The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 12, 2019
Filed:
Jul. 25, 2017
Mks Instruments, Inc., Andover, MA (US);
Peter Zemek, Groton, MA (US);
Robert M. Carangelo, Glastonbury, CT (US);
Hongke Ye, Chelmsford, MA (US);
Andrew Wright, North Andover, MA (US);
MKS Instruments, Inc., Andover, MA (US);
Abstract
Presented herein are systems and methods for quantifying trace and/or ultra-trace levels of a species—for example, HS or HO—in a natural gas line. The systems and methods employ a tunable laser, such as a tunable diode laser, vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL), external cavity diode laser or a vertical external-cavity surface-emitting laser (VECSEL) or a tunable quantum cascade laser (QCL). The laser produces an output beam over a set of one or more relatively narrow, high resolution wavelength bands at a scan rate from about 0.1 Hz to about 1000 Hz. A natural gas sample comprising a trace level of a species of interest passes through a flow cell into which the output beam from the laser is guided. An optical detector receives light from the flow cell, producing a signal indicative of the absorption attenuation from which the concentration of the trace species is determined.