Sniffer probe having a bypass opening, for a gas leak detector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12540874-B2
Application number	US-202118020554-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2021
Priority date	Aug 17, 2020
Publication date	Feb 3, 2026
Grant date	Feb 3, 2026

Abstract

A sniffer probe for a gas leak detector, which gas leak detector has a vacuum pump for drawing in gas through the sniffer probe in accordance with the sniffing principle and a gas detector for analyzing the gas flow drawn in, the sniffer probe comprising: a gas inlet for the gas flow drawn in, a gas outlet, which can be connected to the gas leak detector, and a channel, which gas-conductingly connects the gas inlet to the gas outlet, is characterized in that the sniffer probe has a bypass opening, which gas-conductingly connects a portion of the channel located between the gas inlet and the gas outlet to the outer environment of the sniffer probe, the bypass opening having an actuatable closure for selectively opening and closing the bypass opening.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A sniffer probe for a gas leak detector, which gas leak detector has a vacuum pump for drawing in gas flow through the sniffer probe in accordance with a sniffing principle and a gas detector for analyzing the gas flow drawn in, the sniffer probe comprising a gas inlet for the gas flow drawn in, a gas outlet, which can be connected to the gas leak detector, and a channel, which connects the gas inlet to the gas outlet in a gas conducting manner,
wherein the sniffer probe has a bypass opening, which connects a section of the channel located between the gas inlet and the gas outlet to the outer environment of the sniffer probe in a gas conducting manner, the bypass opening having an actuatable closure for selectively opening and closing the bypass opening, such that when the bypass opening is open a portion of the gas flow supplied to the detector is drawn through the bypass opening while another portion of the gas flow supplied to the detector is drawn through the gas inlet.

2 . A sniffer probe for a gas leak detector, which gas leak detector has a vacuum pump for drawing in gas flow through the sniffer probe in accordance with a sniffing principle and a gas detector for analyzing the gas flow drawn in, the sniffer probe comprising a gas inlet for the gas flow drawn in, a gas outlet, which can be connected to the gas leak detector, and a channel, which connects the gas inlet to the gas outlet in a gas conducting manner,
wherein
the sniffer probe comprises a bypass attachment that comprises a bypass gas inlet, a bypass gas outlet connectable to the gas inlet of the sniffer probe and a bypass channel connecting the bypass gas inlet to the bypass gas outlet in a gas conducting manner,
the bypass attachment comprising a bypass opening which connects a section of the bypass channel located between the bypass gas inlet and the bypass gas outlet to the outer environment of the bypass attachment in a gas conducting manner, and the bypass attachment being detachably connectable to the sniffer probe in such a manner that, in the connected state, the bypass gas outlet is connected to the gas inlet of the sniffer probe in a gas conducting manner, such that when the bypass opening is open a portion of the gas flow supplied to the detector is drawn through the bypass opening while another portion of the gas flow supplied to the detector is drawn through the gas inlet.

3 . The sniffer probe according to claim 1 , wherein one or both of the bypass opening and the channel are dimensioned such that, when the bypass opening is opened, the total flow of the gas flows through the bypass opening and through the gas inlet is essentially equal to the gas flow through the gas inlet when the bypass opening is closed.

4 . The sniffer probe according to claim 2 , wherein one or both of the bypass opening and the bypass channel are dimensioned such that, when the bypass attachment is connected, the total flow of the gas flows through the bypass opening and through the gas inlet is essentially equal to the gas flow through the gas inlet when the bypass attachment is removed.

5 . The sniffer probe according to claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the bypass opening is arranged in a plane that extends parallel to the main flow direction of the drawn gas in the channel or in the bypass channel.

6 . The sniffer probe according to claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the closure is a slider displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the channel along the outer surface of the sniffer probe or the bypass attachment.

7 . The sniffer probe according to claim 6 , wherein the slider surrounds the sniffer probe or the bypass attachment on the outside in an annular shape or as a ring section.

8 . The sniffer probe according to claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the bypass opening is arranged at a distance of approximately or at least about 0.5 cm or at least about 2 cm from the gas inlet or from the bypass gas inlet.

9 . The sniffer probe according to claim 1 or claim 2 , wherein the bypass opening is dimensioned such that the gas flow through the bypass opening is at least approximately five times the gas flow through the gas inlet.

Assignees

• Inficon Gmbh

Inventors

• Decker Silvio
• Weiss Sebastian

Classifications

• G01M3/04 Primary

  by detecting the presence of fluid at the leakage point · CPC title

• G01M3/205 Primary

  Accessories or associated equipment; Pump constructions · CPC title