APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MEASURING A GAS CONTENT OF LIQUID METAL AND PROBE USED THEREIN

Abstract: A probe (1) comprises a gas supply pipe closed at its lower end by a stopper (40) melting in the liquid metal, a gas collecting portion (14) for collecting the gas bubbling from the supply pipe through the metal, which portion is provided with a diaphragm (14) allowing gas to pass but retaining liquid metal, and a gas discharge pipe connecting to the gas collecting portion (14). A gas circuit (2) connects with one end to the gas supply pipe and with its other end to the gas discharge pipe. A gas detector (5) and a pump (6) are mounted in this circuit (2). A lance (11) through which the gas circuit (2) extends, contains the one portion (10) of a quick-acting coupling (9, 10) with two connectable portions (9 and 10), while the probe (1) contains the other portion (9) of the coupling (9, 10). Before measuring, the gas circulating in the circuit is dried.

Description: "Apparatus and method for measuring a gas content of l iquid metal and probe used therein". The invention relates to an apparatus for mea¬ suring a gas content of liquid metal, which apparatus coπ- tains a probe which is designed to be immersed in the liquid metal and which has in its turn a gas supply line which debouches at the end of the probe designed to be situated at the bottom, a gas collection section for col¬ lecting the gas which flows out of the gas supply l ine, which section is situated opposite the debouchment of the gas supply line and is provided with a diaphragm which allows gas through but holds back liquid metal, and a gas removal l ine which connects to the gas collection section via the diaphragm, which apparatus further contains a gas circuit, one end of which connects to the gas supply line of the probe and the other end of which connects to the gas removal line of the probe, at least one gas detector installed in said circuit and means installed in or on said circuit for causing gas to flow through the circuit, through the gas detector and the probe. The content of dissolved gases, and in particular hydrogen, in liquid metal has an important effect on the properties of the metal finally obtained. A high concen¬ tration of such gases not only results in brittleness of the metal but can also cause serious defects, such as "flakes or gas cavities". For this reason it is necessary to track the hyd¬ rogen content accurately in the case of metal and in par¬ ticular steel which has to meet high quality requirements, during the manufacturing process and, more particularly, during refining and casting, in order to be able to keep the gas content within defined limits. Apparatuses of the abovement ioned type are es¬ pecially designed for such hydrogen determina ion and are intended to replace the current hydrogen determination which consists in collecting a sample of the liqu d metal and analyzing it in the laboratory. With such apparatuses, a small ' olume of carrier gas may be caused to bubble through the liquid metal . Said gas is collected and passed round a closed circuit several times until an equilibrium has established itself between the gas in the metal and said carrier gas. The gas detector installed in the gas circui.t is used to determine the gas content, and more particularly the hyd- rogen content. An apparatus of this type is known from British Patent Specification No. 821,821. In the apparatus according to said patent speci- fication, however, the probe is permanently connected to the circuit and said probe is designed to be used for several consecutive measurements. Said probe therefore has to be produced from spe¬ cial material which is resistant to long-term residence in a bath of liquid metal, as a result of which said probe is relatively expensive and in practice can only be used for measuring the hydrogen content in baths containing metal having a relatively low melting point. Even in these cases the service life is limited and the replacment of the probe is fairly time-consu ing and expensive. Said probe has therefore not achieved a break¬ through for measuring the hydrogen content, for example, in I iquid metal. The object of the invention is to remedy said dis¬ advantages and to provide an apparatus for measuring a content in a bath containing liquid metal, said apparatus being relatively cheap to use and making measurement readily possible. For this object, the device for measuring a gas content of liquid metal contains a lance through which at least a section of the gas circuit extends, which lance contains one section of a qu ck-connection coupling hav¬ ing two sections which can be coupled to each other, while the probe contains the other section of the quick-connec¬ tion coupling on the side facing away from the collection section and at a distance from said collection section, which quick-connection coupling ensures a gastight con¬ nection to the gas supply line and the gas removal line of the probe in the coupled state of the sections of the two abovemen t i oned ends of the gas circuit. The probe is thus constructed as a throwaway probe which is used only for one or at most a l imited number of measurements. The probe therefore only has to be resistant to a relatively short residence in the liquid metal so that it can also be constructed for measurement in metal with a high me.lting point and can be produced from relatively cheap materials. The probe is separate from the lance on which the probe can rapidly and readily be fitted before immersion and from which the measuring probe can rapidly and read¬ ily be detached. The introduction of the probe is car- ried out in an easy and safe manner by means of the lance, which can always be reused. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the probe contains a thermal shield which su rrounds _ t he quick- connection coupl ing and the end of the lance adjacent to the probe . Said thermal shield has also to withstand the liquid metal only for a limited time and can be produced from cheap materials such as baked sand, paperboard and the l ike. -The gases which are liberated as a result of the possible combust on of said shield have hardly any effect on the measurement since said thermal shield is situated at a relatively large distance from the collect¬ ing section. In an expedient embodiment of the invention, the gas supply line and the gas removal l ine of the probe are concentric outside the quick-connection coupl ing section. Preferably, the outermost line contains a tube which connects the collection section to the quick-con- -i nection coupl ing section of the probe. In a preferably used embodiment of the invention, the apparatus contains means for opening the gas circuit and connecting the section thereof which communicates with the gas removal L ine to the open atmosphere. In this embodiment, at the beginning of the measurement, the carrier gas fed to the gas circuit can be allowed back into the atmosphere and the actual circulation of the carrier gas in a closed circuit through the probe, and thus the actual measurement, may therefore only be started after impurities are detected in the carrier gas for the first time. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the apparatus contains, n the gas circuit, several gas detectors and filters coupled thereto w ich can retain various gas components from the carrier gas. With this embodiment, several gas contents can be measured at the same t me wi h the same apparatus. