Hydrogen sensor element for measuring concentration of hydrogen gas dissolved in liquid and method for measuring concentration of hydrogen gas using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9977006-B2
Application number	US-201415021609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 11, 2014
Priority date	Sep 12, 2013
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

The present invention couples a housing including a gas separation membrane to a sensor unit capable of detecting the concentration of hydrogen gas such that liquid cannot permeate a closed space within the housing and only hydrogen gas dissolved in the liquid can permeate the closed space through the gas separation membrane, and detachably couples such a hydrogen sensor element to an opening of a container in which the liquid is held. Accordingly, the present invention can measure the concentration of dissolved hydrogen gas in a simple manner.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydrogen sensor device for measuring a concentration of dissolved hydrogen gas in liquid, the hydrogen sensor device comprising:
a sensor unit measuring a concentration of hydrogen gas; and
a housing coupled to the sensor unit and including a housing body having an opening portion formed in at least a part thereof and a gas separation film coupled to the opening portion to be liquidly sealed,
wherein a sealing space isolated from the liquid and external air is formed in the housing by the housing body and the gas separation film, and
the gas separation film penetrates the dissolved hydrogen gas in the liquid into the sealing space,
wherein the sensor unit includes:
a hetero-assembly of an oxygen ion conductor and a hydrogen ion conductor,
a sensing electrode formed on the surface of the hydrogen ion conductor,
a reference electrode formed on the surface of the oxygen ion conductor, and
an electromotive force measuring unit measuring electromotive force between the reference electrode and the sensing electrode,

wherein the sensing electrode is exposed to the sealing space,
wherein the reference electrode is in communication with the external air or is covered with a reference substance that fixes oxygen partial pressure at the reference electrode side, and
wherein as the concentration of the dissolved hydrogen gas is changed, the electromotive force is changed.

2. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pumping unit pumping oxygen in the sealing space to the outside to remove the oxygen,
wherein the pumping unit is coupled to the housing.

3. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 2 , wherein the pumping unit is integrally formed with the sensor unit.

4. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 1 or 2 , further comprising:
a fixing cap for coupling the gas separation film to the housing.

5. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the sealing space in the housing is filled with a filling material.

6. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 1 or 2 , further comprising:
a heater for heating the sensor unit up to a sensing temperature.

7. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 1 or 2 , wherein the hydrogen sensor device is a hydrogen sensor device coupled to an opening portion of a container containing the liquid to measure the concentration of the dissolved hydrogen gas in the liquid contained in the container, and
wherein the gas separation film is in communication with the inside of the container through the opening portion to penetrate the dissolved hydrogen gas in the liquid into the sealing space.

8. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 7 , wherein while a sealing member is inserted between the gas separation film and the opening portion and between the housing body and the gas separation film, the sealing member is coupled to the opening portion.

9. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 7 , further comprising:
at least one of a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the sensor unit and a liquid inflow sensor for sensing whether the liquid flows in.

10. A hydrogen sensor device for measuring a concentration of dissolved hydrogen gas in liquid, the hydrogen sensor device comprising:
a sensor unit measuring a concentration of hydrogen gas;
a housing coupled to the sensor unit and including a housing body having an opening portion formed in at least a part thereof and a gas separation film coupled to the opening portion to be liquidly sealed, a sealing space isolated from the liquid and external air being formed in the housing by the housing body and the gas separation film, the gas separation film penetrating the dissolved hydrogen gas in the liquid into the sealing space; and
a pumping unit pumping oxygen in the sealing space to the outside to remove the oxygen, the pumping unit being coupled to the housing,
wherein the pumping unit includes:
an oxygen ion conductor,
a heater substrate spaced apart from the oxygen ion conductor with a predetermined interval by a spacer, the spaced interval being provided to be in communication with the external air,
a first pumping electrode formed on one surface of the oxygen ion conductor at the sealing space side,
a second pumping electrode formed on one surface of the oxygen ion conductor at the external air side, and
a pumping power supply applying voltage or current between the first pumping electrode and the second pumping electrode, and

wherein the voltage or current is applied between the first pumping electrode and the second pumping electrode by the pumping power supply to pump oxygen at the sealing space side to the external air side.

11. A hydrogen sensor device for measuring a concentration of dissolved hydrogen gas in liquid, the hydrogen sensor device comprising:
a sensor unit measuring a concentration of hydrogen gas;
a housing coupled to the sensor unit and including a housing body having an opening portion formed in at least a part thereof and a gas separation film coupled to the opening portion to be liquidly sealed, a sealing space isolated from the liquid and external air being formed in the housing by the housing body and the gas separation film, the gas separation film penetrating the dissolved hydrogen gas in the liquid into the sealing space; and
a pumping unit pumping oxygen in the sealing space to the outside to remove the oxygen, the pumping unit being coupled to the housing,
wherein the pumping unit is integrally formed with the sensor unit,
wherein the sensor unit includes:
an oxygen ion conductor,
a heater substrate spaced apart from the oxygen ion conductor with a predetermined interval by the spacer, the spaced interval being provided to be in communication with the external air,
a hydrogen ion conductor attached to at least a part of the oxygen ion conductor exposed to the sealing space side,
a sensing electrode formed on the surface exposed to the sealing space of the hydrogen ion conductor,
a reference electrode formed on the surface of the oxygen ion conductor at the external air side,
an electromotive force measuring unit measuring the electromotive force between the reference electrode and the sensing electrode,
a first pumping electrode formed on the surface of the sealing space side which is not attached to the hydrogen ion conductor of the oxygen ion conductor,
a second pumping electrode formed on the surface of the oxygen ion conductor at the external air side, and
a pumping power supply applying the voltage between the first pumping electrode and the second pumping electrode,

wherein as the concentration of the dissolved hydrogen gas is changed, the electromotive force is changed, and
wherein the voltage is applied between the first pumping electrode and the second pumping electrode by the pumping power supply to pump the oxygen at the sealing space side to the external air side.

12. The hydrogen sensor device of claim 11 , wherein the reference electrode and the second pumping electrode are one electrode.

13. A dissolved hydrogen measuring device for measuring a concentration of dissolved hydrogen gas in liquid contained in a container, the dissolved hydrogen measuring device comprising:
a hydrogen sensor device coupled to an opening portion provided at one side of the container, the hydrogen sensor device including:
a sensor unit measuring a concentration of hydrogen gas,
a housing coupled to the sensor unit, the housing including a housing body having an opening portion formed in at least a part thereof and a gas separation film coupled to the opening portion to be liquidly sealed and having a sealing space isolated from the liquid and external

Assignees

• Korea Advanced Inst Sci & Tech

Inventors

• Park Chong Ook
• Kim Seong Wan
• Lee Dae Ro

Classifications

• G01N27/4074

  for detection of gases other than oxygen · CPC title

• G01N33/005

  H2 · CPC title

• G01N33/2841 Primary

  Gas in oils, e.g. hydrogen in insulating oils · CPC title

• G01N27/4114

  for detection of gases other than oxygen · CPC title

• G01N27/4045

  for gases other than oxygen · CPC title