Nalco Chemical Company

Ecolab USA Inc.

Nalco Company

Ondeo Nalco Company

John E. Hoots

Donald a. Johnson

Rodney H. Banks

Rodney H Banks

John E Hoots

Robert L Wetegrove

Anthony Wayne Erickson

Mita Chattoraj

Arthur J Kahaian

Joe L Schwartz

Donald A Johnson

Peter J Fernholz

William A Von Drasek

Dmitri L Kouznetsov

Gary Samuel Furman, Jr

Eugene Tokhtuev

Jitendra T Shah

Michael Robert St John

Sergey M Shevchenko

Gary S Furman, Jr

Sascha Welz

Robert R Adams

David A Ambrose

James L Thomas

Steven R Ciota

Charles C Payne

Michael J Murcia

Kun Xiong

Ronald V Davis

Caleb Power

Zhiyi Zhang

Nathan Richard Ortmann

David P Workman

Claudia C Pierce

Richard Joseph Walsh

Roger W Fowee

Narasimha M Rao

Hui Li

David Ira Weinstein

Elaine Patricia Black

Michael James Fehr

Alexandra Knoth

Sascha J Welz

Evan Hendrickson

Sasireka S Ramesh

Gary L Horacek

Nancy L Casselman

Robert J Wetegrove

Ling Liang

Patrick P Chen

Michael W Willer

Olivier Clot

Alexandra M Knoth

Gary S Furman

During the production of consumable liquids such as milk, soup, and juice, the liquid consumable may be transferred from one location to another location through a fluid conduit. For example, a consumable liquid may be transferred from a storage tank to another destination through piping. At the end of the process, the piping may be purged with a flushing fluid to push the liquid consumable remaining in the piping to the end destination, thus preventing the volume of liquid remaining in the piping from being wasted. To control the flushing processing, fluid flowing through the piping may be fluorometrically analyzed to determine a concentration of product in the fluid. The flushing liquid can then be controlled based on the determined concentration. For example, the supply of flushing liquid may be terminated when the concentration of product falls below a threshold, indicating the flushing liquid is diluting the liquid consumable.

Product yield loss management

Methods for analyzing a fluid sample can include providing a sensor comprising a non-conductive housing and having a first face and an electrode array mounted in the first face. The method can include disposing the first face of the housing into a fluid sample to be analyzed, selecting a mode of operation, and initiating sensor operation. Modes of operation can include electrochemical operation and conductivity analysis, and can be selected via positioning a switch. The method can include receiving information from the sensor regarding at least one parameter of the fluid. Such parameters can include a concentration of a target constituent in the fluid sample, combined concentrations of different species within the fluid sample, and/or information indicative of the conductivity of the fluid sample.

Electrochemical sensor and method of using same

A calibration material may be used to calibrate an optical sensor to help ensure that the optical sensor produces accurate measurements. In some examples, the calibration material may be used to calibrate both turbidity measurements made by an optical sensor and fluorometric measurements made by the same optical sensor. The calibration material may be an aqueous mixture that includes water in an amount greater than 70 percent by weight of the composition, inorganic, water-insoluble, light-scattering particles, and a viscosity modifier in an amount effective to maintain the inorganic, water-insoluble, light-scattering particles in suspension in the composition. The composition can be non-fluorescing when exposed to ultraviolet light. In addition, in some applications, the composition is formulated of food safe ingredients, allowing the composition to be used in facilities that process consumable foods and beverages.

Techniques and materials for calibrating optical sensors

In situ optical analysis of bacterial endospores can be inhibited when the endospores are present within an optically active carrier medium. To help isolate the endospores from the carrier medium, in some examples, the carrier medium is passed through a hydrophobic material that captures the endospores via hydrophobic attraction. Subsequently, a germination fluid and lanthanide source, such as terbium, can be added to the bacterial endospores captured on the hydrophobic material to form a lanthanide-dipicolinic acid complex in the germination fluid. The germination fluid can then be optically analyzed by measuring the fluorometric response of the lanthanide-dipicolinic acid complex to determine a concentration of the bacterial endospores in the carrier medium.