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the diaphragm is produced from ceramic fibres bound with a binder. As a result of th s, the diaphragm has a low spe¬ cific gravity and its cooling effect on the liqu d metal s extremely low, so that measurement can be carried out in a liquid metal, the temperature of which is close to its solidification temperature. The invention also relates to the probe from the apparatus according to one of the prev ous embodiments. The invent on also relates to such a probe, the characterist cs of which cons st in that the gas collec- tion section and the diaphragm are together formed by a bell. From G8-A-821,821, an apparatus is known which has a probe, the collection section of which is a bell, but said bell s separate from the diaphragm and not porous. By giving the diaphragm itself the shape of a ' bell, the probe is more expedient and its construction is sim¬ pler. The invention also relates to a method for measur¬ ing a gas content of a bath of liquid metal, according to which a carrier gas is fed to the gas supply line through a probe which contains a gas supply line and a gas re¬ moval line, the lowermost ends of wh ch are situated near each other and which projects into 'the bath of liquid metal, said carrier gas is collected again after the gas whose content has to be measured has been exchanged with the bath, and it is fed via the gas removal l ine through a measuring apparatus in which the gas content is measured. In the apparatus described above, use is made of a throwaway probe -which is installed on a lance and is then immersed in the bath. Said throwaway probe has a limited residence time in the bath so that the measuring cycle, which may begin, for example, with a flushing of the gas l ines be- fore the carrier gas is pumped round through the gas de¬ tector and the actual measurement therefore begins, has therefore to be carried out fairly rapidly after the im- mers ion. In said method it may therefore happen that the actual measuring cycle is started too soon or too la te . In methods which use probes which are used for several measurements, it is also advantageous for the service l ife that the time of immersion of the probe is minimal so that, in these methods too, the measuring cycle should therefore be carried out as rapidly as possible after i mersion. The object of the invention is to remedy this disadvantage and to provide a method for measuring a gas content of liquid metal in w ich the measuring cycle is always carried out at the required instant. For this object, a probe is used of which at least one of the gas lines is sealed off by a seal which is opened immediately after immersion of the probe in the bath. Before said closed end is opened, pumping is car¬ ried out into the gas l ine having said end or said l ine is evacuated, the sudden pressure or flow-rate change on opening the closed end -Ms detected under these circum¬ stances and shortly after said pressure or flow-rate change, the measuring cycle is started and the carrier gas is passed through the probe. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the measuring apparatus is cal ibrated when said sudden pres¬ sure or flow-rate change occurs. The carrier gas can be fed to the measuring appa¬ ratus mmediately after the change is detected via the gas removal line n order to measure the gas content. In a remarkable embodiment, the measuring cycle is, however, started with a flush ng of the lines, car¬ rier gas being fed through the gas lines and be ng al¬ lowed to escape, and only thereafter is carrier gas passed through the probe and through the measuring ap¬ paratus for the purpose of the actual measurement. During the flushing, carr er gas may be fed simul¬ taneously to the gas supply line and the gas removal line, the carrier gas be ng allowed to escape nto the bath. Carrier gas can also be fed to one of the gas lines of the probe dur ng the flushing and removed via the other gas in the probe and allowed to escape to the open atmosphere . Dur ng the actual measurement, the carrier gas is preferably pumped in a closed circuit through the probe and the measuring apparatus. In a particular embodiment of the method according to the invent on, a probe is used, the gas removal line of wh ch has a collect on section at the bottom which is formed by a section of a tube of the line itself and by a disc-shaped d aphragm which is installed in said sec- tion and, on immersion, a carrier gas cushion is created beneath sa d d aphragm, which cushion is maintained dur¬ ing the measurement so as, in th s manner, to prevent con¬ tact of the metal with the diaphragm. In another particular embod ent of the method according to the invention, substances are added to the carrier gas in the colloidal or gaseous state which remove, by reaction, the surface-active substances in the carrier gas bubbles wh ch bubble through the metal and said sub¬ stances are removed by filtration after passage through the metal. In this embodiment, it is also possible, for exam¬ ple, to measure the nitrogen content. In yet another embodiment of the method according co the invention, dur ng the actual measuring cycle, a quantity of the gas component whose content in the metal is to be measured is added to the carrier gas in order to achieve the equilibrium concen ration of said gas com¬ ponent in the carrier gas more rapidly. The invention also relates to a probe which is obviously suitable for the appl ication of the method according to one of the preceding embodiments. The invention therefore relates to a probe for measuring a gas content of a bath of liquid metal, which probe has a gas supply line, one end of which debouches at the end of the probe designed to be situated at the bot¬ tom and a gas removal line for collecting the carrier gas which flows out of the gas supply l ine whose end is situa¬ ted in the vicinity of the lowermost end of the gas sup- ply line, and the characteristi s of which probe consist in that at least one of the gas lines is sealed by a seal which can be removed during the immersion. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the lowermost end of the gas supply line is sealed. In a remarkable embodiment of the invention, the sealed end of the gas l ine is sealed by a fusible plug which melts during the immersion in the metal bath. The invention also relates to a method for measuring a gas content, in particular a hydrogen con- tent, of a bath of l iquid metal with a low partial pres¬ sure of oxygen, according to wh ich method a- probe having a gas supply line and a gas removal l ine, the lowermost ends of which are to be immersed in the bath and are situated near each other, is immersed in the bath, a car- rier gas is suppl ied via a gas l ine to the gas supply l ine, said carrier gas is collected again after the gas whose content is to be measured has been exchanged with the bath and fed via the gas removal l ine of the probe and a gas l ine connected thereto via a gas detector in which the gas content is measured. A metal with a low partial pressure of oxygen is a metal with a high Hj r^O ratio, such as in the case of, for example, steel. In known methods -^ or determining the hydrogen content, fairly large correction factors, which cannot always be clearly justified theoretically, are used in the actual measurement based on the hydrogen content which s obtained by exchange in the carrier gas. Although a satisfactory result is obtained with said correction factors at h gh hydrogen concentrations, this is not the case at low hyd- rogen concentrations. The object of the invention is to remedy this disadvantage and to provide a method which makes possible a more accurate measurement of the gas content, in parti¬ cular of the hydrogen content, without such correction factors having to be used, which method can also be used for very low gas concentrations, in particular hydrogen concentrat ons, n the metal. For this object, the carr er gas is dried. Surprisingly, it has now been found that water or moisture, which is liberated on . iminers ing the probe in the bath from materials from which the probe is constructed, can cause interferences in the measurement. Moisture which is liberated may start to decompose at the high temperatures in the bath so that, in measuring the hyd¬ rogen content, not only the hydrogen from the bath is therefore measured, but also the hydrogen produced from the moisture. For the measurement of other gas contents such as, for example, a nitrogen content, the moisture liber¬ ated from the probe also appears to have a