Patent · US Expired

Method of physical-chemical analysis based on the control of interface tensions, and corresponding apparatus

US5479816A · kind A · utility

9Cited by
7References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateApr 22, 1994
Grant dateJan 2, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateApr 22, 2014

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2013/0275
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Process and apparatus for analyzing the characteristics of a liquid/fluid interface, especially in the presence of surface-active agents. A tensiometer operates according to the principle of the suspended drop and the amount of liquid injected in the drop is adjusted according to the value of the calculated interface tension; the volume of the formed drop is progressively increased as the interface tension tends to diminish. A drop-forming device (30) can acquire an image of the drop and read the drop contour (40), can calculate the interface tension based on the shape and the size of the contour, and can adjust the same. A method of high speed measurement of interface tension uses all the points in the drop contour and provides a value in less than a second with the aid of a microcomputer.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.