Endospore detection using hydrophobic collection material

A chemical sensor may include an electrode array for electrically interfacing with a fluid sample. The sensor can apply an electrical potential to the sample in order to effect a current flow within the sample. The sensor can measure the resulting current through the sample and determine characteristics about the fluid sample from the current measurement. In one mode of operation of the sensor, the applied electrical potential can be controlled to cause desired electrochemical reactions, such as oxidation or reduction, to occur within the sample to determine the concentration of the oxidized or reduced sample constituent. In another mode of operation, the applied electrical potential causes a current to flow simply due to the conductivity of the sample. In various embodiments, the sensor comprises a controller and a switch for switching between various modes of operation and applying appropriate electric potentials to the sample.

An optical sensor may include multiple optical emitters configured to emit light into a fluid sample via an optical pathway. Light from the emitters can cause fluorescence from the sample and/or scatter off of the sample. Scattered and fluoresced light can be received by an optical detector in the sensor via the optical pathway, and used to determine at least one characteristic of the fluid sample. A second optical detector can provide reference measurements of the amount of light emitted to the sample. In one example, the optical detector can detect scattered and fluoresced light simultaneously. In another example, light is emitted and detected alternatingly. The sensor can be part of a system that includes one or more controllers configured to control the emitting and detecting of light to and from the fluid sample. The controller can use detected light to determine at least one characteristic of the fluid sample.

Multi-channel fluorometric sensor and method of using same

The invention provides a method and apparatus for determining the amount of various materials in a liquid sample. Because the apparatus is particularly resilient it can be used repeatedly with very harsh liquid samples such as boot water from an oil refinery. The apparatus uses at least one volume and/or concentration independent optical analysis method to determine at least one of: the pH, amount of chloride, and/or amount of iron in the sample. The optical property can be colorimetric, fluorescent or both and result from adding dyes, complexing agents, turbidity inducing compounds, and other optically effecting reagents to the sample. Because the measurements are concentration and volume independent they can be done continuously, quickly, and avoid the inconvenient start and stop procedures in prior art measurement regimens.

Method for determination of system parameters for reducing crude unit corrosion

The invention provides methods and compositions for monitoring and controlling the thickness of coating on a creping cylinder is disclosed. The methodologies involve a coordinated scheme of apparatuses that function to monitor various aspects of a creping cylinder coating so that the thickness of the coating can be determined.

Method and apparatus for monitoring and controlling the application of performance enhancing materials to creping cylindersto improve process

A method of measuring contamination in fluid that is expelled from a food processing system is presented. The method of measuring is carried out with fluorescence. The fluid is typically allowed to enter into an energy transfer system, but if the contamination exceeds a certain level, the fluid should be prevented from entering the energy transfer system. The fluid is generally comprised of water expelled from a sugar processing operation.

On-line detection of organic contaminant in condensate system of sugar production processes using fluorescence technology

The invention provides a method and apparatus for determining the amount of various materials in a liquid sample. Because the apparatus is particularly resilient it can be used repeatedly with very harsh liquid samples such as boot water from an oil refinery. The apparatus uses at least one volume and/or concentration independent optical analysis method to determine at least one of: the pH, amount of chloride, and/or amount of iron in the sample. The optical property can be colorimetric, fluorescent or both and result from adding dyes, complexing agents, turbidity inducing compounds, and other optically effecting reagents to the sample. Because the measurements are concentration and volume independent they can be done continuously, quickly, and avoid the inconvenient start and stop procedures in prior art measurement regimens. The method further includes using a BDD cell to oxidize materials (such as sulfoxy compounds) that would otherwise interfere with the optical analysis and/or to sparge the sample with gas.

Methods for monitoring scale deposition in a water-containing industrial process are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the water-containing industrial process is an aqueous cooling system. In certain embodiments, the methods incorporate fluorometric monitoring and control techniques along with a piezoelectric microbalance sensor. A particular embodiment of a piezoelectric microbalance sensor is additionally disclosed, along with at least one method for using the particular embodiment that is independent of whether fluorometric monitoring and control techniques are utilized.

Device and methods of using a piezoelectric microbalance sensor

Provided are automated methods for measuring soluble magnesium concentration in water using fluorescence. The methods employ the use of a pH-buffered liquid and a magnesium coordinating fluorescing reagent. In certain embodiments, the methods may further employ measuring total hardness concentration of the water by displacing any soluble calcium with soluble magnesium and then re-measuring the soluble magnesium concentration. Optionally, the soluble calcium concentration can be determined by subtracting the measured soluble magnesium concentration from the measured total hardness concentration.

Water hardness monitoring via fluorescence

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Aurora, IL, United States of America

Rodney H Banks