disadvan¬ tageous effect on the accuracy of the measurement. By remo ing the moisture from the gas which is passed through the probe, a very correct measurement is obtained. In a particular embodiment of the invention, dur¬ ing the measurement,, the gas s passed in a closed cir¬ cuit through the probe and the gas detector, drying of the gas being carried out during this circulation. The drying can be carried out both in the probe and upstream or downstream of the probe. The drying can be carried out in the usual manner; either by dry means such as silica gel or, if the drying " is carried out outside the probe, by cool ing and conden¬ sation of the moisture. The invention consequently also . relates to an apparatus for measuring a gas content of a bath of l iquid metal with a low partial pressure of oxygen, which appa¬ ratus is particularly suitable for carrying out the method according to one of the preceding embodi ents. The invention consequently also relates to an apparatus for measuring a gas content, in particular a hydrogen content, of a bath of l iquid metal with a low partial pressure of oxygen, which apparatus contains a probe which is designed to be immersed in the liquid metal and which ' in its turn has a gas supply l ine, one end of which debouches at the end of the probe designed to be situated at the bottom, a gas removal l ine for col¬ lecting the gas which flows out of the gas supply l ine and has exchanged a gas whose content has to be measured from the bath, the end of which removal l ine is situated in the vicinity of the lowermost end of the gas supply line, which apparatus further contains a gas circuit, one end of which connects to the gas supply l ine of the probe and the other end of which connects to the gas removal l ine of-the probe, a gas detector installed in said circuit and means installed in or on said circuit for causing carrier gas to flow round the circuit, through the gas detector and the probe, the characteristic of which appa¬ ratus consists in that it contains drying means which a r e installed in or on the entity formed by the gas supply line of the probe, the gas removal line of the probe, the gas circuit and the gas detector. In a particular embodiment of the invention, the drying means are provided in one of the gas lines in the probe . Preferably, the apparatus contains a lance and the probe is a throwaway probe which is installed by means of a quick-connec ion coupl ing on the lance, of which quick-connection coupl ing a section is installed on the probe and a section on the lance, and which quick- connection coupl ing connects the gas supply l ine and the gas removal line of the probe to both ends of the gas circuit in a gastight manner, the drying means are dis¬ posed in one of the gas lines n the probe, the lowermost end of at least one of the gas lines in the probe is sealed in a moisture-tight manner by a seal which is opened when the probe is immersed in the metal bath and the upper¬ most end of said gas line in the probe is also sealed in a moisture-tight manner by a seal which is opened by coupling the sections of the qu k-connection coupling to each other. The invention finally relates to a throwaway probe obviously designed to be used in the apparatus according to one of the preceding embodiments. The inven ion thus relates to a throwaway probe for measuring a gas content, in particular a hydrogen con¬ tent, of a bath of liqu d metal w th a low partial pres¬ sure of oxygen, which probe has a gas supply line, one end of which debouches at the end designed to be situated at the bottom, and a gas removal line for collecting a gas which flows out of the gas supply line whose end is situa¬ ted in the vicinity of the lowermost end of the gas sup¬ ply l ne, the characteristic of wh ch throwaway probe con¬ sists in that it contains drying means n " at least one of the gas lines and said gas lin_e_iff " closed at both ends in a moisture- ight manner by breakable seals. Other features and advantages of the invent on will emerge from the description, which follows below, of an apparatus and a method for measuring a gas content of liquid metal and the probe used therein accord ng to the nvention; this descr ption is given solely as an example and does not restrict the invention; the reference numerals relate to the accompanying drawings. F gure 1 represents a block diagram of an appara¬ tus for measuring the hydrogen content of liquid steel according to the invention. Figure 2 is partly a section and partly a front view of the lowermost section of the probe from the appa¬ ratus n Figure 1. Figure 3 is partly a section and partly a front view of the uppermost section of the probe from Figure 1, but drawn on a larger scale than Figure 2. F igure 4 is partly a front view and partly a sec¬ tion of a filter from the apparatus in F igure 1. Figure 5 is a front view, partly cut away, of a probe si lar to that in Figure 2, but relating to another embodiment of the probe. Figure 6 is a front view, partly cut away, of a probe si ilar to those in Figures 2 and 3 or 4, but relat- ing to yet another embodiment of the probe. In the various figures, the same reference numerals relate to the same elements. The apparatus in Figure 1 is an apparatus for measuring the hydrogen content in l iquid steel. The apparatus contains essentially a probe 1 and a gas c ircui t 2, both ends of which connect to the probe and in which a filter 4, a katharo eter 5, a pump 6, a four-way stopcock 7, a pressure gauge 46 and a flow meter 8 a r e installed consecutively in the flow direction of the gas which is indicated in Figure 1 by the arrow 3. The probe 1 is a throwaway probe which is con¬ nected by means of a quick-connection coupl ing 9, 10 detachably to a lance 11, through which ends of the gas circui t 2 extend, and which is connected by means of the same quick-conne tion coupl ing 9, 10 to said two ends of the circuit 2. A bottle 12 containing pressurized nitrogen is connected by means of a supply line 13 to the four-way stopcock 7. Said four-way stopcock 7 closes, in one position, the gas ci cuit 2, the supply line 13 being connected " to the open atmosphere. The bottle 12 is, of course, then closerd. In another position, the four-way stop¬ cock interrupts the gas circuit 2 and it connects, on the one hand, the supply line 13 to the section of the gas circuit 2 which connects to the probe 1 v,ia the pressure gauge 46 and the flow meter 8 and it connects, on the other hand, the section of the gas cir-cuit 2 which comes from the pump 6 to the open atmosphere. The katharometer 5 is also of a construction known per se and is not described in detail here. Sa d katha¬ rometer determ nes the hydrogen content of the inert carrier gas by measuring the thermal conductivity of the gas. It is coupled to a microprocessor 45 which is con¬ trolled, inter alia, by the pressure gauge 46 and/or the flow meter 8. The probe 1 contains, as depicted in Figure 2, at one end a gas collection section which is formed by a bell 14 of porous refractory stone and at the other end, one section 9 of the quick-connection coupling- 9, 10 men¬ tioned above. The opening of the bell 14 is directed away from the sect on 9 and the bell s held at a distance from said section 9 by a quartz tube 15, to the ends of which the bell 14 and the section 9 are attached by means of cement 16. Extend ng axτally through the quartz tube 15 is a narrow quartz tube 17 which, on the one hand, projects into the section 9 and, on the other hand, extends through the bell 14 and is attached to said bell 14 ith cement. A limb of a narrower narrow quartz tube 18, bent over f8θ°, is attached by means of the cement 19 in the open end of the narrow quartz tube 17 extending outside the bell 14. The other limb of said narrow quartz tube 18 is directed w th its free end towards the open¬ ing of the bell 14. Said end is sealed By ~ a plug 40 of a material wh h melts at the t&mperature of the steel bath and which seals the gas supply line 17, 18, 27 be- fore the probe 1 is immersed in the metal