Apparatus with a self-cleaning electrode for sensing at least one parameter in water

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816962-B2
Application number	US-201314392028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 19, 2013
Priority date	Sep 20, 2012
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

Apparatus ( 2 ) for sensing at least one parameter in water, which apparatus ( 2 ) comprises: (i) at least one electrode based sensor ( 4, 6 ) for sensing at least one parameter in water; and which apparatus ( 2 ) is such that: (ii) the electrode based sensor ( 4, 6 ) has a self-cleaning electrode; (iii) the electrode based sensor ( 4, 6 ) has a reference electrode; (iv) the self-cleaning electrode is stable in water; (v) the apparatus ( 2 ) is configured to operate by liberating chlorine from the water using a first waveform applied to the self-cleaning electrode; (VI) the apparatus ( 2 ) is configured to operate by liberating chlorine and oxygen from the water using a second waveform applied to the self-cleaning electrode; and (VII) the apparatus ( 2 ) is configured to preserve the condition of the reference electrode by periodically regenerating the reference electrode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for sensing at least one parameter in water containing compounds of chlorine, which apparatus comprises:
(i) at least one electrode based sensor for sensing at least one parameter in water;

and which apparatus is such that:
(ii) the electrode based sensor has at least one sensing electrode which is also a self-cleaning electrode;
(iii) the electrode based sensor has a reference electrode;
(iv) the self-cleaning electrode is stable in water;
(v) the apparatus includes a single integrated digitally controllable electronic circuit comprising a digital controller and an amplifier; and
(vi) the single integrated digitally controllable electronic circuit:
(a) applies a first waveform to the self-cleaning electrode to liberate chlorine from the water;
(b) applies a second waveform to the self-cleaning electrode to liberate chlorine and oxygen from the water; and
(c) periodically applies a third waveform to the reference electrode to preserve the condition of the reference electrode by periodically regenerating the reference electrode.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the self-cleaning electrode is a platinum electrode or a palladium electrode.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the reference electrode is a metal chloride electrode.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the metal chloride electrode is a silver chloride electrode.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the electrode based sensor is a conductivity sensor for sensing conductivity in the water.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the electrode based sensor is an oxygen sensor for sensing dissolved oxygen in the water.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which there is more than one sensor, and in which all of the sensors are on a single substrate.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1 and including a depth sensor for sensing the depth of the water.

Assignees

• Univ Southampton

Inventors

• Morgan Hywel
• Mowlem Matthew Charles
• Huang Xi
• Pascal Robin William

Classifications

• G01N27/4166

  measuring a particular property of an electrolyte · CPC title

• G01N27/4168

  Oxidation-reduction potential, e.g. for chlorination of water (water analysis G01N33/18) · CPC title

• C25B9/00

  Cells or assemblies of cells; Constructional parts of cells; Assemblies of constructional parts, e.g. electrode-diaphragm assemblies; Process-related cell features · CPC title

• G01N27/413 Primary

  Concentration cells using liquid electrolytes {measuring currents or voltages in voltaic cells} · CPC title

• G01N27/38 Primary

  Cleaning of electrodes · CPC title