Method and apparatus for determining the phase of a fluid
US5303557A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 12, 1993 |
| Grant date | Apr 19, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 12, 2013 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T137/7306
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for determining whether a fluid, such as a refrigerant, is a liquid or a gas. To determine whether the fluid at a predetermined level (14) of a storage container (20) is a liquid or a gas, fluid is withdrawn from the container at the predetermined level, depressurized under conditions that would cause it to become a gas if it is a liquid before such depressurization, then the temperature of the fluid after depressurization is measured and compared to a reference temperature that is or is related to the temperature of the fluid in the container. If the temperature of the fluid after depressurization and the reference temperature are approximately equal, one can conclude that the fluid withdrawn from the predetermined level is a gas. If the temperature of the fluid after depressurization is considerably lower than the reference temperature, one can conclude that the fluid withdrawn from the predetermined level is a liquid. Such a determination can be used, for example, in order to shut down an apparatus (3) for transferring a refrigerant into a receiving container when the liquid level in the container reaches a predetermined maximum level.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.