bath. The cement 19 seals the tube 17 around the narrow tube 18 in a gastight manner. In the quartz tube 15, the narrow quartz tube 17 is additionally surrounded by a tube 20 of A1203. The end of the quartz tube 15 remote from the bell 14 and especially the section 9 of the quick-connec¬ tion coupling 9, 10 are surrounded by a sheath consisting of three concentric tubes adjacent to each other, namely an innermost tube 21 of paperboard, a middlemost tube 22 of paperboard and an outermost tube 23 of resin-bonded sand. The tubes 22 and 23 of said sheath are attached to the quartz tube 15 by means of cement 24. The sheath 21, 22, 23 extends at the side facing away from the ell 14 to appreciably beyond the section 9. The inside diameter of the innermost tube 21 corresponds to the outside diameter of the lance 11 whose end projects into said sheath when the lance is connected to the probe 1. The sheath 21, 22, 23 forms a thermal shield for this lowermost end of the lance 11 and particularly for the quick-connection coupling 9, 10. As is especially evident from Figure 3 the section 9 of the quic -connection coupling 9, 10 consists of a body which, on the immersion side, i.e. the side directed towards the bell 14 is provided with a collar 25 in which the quartz tube 15 is secured and is centrally provided with a hole 26 into which the end of the narrow quartz tube 17 projects. An axial hole 27, which connects to the hole 26 and forms a gas supply line together with the quartz tubes 17 and 18, extends through said body. The uppermost end of the axial hole 27 is sealed by a rubber stopper 41 which seals in a moisture-tight manner the hole 27 and therefore the gas supply line 17, 18, 27, before the sections 9 and 10 of the quick-connection coupling are coupled,and therefore before the probe 1 is installed on the lance 11. In ad i±ion to the axial hole 27, there extend through the body of the section 9 four holes 28 which de- bouch in o the space between the quartz tube 15 and the narrow quartz tube 17 and which, together with the last- mentioned space, form a gas removal line which is sealed on the immersion side by the porous bell 14 which forms a diaphragm and allows gas through, but holds back liquid metal. The diameter of the body of the section 9 of the quick-connection coupling 9, 10 decreases stepwise in the direction facing away from the quartz tube 15 and, spec ¬ fically, in ' a manner such that three inwardly indented collars 29, 30 and 31 are formed. The innermost tube 21 of the sheath 21, 22, 23 is up against the collar 29, si uated most outwardly and nearest the quartz tube 15, and is also up against the outside of the cylindrical section of the section 9 which is situated between the collars 29 and 30. The section of the body with a smaller diameter which is situated between the collars 30 and 31 is sur¬ rounded by an 0-ring 32 partly recessed therein. The abovement i oned holes 28 debouch in the collar 31. The cyl ndrical section extending outside the col¬ lar 31 is also surrounded by an 0-ring 33 partly recessed therein. The collars 30 and 31 and the 0-rings 32 and 33 interact with parts of the section 10 of the quick- connection coupling 9, 10, which section 10 forms a piece which is installed on the end of the lance 11. This section 10 is provided at its end with an axial circular hole 34 nto whi h the cylindrical section, situated between the collars 30 and 31, of the section 9 fits and is provided with a smaller axial hole 35 which, on the one hand, debouches at the base of the hole 34 and, on the other hand, connects to the end of the gas circuit 2 which is situated downstream of the flow meter 8. Around the hole 35 there extends, in the section 10, a channel 36 which, on the one hand, debouches at the base of the hole 34 and, on the other hand = , = coππec ts to the other end of the gas circuit 2 which just like the previous end, is attached in said section 10. These two ends of the gas circuit therefore extend through the metal lance 11. In the smallest hole 35 of the section 10 of the quick-connection coupling 9, 10 there is attached a mech¬ anical connecting piece 37 which has four sprung legs 38 provided at their ends w th thicker parts which, when the lance 11 is pushed into the sheath 21, 22, 23, are snapped in a sprung manner over the thickened head on the end of the section of the section 9 projecting outside the collar 31. When the lance 11 is pushed to the maximum extent into the sheath 21, 22, 23, as shown in Figure 3, the thickened parts on the ends of the legs 38 hook behind an outwardly directed collar formed at the point of the groo 49 in the end of the section 9 of the quic -connection coupl ing 9, 10 projecting out of the collar 31. The connecting piece 37 is provided with a channel 39, so that the hole 35 remains in communication with the end of the circuit 2. In the fully pushed-in position of the lance 11, an end of the section 10 is up against the collar 30 of the section 9 and the inside wall of the hole 34 is up against the 0-riπg 32 in a gastight manner. The inside wall of the hole 35 is up against the 0-ring 33 in a gastight manner. In this manner, the probe 1 is connected mechani¬ cally to the lance 11 by the connecting piece 37, but nevertheless detachably since, by exerting sufficient forc the legs 38 are able to spring apart so as to slide over the thickened end of the section 9. The gas removal l ine 15, 28 of the probe 1 formed by the tube 15 around the tube 17, and the hole 28 con¬ nects in a gastight manner via the channel 36 to one end of the gas circuit 2, while the gas supply l ine 17, 18, 27 formed by the tubes 17 and 18 and the hole 27 connect in a gastight manner to the other end of the gas circuit 2 via the central hole 35. In the coupled state of the quick-connection coupl ing 9, 10, a section of the hole 34 extending s mmetrically around the section 9 forms the connection between the hole 28 in the section 9 and the channel 36 in the section 10, while the axial hole 27 in the section 9 connects via the hole 35 to the channel 39 in the section 10 and, consequently, to the end of the circuit through which gas is fed to the probe 1. The sec- tion 10 can therefore be coupled in any position whatever of the section 9 and the lance 11 does not therefore have to be pushed into the sheath 21, 22, 23 in a well-defined pos i t i on . In a variant of the embodiment described above. the porous bell 14 is produced from ceramic fibres bound to each other by a binder, instead of from porous stone. This makes it possible to carry out measurements in liquid metal whose temperature is close to the solidif cation temperature. Connected to the connecting piece 37 s a hollow needle 42 which extends ax ally between the legs 38 and whose hollow part connects to an axial channel 39 trans¬ versely through the connecting piece 37. To install the probe 1 on the lance 11, the needle 42 is forced through the rubber stopper 41 into the hole 27 of the sec ion 9, so that if the legs 38 of the section 10 are snapped over the thickened head of the section 9, the needle 42 projects through the stopper 41 and connects the hole 35 of the gas supply line 17, 18, 27 with one end of the c rcuit 2 tuated in the centre of the lance and downstream of the flow meter 8. As s especially evident from Figure 2, the quartz tube 17 of the gas supply line 17, 18, 27 is partly filled with silica gel 43. Because said gas supply line is sealed in a mois¬ ture-tight manner at both ends, respectively by the fus¬ ible plug 40 and the rubber stopper 41, as a result of mounting the probe 1 on the lance 11, the drying means formed by the silica gel 43 does not absorb any moisture from the air. The entity formed by the quartz tube 15 with pos¬ s bly the bell 14, the projecting end- of the narrow quartz tube 17 and the narrow quartz tube 18 may also be surrounded by a cap of. metal which, for the sake of simplicity, is not depicted in the figures and is attached to the sheath 21, 22, 23 and which is surrounded by a cap of paperboard, likewise not shown