Variable path length spectrophotometric probe

Patent · 01 January 1992

OSTI ID:868571

O'Rourke, Patrick E ^[1]; McCarty, Jerry E ^[2]; Haggard, Ricky A ^[3]

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1. 157 Greenwood Dr., Martiney, GA 30907
2. 104 Recreation Dr., Aiken, SC 29803
3. 1144 Thornwood Drive, North Augusta, SC 29891

A compact, variable pathlength, fiber optic probe for spectrophotometric measurements of fluids in situ. The probe comprises a probe body with a shaft having a polished end penetrating one side of the probe, a pair of optic fibers, parallel and coterminous, entering the probe opposite the reflecting shaft, and a collimating lens to direct light from one of the fibers to the reflecting surface of the shaft and to direct the reflected light to the second optic fiber. The probe body has an inlet and an outlet port to allow the liquid to enter the probe body and pass between the lens and the reflecting surface of the shaft. A linear stepper motor is connected to the shaft to cause the shaft to advance toward or away from the lens in increments so that absorption measurements can be made at each of the incremental steps. The shaft is sealed to the probe body by a bellows seal to allow freedom of movement of the shaft and yet avoid leakage from the interior of the probe.

• Research Organization: WESTINGHOUSE SAVANNAH RIVER CO
• DOE Contract Number: AC09-89SR18035
• Assignee: O'Rourke; Patrick E. (157 Greenwood Dr., Martiney, GA 30907); McCarty; Jerry E. (104 Recreation Dr., Aiken, SC 29803); Haggard; Ricky A. (1144 Thornwood Drive, North Augusta, SC 29891)
• Patent Number(s): US 5168367
• OSTI ID: 868571
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/356/250/
absorption
absorption measurement
advance
allow
avoid
bellows
bellows seal
collimating
collimating lens
compact
comprises
connected
coterminous
direct
enter
entering
fiber
fiber optic
fibers
fluids
freedom
incremental
increments
inlet
interior
leakage
length
lens
light
linear
liquid
measurements
motor
movement
opposite
optic
optic fiber
optic fibers
optic probe
outlet
pair
parallel
pass
path
path length
pathlength
penetrating
polished
probe
probe comprises
reflected
reflected light
reflecting
reflecting surface
seal
sealed
shaft
situ
spectrophotometric
spectrophotometric measurements
spectrophotometric probe
stepper
stepper motor
steps
surface
variable
variable path