Patent ID: 6129895
Filing Date: 2000-10-10
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A portable fuel oxygenate additive analyzer system for field testing and analyzing oxygen and additive content in samples of fuels comprising:a portable controller including a housing, a power source mounted in said housing and generating direct current power, a microprocessor mounted in said housing and connected to said power source, said controller generating a direct current power signal and an oscillating input signal;a portable fuel cell separate from said portable controller, said portable fuel cell including a container for receiving a sample of fuel to be tested, at least two generally parallel plates mounted in said container, a phase locking oscillator circuit connected to said plates, a direct current conductivity plate mounted in said container, a conductivity converter circuit connected to said conductivity plate, a thermocouple terminal probe mounted in said container, and a temperature converter circuit connected to said probe;a cable connected between said portable controller and said portable fuel cell for applying said oscillating output signal to said phase locking oscillator circuit and for applying said direct current power signal to said conductivity converter circuit and to said temperature converter circuit;whereby when a sample of fuel is placed in said container in contact with said plates and said probe, said temperature converter circuit generates through said cable a temperature control signal representing a temperature of the fuel sample, said conductivity converter circuit gets through said cable a conductivity control signal representing a conductivity of the fuel sample, and said phase locking oscillator circuit generates through said cable a resonant frequency control signal representing a resonant frequency of the fuel sample;wherein said microprocessor is responsive to said temperature control signal for generating a temperature output signal representing the temperature of the fuel sample;wherein said microprocessor is responsive to said resonant frequency control signal, said temperature control signal and said conductivity control signal for generating an oxygen output signal representing an oxygen mass weight percentage of the fuel sample; andwherein said microprocessor is responsive to said resonant frequency control signal, said temperature control signal and said conductivity control signal for generating a type output signal representing a probable additive type of the fuel sample and for generating a volume output signal representing an additive volume percentage of the fuel sample.