in the figures. The cap of paperboard prevents the slag st cking to the metal cap i the probe 1 is introduced through a slag which is situated on the liquid metal, which metal cap prevents the probe 1 being damaged when the latter is introduced through the slag. Dur ng the introduction, the paperboard cap is burnt, while immediately after the introduction, the metal cap melts, whereafter the measurement can be carried out in the manner described below. As is evident from Figure 4, the filter 4 contains a tube 47 which is closed at one end and to the other, open end of which there connects a section 44 of the quic -connection coupl ing which is identical to the above- mentioned section 9 of the quick-connection coupl ing 9, 10. Corresponding parts of the section 44 have been given the same reference numeral as in the section 9. There extends axially in the tube 47 a narrow tube 48 which is open at both ends and one end of which terminates at a distance from the closed end of the tube 4 and the other end of which is secured in the section 44 and debouches into the axial hole 27 of the section 44. The space between the narrow tube 48 and the tube 47, which space connects to the holes 28 in the section 44,. is fi lled with filter material 50. The second section of the qu i c k-c onnec t i on coup- l ing which interacts with the section 44 is installed in the gas circuit 2, which second section is identical to the above en i oned section 10 of the quic -connection coupl ing 9, 10. For the sake of simplicity, said second ' section is not shown in the figures. The hole 35 and the channel 39 of said second section connect to the section of the gas circuit 2 which connects directly to the probe 1, while the channel 36 and the hole 34 of said second section communicate with the section of the gas circuit 2 which connects to the katha- rome te r 5. In this manner, said quic -connection coupling forms, in the same manner as the quick-connection coupl ing 9, 10, not only a rapid connection of the detachable fil- ter to the gas circuit 2, but also the junction of two axial l ines, namely the tube .47 and the narrow tube 48, with two parallel lines, namely the sections of the gas circuit 2 on either side of the filter 4. To carry out a measurement, the probe 1 is installed by means of the quick-connect on coupling 9, 10 on a lance 11, wh ch Lance is therefore pushed nto the sheath 21, 22, 23 of the probe 1, as a result of which the seal, formed by the rubber stopper 41, of the uppermost end of the gas supply line 17, 18, 27 is opened by the needle 42, as described above. " The four-way stopcock 7 is set in the position n which the supply Line 13 connects to the gas circuit 2, so that n trogen flows from the bottle 12 to the probe 1. Because the Lowermost end of the gas supply line 17, 18, 27 is still sealed by the fusible plug 40, nitro¬ gen w ll no Longer flow once said line has been filled and a relatively high pressure, which corresponds to the pres¬ sure of the gas bottle 12, will prevail in said line. As soon as the probe 1 is immersed n the bath of liquid steel, the plug 40 melts and nitrogen bubbles through the l quid metal, which nitrogen is collected in the bell 14 and is drawn off via the gas removal line 15, 28 and the circuit 2 via the f lter 4 and the katharo- meter 5 by the pump 6, which has been started in the mean¬ time. The melt ng of the plug 40 therefore defines the start of the measurement cycle which starts in turn th a flush ng. For a few seconds, the gas drawn off escapes at the posi i n of the four-way stopcock 7 into the open atmosphere, as a result of which any impurities which are produced when the probe 1 is immersed in the metal bath, for example by combustion of the constituents of the probe, a re removed . Either after flushing for ten seconds or when the katharometer no longer measures any impurities, the micro¬ processor 45 alters the position of the four-way stopcock to the position shown in Fwϊgure 1, in which the nitrogen consequently flows in a closed circuit around the circuit 2 and the probe 1 and the actual measurement begins. Even during the flushing, but also while nitrogen is circulating, any moisture which is still released, for example, from the probe 1, is absorbed by the s lica gel 43 in the narrow tube 17, so that no moisture is fed into the metal bath with the nitrogen and neither is any additional hydrogen consequently produced by l iberated moisture. After the dried nitrogen which has exchanged hyd- rogen with the metal bath has been pumped round for a short time, an equilibrium is established in relation to the hydrogen and the katharometer 5 indicates the correct hydrogen content . As a result of the absence of additional hydrogen which has been formed by moisture, no correction factor has to be applied and it is possible for even very low hydrogen contents to be measured. I-π a variant of the method described above, a probe 1 is used, of which not only the gas supply l ine 17, 18, 27, but also the gas removal l ine 15, 28 is sealed in an airtight manner at the lowermost end by a plug which melts on immersion in the bath. Because the belL 14 is porous, said seal should then be provided at the lowermost end of the quartz tube 15. The same device as in Figure 1 is used in that case, but the four-way stopcock 7 is replaced by a more complicated distribution device, so that, before the immer¬ sion, pressurized nitrogen from the gas bottle 12 is fed via both sections of the circuit, both to the gas supply l ine 17, 18, 27 and to the gas removal l ine and, more par¬ ticularly, the section 15, 28 thereof. As soon as the probe 1 is immersed, not only the abovementioned plug 40 melts, but also the plug in the quartz tube 15. The udden flow-rate or pressure change which is produced when the plugs- melt away is measured and imue-i diately after said changes, the position of the dist ibu- tion valve is changed and the operation of the katharo- meter 5 is started via the microprocessor 45 and the measuring cycle is therefore started as in the embodiment described above . In this variant, the microprocessor 45 can be con¬ trolled by a pressure gauge 46 which is installed in the section of the circuit 2 which connects to the gas removal line 15, 28. Said pressure gauge may n that case even be incorporated in the ka tharome ter . In yet another embodiment of the method the pro- cedure s as in the variant described above, but the posi¬ tion of the distribution valve is not changed immediately when the sudden flow-rate or pressure change occurs when the plugs in the gas lines 15, 28 and 17, 18, 27 melt away. The flushing at the beginning of the measuring cycle is therefore carried out both by carr er gas which is blown through the flow-rate meter 8, a section of the cir¬ cuit 2 and the gas supply line 17, 18, 27 into the metal bath and by carrier gas which is also blown nto the metal bath via the rest of the circuit 2, through the pump 6, which may possibly fac litate the flow of the carrier gas by rotating in the required direction, and the gas removal line 15, 28. Ten seconds after this blowing, the position of the distribution valve is in fact changed and the carr er gas is then fed in a closed circuit through the circuit 2 and the probe 1 and the actual measurement by the katharometer 5- therefore takes place. In all the embodiments described above, the mea¬ surement takes place at the correct instant, so that the measurement is always terminated before the probe 1 is destroyed by the heat of the metal bath. The dr ing means may be provided in the probe 1 in the gas removal line 15, 28 instead of in the gas sup¬ ply line 17, 18, 27 or they may be provided in both lines or even outside the probe anywhere in the gas circuit 2. For example, the filter 4 from the circuit 2 may be filled w th silica gel or another drying agent, instead of with filter material. The drying means can also be provided n the katharometer 5. It is important that no moisture enters the bath of liquid metal during the actual measurement. If drying