducer To the amplifier, the transducer is functionally effective to receive the electronic signal from the amplifier and generate the adjusted electronic signal for the control system.

7. An optical leak detector for a low pressure cooling system, the low pressure cooling system includes at least one channel of the refrigerant, through which the refrigerant flows, the optical leak detector is characterized in that it comprises: light source, the light source is operatively coupled to a first optical fiber, the first optical fiber connects the light source, to a first probe, the first probe is functionally effective to the transmission of light; a light detector, the light detector is coupled to a second optical fiber, the second optical fiber connects the light detector to a second probe, the second probe is functionally effective to receive light from the light source; an exhaust pipe, the exhaust pipe is operatively coupled to the coolant channel, and is functionally effective to receive the coolant and any trapped bubbles from the coolant channel, the exhaust pipe is positioned between the first and second probes; a conversion device, the conversion device is operatively coupled to the light detector, the conversion device generates an electronic signal adjusted in response to the light emitted by the light source and received by the light detector, where the signal Adjusted electronics vary functionally with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant, through an optical path formed between the light source and the light detector; and a control system for receiving the adjusted electronic signal from the conversion device, the control system functionally responds to the electronic signal, to provide an indication of at least one leak in the low pressure cooling system.

8. The optical leakage detector according to claim 7, characterized in that the exhaust pipe is a tube with high pressure sight.

9. The optical leak detector according to claim 7, characterized in that the light source is a coherent light source.

The optical leak detector according to claim 7, characterized in that the light detector is selected from the group consisting of a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube and a load-coupled device.

The optical leak detector according to claim 7, characterized in that the conversion device comprises: an amplifier coupled to the first light detector, the amplifier is functionally effective to amplify the electronic signals of the light detector, and a coupled transducer To the amplifier, the transducer is functionally effective to receive the electronic signal from the amplifier and generate the adjusted electronic signal for the control system.

12. An optical leak detector for a high-pressure cooling system, the cooling system includes at least one channel of the refrigerant, through which the refrigerant flows, the optical leak detector is characterized in that it comprises: a first source of light, the first light source is operatively coupled to a first optical fiber, the first optical fiber connects the first light source, to a first probe, the first probe is functionally effective for the transmission of light; a first light detector, the first light detector is coupled to a second optical fiber, the second optical fiber connects the first light detector to a second probe, the second probe is functionally effective to receive light from the first light source; a second light source, the second light source is operatively coupled to a third optical fiber, the third optical fiber connects the second light source, to a third probe, the third probe is functionally effective for the transmission of light; a second light detector, the second light detector is coupled to a fourth optical fiber, the fourth optical fiber connects the second light detector to a fourth probe, the fourth probe is functionally effective to receive light from the second light source; a channel tube, the channel tube defines the coolant channel, the channel tube has four threaded holes, the threaded holes are operatively coupled to the probes; a conversion device, the conversion device is operatively coupled to both of the first and second light detectors, the conversion device generates an electronic signal adjusted in response to the light emitted by the light sources and received by the light detectors. light, where the adjusted electronic signal varies functionally with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant, through an optical path formed between the light source and the light detector; and a control system for receiving the adjusted electronic signal from the conversion device, the control system functionally responds to the electronic signal, to provide an indication of at least one leak in the high pressure cooling system.

The optical leak detector according to claim 12, characterized in that the conversion device comprises: at least two amplifiers coupled to the first and second light detectors, the amplifiers are functionally effective for amplifying the electronic signals of the first and second detectors of light; a functionally effective adder for generating a combined electronic signal in response, for adding an electronic signal from the first light detector, to an electronic signal from the second light detector; and a transducer coupled to the adder, the transducer is functionally effective to receive the combined electronic signal of the adder, and generate the combined electronic signal for the control system.

The optical leak detector according to claim 12, characterized in that the light source is a coherent light source.

15. The optical leak detector according to claim 12, characterized in that the light detector is selected from the group consisting of a photodiode, a phototransistor, a photomultiplier tube and a charge coupled device.

16. The optical leak detector according to claim 12, characterized in that at least one of the probes is selected from the group consisting of a high pressure probe, a high temperature probe and a high pressure, high probe. temperature.

17. The optical leakage detector according to claim 16, characterized in that at least one of the probes is a sapphire probe.

18. A method for optically detecting leaks, characterized in that the method includes: transmitting light from a light source; detect light from the light source; generate an electronic signal adjusted in response to the detected light; and analyzing the electronic signal to determine if a leak is present in the cooling system. A method for optically detecting leaks in the refrigerant flow of a pressurized cooling system characterized in that the method includes: transmitting light through the flow of refrigerant from a light source to a light detector; generating an electronic signal adjusted from the light detector, in response to the transmitted light, where the adjusted electronic signal varies functionally with the crossing of a bubble in the refrigerant flow, through the optical path formed between the light source and the light detector; and analyzing the electronic signal to determine if a leak is present in the cooling system.