means are provided in the circuit, they may also be formed by cooling means which remove the moisture from the gas in the circuit by condensation. The variant of the probe 1 shown in F igure 5 dif¬ fers from the embodiment shown in Figures 2 and 3, in that the collection section is not formed by a porous bell 14 but in fact by the immersion end of the quartz tube 15 it¬ self and by the disc 51 of porous ceramic material which closes off said tube around the actual quartz tube ' 17 at a distance from the open end of the quartz tube 15 and thus forms the diaphragm which allows gas, but no l iquid metal, through, and in that the tube 20 of AI O3 is replaced by a mass of small balls 52 which fill the space around the axial quartz tube 17 and between the disc 51 and the sect ion 9 of the quick-conne tion coupl ing 9, 10. Said small balls 52 do not prevent the passage of gas, so that the space between the quartz tube 15 and the central quartz tube 17 still forms part of the gas removal l ine of the probe 1 debouching at the porous disc 51. For the sake of simpl icity, the sheath 21, 22, 23 of the probe 1 is not shown in Figure 5. In said embodiment, a few granules 53 of. a chemi¬ cal element which forms stable oxides, such as chromium, zinc, titanium, aluminium, zirconium, calcium, magnesium or a lanthanide element are situated just above the disc 51 in the tube 15. In particular, zinc, magnes ium and calcium a r e appropriate since they are gaseous at the temperatures used and are particularly reactive. If the material of the diaphragm contains unstable oxides, said elements prevent hydrogen from the metal bath being con¬ verted into water, which would affect the measurement. Instead of granules of said elements, a thin layer of the element may be provided in a section of the tube 15 or the tube 17. The method for measuring with said probe is ana¬ logous to the method described above. When the probe 1 is immersed in the l iquid metal, said metal sol idifies for a short time against the diaph¬ ragm near the porous disc 51, as a result of which the gas removal temporarily becomes impossible. The measuring * * ' cycle can only start after a temperature equilibrium has ' establ shed tself and said solidified metal is liquid again. In order to prevent this and, consequently, to make more rapid measurement possible, the contact of the l quid metal th the porous disc 51 can be prevented by forming a gas cushion under said disc. The gas cushion is formed by the carrier gas itself. The diaphragm formed by the disc 51 has a relatively high flow resistance, as a result of which a pressure difference exists across said diaphragm. At the highest-pressure side, which is the bath side, a gas cushion at pressure P£ can be formed, while at the other side, the gas diffusing through the diaphragm is removed at a lower pressure P - j . The flow resistance differs, however, from dia- phragm to diaphragm and s not- constant during the mea¬ surement cycle. The pressure P of the gas cushion has therefore to be acti ely regulated, and this can be done by the flow-rate regulating valve incorporated in the flow- rate meter 8, the level 54 of the liquid metal in the probe 1 being detected by a sensor 55 which is formed by two electrical contacts which are secured at a distance below the disc 51 in the tube 15. In this embodiment, use is made of a multi-way stopcock 7 which, in the initial setting, in which car- rier gas is fed into the circuit from the bottle 12, feeds it not only via the flow meter 8 and the pressure meter 46 to the gas supply line 17, 18, 27 which is still closed by the plug 40, but also through the as yet non-operational pump 6 and katharometer 5 to the gas removal line 15, 28 of the probe 7. As a result of this, during the immersion of the probe 1, a very high pressure is produced at the top of the disc 51 and the metal cannot come into contact w th the disc 51. As soon as the plug 40 melts, a gas flow with a high flow rate is produced through the probe 1 and the metal bath and consequently, also through the disc 51. Carrier gas is now drawn off by means of the pump 6 along the gas removal line 15, 28, as a result of which the pressure above the disc 51 falls. By adjusting the cor¬ rect flow rate of the carrier gas, the gas cushion below the disc 51 can be maintained, even after flushing and during the actual measurement cycle, during which the carrier gas is caused to flow in a closed circuit round the circuit 2, the probe 1 and the metal bath. With this embodiment it is also possible to make measurements in liquid metals with a high partial ' pressure of oxygen, such as copper. The gas cushion prevents oxides forming in the disc 51, which gradually cause said disc to become blocked up. The embodiment of the probe 1 shown in F igure 6 differs from the embodiment in Figures 2 and 3 simply and solely as a result of a different construction of the sheath 21, 22, 23 which forms the thermal shield of the quick-connection coupling 9, 10. Although the innermost tube 21 is also produced from paperboard, the outermost tube , is a very thin paper- board tube, while the middlemost tube ' 22 is formed by means of resin-bonded sand. The production of this sheath is fairly easy. It is sufficient to introduce the sand together with the resin between the sheath 21 and 23 and to bake this entity in a furnace. The outermost sheath 23 of paperboard pro- tects the res in-bonded sand. In yet another embodiment, said outermost sheath 23 is produced from tinplate or even from plastic instead of from paperboard. The outermost sheath 23 may optionally be coated with a non-splash layer. By using filters based on zeolites and several katha rometers , the apparatuses described above may be used not only to measure, for example, the hydrogen content, but also to measure the content of other gas components simultaneously. For this purpose, in the apparatus as shown in F igure 1, the katharometer 5 is replaced by a battery of ka tha rometers connected in series, a gas com¬ ponent to be determined being filtered out of the gas after each katharometer except after the last one. The determination of the hydrogen, carbon monoxide and nitrogen content of a metal bath is carried out as follows. In the first katharometer, the total partial pressure of H j , CO and j and carrier gas is measured. The carrier gas then flows through the hydrogen filter based on zeo- lites n which hydrogen is filtered out. The f ltered gas then flows through a second katharometer, which measures the total partial pressure of CO, N j and carrier gas. After a CO filter which retains the CO, a third katharo¬ meter measures the partial pressure of N2 and carrier gas. After filtering out N2 in a t ird filter based on zeo¬ lites, a fourth katharometer measures the partial pres¬ sure of the carrier gas. By subtracting the measurement results from each other, the partial pressure of each of the gas components can thus be calculated separately. The difference between the measurement signals of the sec¬ ond and third katharometers gives, for example, the CO part al pressure . During the measurement of some gases, for example nitrogen, the transfer of the gas dissolved in the metal to the bubble of carrier gas which is bubbling through the metal bath may be impeded by surface-active sub¬ stances Cfor example oxygen and sulphur) wh ch are located on the inside wall of the gas bubble. To prevent this, said surface-acti e substances are removed by a reaction as a result of adding substances to the carrier gas in the colloidal or gaseous state, such as, for example, magnesium or calcium. Said substances are retained after reaction and upstream of the katharo¬ meter 5 by the filter 4 or an additional filter. To shorten the t me in which a good estimate of the equilibrium concentra ion of the gas component in the metal bath to be measured can be obtained and, in the case of very flow concentrations of the gas component to be measured in the metal bath, to prevent a relatively substantial fraction of said component being entrained with the carrier gas and thus disappearing from the bath as a result of the measurement itself, a quantity of the gas component to be measured may be added to the carrier gas during the actual measurement. This may be carried out either as a function of the measured change in the concentration of the gas to be measured in the carrier gas in the course of consecutive c irculations, or in accor' dance with a pre-programmed pattern. According to the first method, after the first circulation of the carrier gas in which the concentration of the gas component to be measured was known, the change of concentration of said gas component to be measured is measured by means of the probe 1 and the metal bath. The equilibrium concentra ion is estimated by means of a known pre-programmed saturation curve. Gas is added to the carrier gas until the concentration of said component almost reaches the estimated equil ibrium concentrat on. After this mixture of carrier gas and the gas component to be measured have been c irculated, the change -in concen¬ tration is measured again and the equil ibrium concentra¬ tion is again estimated in a similar manner. This proce¬ dure is repeated, if necessary, until the desired accuracy is achieved. According to the second method, before a circula¬ tion of the carrier gas, the concentration of the gas com¬ ponent to be measured in the carrier gas is measured in a known manner continuously or stepwise. The profile of the concentration of gas component as a function of time is therefore known. After a first c irculation of the carrier gas through the probe 1 and the metal bath, the katharometer detects an altered profile of the concentration of gas component as a function of time. Allowing for the time shift between the two pro¬ files, the point of intersection of the abovementioned profiles before the circulation of the carrier gas through the metal bath and the profile after circulation gives the required equil ibrium concentration. The measurement in the manner described above and with the apparatuses described above is very simple and rapid. For each measurement, it is only necessary for the probe to be replaced. The rest of the apparatus can al¬ ways be used again. As a result of the quick-connect on coupl ng, a replacement of the probe can be carried out very easily and rapidly. The f lter can also be replaced rapidly a s a result of the quick-connection coupling. The invention is by no means restricted to the embodiments described above and, w thin the scope of the Patent Application, many changes can be made to the embodi ments described in relation to the shape, the construc¬ tion, the arrangement, and the number of components which are used to implement the invention. In particular, the various sections of the probe do not necessarily have to be produced from the materials described above. Said materials depend, inter alia, on the metal bath in wh ch measurement is carried out. Thus, the diaphragm formed by the bell or the disc does not necessarily have to be of porous stone. Said diaphragm may, for example, also be produced from ceramic fibres. The outermost tube of the probe does not neces- sarily have to be produced from quartz either. Said tube may also be produced from metal which is coated with a ceramic material. To carry out measurements in liquid copper, the tube may be manufactured from uncoated steel. In the embodiment in which the lowermost section of the outermost tube itself forms the collection section along th the diaphragm, the complete tube may be pro¬ duced from porous material, the uppermost end of which is provided with a gastight and heat-resistant coating and the lowermost section of which forms a porous collec ion section together with the diaphragm. The thermal s ield does not necessarily have to consist of three concentric tubes. Said thermal sh eld may, for example, consist of a single sheath of resin- bonded sand or of paperboard. The measuring instrument in the gas circuit does not necessarily have to be a katharometer. Other detec¬ tion instruments which are able to measure a gas in the carrier gas maybe used. For measuring CO, C02, SO and H2S, it is possible, for example, to use a measuring instrument based on infrared radiation. The mechanical coupl ing of the section of the quick-connection coupl ing does not necessarily have to be made by sprung legs on the section which belongs to the lance. The section which belongs to the probe may be provided with sprung legs or be otherwise deformable in a sprung manner. The coupl ing has only to make a reliable mechanical connection possible which can be undone by ex¬ erting sufficient tensile force.

Claims: C L A I M S 1. Apparatus for measuring a gas content of liquid metal, which apparatus contains a probe which is designed to be immersed in the liquid metal and which has in its turn a gas supply line (17, 18, 27) which debouches at the end of the probe (1) designed to be situated at the bottom, a gas collection section (14 or 15, 51) for col¬ lecting the gas which flows out of the gas supply line (17, 18, 27), which section (14 or 15, 51) is situated opposite the debouchment of the gas supply line ( 17, 18, 27) and is provided with a diaphragm (14 or 51) which allows gas through but holds back liquid metal, and a gas removal line wh ch connects to the gas collection section (14 or 15, 51) via the diaphragm ( 14 or 51), which appar¬ atus further contains a gas circuit (2), one end of which connects to the gas supply line ( 17, 18, 27) of the probe (1) and the other end of which connects to the gas removal l ne (15, 28) of the probe (1), at least one gas detector (5) installed in said circuit (2 ) and means (6) installed in or on sa d circuit (2) for causing gas to flow through the circu t (2), through the gas detector (5) and the probe (1), characterized in that it contains a lance (11) through which at least a section of the gas circuit (2) extends, which lance contains one sect on (10) of a quick-connection coupling (9, 10) having two sections (9 and 10) which can be coupled to each other, while the probe (1) contains the other section (9) of the quick-connec ion coupling (9, 10) on the side facing away from the collection section (14 or 15, 51) and at a distance from said collection section (14 or 15, 51), which quick-connection coupling (9, 10) ensures a gastight connection to the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) and the gas removal line ( 15, 28 ) of the probe (1) in the coupled state of the sections (9 anad 10) of the two abovementioned ends of the gas ci cuit (2). 2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, characterized in that the probe (1) contains a thermal shield (21, 22, 23) which surrounds the quick-connection coupling (9, 10) and the end of the lance (11) adjacent to the probe (1). 3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, characterized n that the thermal shield (21, 22, 23) contains at least one tube (23) of resin-bonded sand and contains at least one concentric tube (21 or 22 ) of paperboard which surrounds the section (9) of the quick-connection coupling (9, 10) which forms part of the probe (1). 4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, characterized in that the thermal s ield (21, 22, 23) contains an innermost tube (21) of paperboard and a thin outermost tube (23), also of paperboard, while the space between said tubes (21 and 23) is filled by resin-bonded sand which forms the middlemost tube (22). 5. Apparatus according to one of the Claims 1 to 4, c aracterized in that the quick-connec ion coupling (9, 10) contains mechanical means (37 ) for coupling the two sections (9 and 10) thereof detachably to each other, which means (37 ) contain sprung legs (38) on one section (10) and a collar on the other section (9) of the quick- connection coupling (9, 10). 6. Apparatus according to one of the Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the gas supply line (17, 18, 7) and the gas removal line (15, 28) of the probe (1) are con¬ centric outside the quick-connection coupling (9, 10) section (9 ) . 7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, characterized in that the quick-connection coupling (9, 10) is of the type in which the lines couple to each other whatever the posi¬ tion of one section (9 or 10) is with respect to the other section (10 or 9). 8. Apparatus according to one of the Claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the outermost line (15, 28) contains a tube (15) which connects the collection section (14 or 15, 51) to the quick-connection coupling (9, 10) section (9) of the probe ( 1 ) . 9. Apparatus according to one of the Claims 6 to 8, characterized in that the ends of the gas circuit (2) connecting to the probe (1) extend parallel to each other and the quic -connection coupling (9, 10) contains the junction of said parallel ends to the concentric sections (17, 18 and 15) of the lines (17, 18, 27 and 15, 28) which are situated outside the qu ck-connection coupling (9, 10). 10. Apparatus according to Claims 7 and 9, character¬ ized in that the sect on ( 9) of the quick-connection coup¬ ling (9, 10) which forms part of the probe (1) has an a al hole (27) and at least one adjacently situated hole (28), while the other section (10) of the quick- connection coupling (9, 10) also has an axial hole (35) and an adjacently situated channel (36), and in the coup- Led condition of the sec ions (9 and 10), the first-named a ial hole (27) connects to the axial hole (35) of the other sec ion (10) and the other hole (28) of the first- named section (9) couples to the channel (36) in the other section (10) via an annular space which is completely separated from the ax al hole (27) of said section (9). 11. Apparatus according to one of the Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that one section (9) of the quick-con¬ nection coupling (9, 10) has two sealing rings (32 and 33), via which the other sect on (10) connects to the in¬ side wall .of the holes (34 and 35) in a gastight manner n the coupled condition. 12. Apparatus according to one of the Claims 1 to 11, characterized in that they contain means (7) for opening the gas circu t ( 2) and connecting the section thereof which communicates with the gas removal line (15, 28) to the open atmosphere. 13. Apparatus according to Claim 12, characterized in that it contains a source ( 12) of inert gas and a supply line (13) between said source (12) and the gas circuit (2 ) , while the means (7) for opening the gas circuit (2) contain a four-way stopcock (7) which, in one position, closes the gas circuit (2) and, in another pos tion, con¬ nects the section of the gas circuit (2) which communi¬ cates with the gas removal line (15, 28) to the open atmos¬ phere and connects the other section of the gas circu t (2) which communicates with the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) to the supply line (13). 14. Apparatus according to one of the Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that it contains, in "the gas circuit (2), several gas detectors (5) and filters coupled thereto which can retain various gas components from the flowing gas . 15. Apparatus according to Claim 14, characterized in that it contains a first gas detector, a filter for a first gas component, a second gas detector, a second fil¬ ter and so on, and after the last filter yet another gas detector. 16. Probe from the apparatus according to one of the Claims 1 to 15. 17. Probe according to Claim 16, c aracterized in that the diaphragm (14 or 51) is produced from ceramic fibres bound with a binder. 18. Probe according to Claim 16, characterized in that the diaphragm (14 or 51) is produced from porous stone. 19. Probe according to one of the Claims 16 to 18, c aracterized in that the gas collection section and the diaphragm are together formed by a bell ( 14) . 20. Probe according to one of the Claims 16 to 19, characterized in that the gas collection section ( 15, 51 ) is formed by a section of the tube ( 15) which contains the gas removal l ine (15, 28) and a disc-shaped diaphragm (51 ) in said section (15), while the probe contains a level- detector (55) which is installed beneath the diaphragm in said section ( 15) . 21. Method for measuring a gas content of a bath of l iquid metal, according to which a probe (1) which con¬ tains a gas supply line (17, 18, 27) and a gas removal line (15, 28), the lowermost ends of wh ch a e to be i m- mersed in the bath and are situated near each other, is immersed in the bath of liquid metal, a carrier gas is supplied to the gas supply tine (17, 18, 27), said carrier gas is collected again irv the course of a measurement cycle after exchanging with the bath the gas whose con- tent is to be measured, and is fed via the gas removal l ine (15, 28) through a measuring apparatus (5) in which the gas content is measured, characterized in that a probe ( 1) is used, of which at least one of the gas lines ( 15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) is sealed off by a seal (40) which is opened immediately after immersion of the probe (1) in the bath, before said sealed end (40) is open, pumping is carr ed out into the gas line (15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) having said end, or out from said line , the sudden 5 pressure or flow-rate change on opening the end (18) is detected under the circumstances and shortly after said pressure or flow-rate change, the measurement cycle s started and the carrier gas is passed through the probe. 22. Method according to the preceding claim, charac- 0 terized in that the measuring apparatus (5) is calibrated when said sudden pressure or flow-rate change occurs. 23. Method according to one of the Claims 21 and 22, character zed in that the measurement cycle is started with a flushing of the lines (15, 28 and 17, 18, 27), 5 carrier gas being fed through said lines (15, 28 and 17, 18, 27) and being allowed to escape, and only thereafter s carr er gas passed through the probe (1) and through the measuring apparatus ( 5 ) for the purpose of the actual measuremeπt . ° 24. Method according to Claim 23, characterized in that, during the flushing, carrier gas s fed simultane¬ ously to the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) and the gas removal line (15, 28), the carrier gas being allowed to escape into the bath. 25 25. Method according to Claim 23, characterized in that, during the flushing, carrier gas is fed to one of the gas lines (15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) of the probe (1) and s removed via the other gas line (17, 18, 27 or 15, 28) in the probe and allowed to escape into the open 30 atmosphere. 26. Method according to one of the Claims 23 to 25, character zed in that flushing is carried out for 1 to 10 seconds and only thereafter is the actual measurement s tarted. 35 27. Method according to one of the Claims 21 to 26, . characterized in that, during the actual measurement, the carrier gas is pumped in a closed circuit through the probe (1) and the measuring apparatus (5). 28. Method according to one of the Claims 21 to 27, characterized in that a probe (1) is used, of which the lowermost end (18 ) of the gas l ine (17, 18, 27) is sealed by a fusible stopper (40) which melts during the immer¬ sion in the bath. 5 29. Method according to Claim 28, characterized in that a probe (1) is used, of which the gas supply line ( 17, 18, 27) is sealed by a fusible stopper in its sec¬ tion to be immersed before the immersion. 30. Method according to one of the Claims 23 to 29, 10 characterized in that a probe (1) is used, the gas removal l ine ( 15, 28) of which has a collection section at the bottom which is formed by a section of a tube ( 15) of the line ( 15, 28) itself and by a disc-shaped diaphragm (51) which is installed in said section and, on immersion, a 1 carrier gas cushion is created beneath said diaphragm and said cushion is maintained during the measurement so as, in this manner, to prevent contact of the metal with the diaphragm. 31. Method according to one of the Claims 23 to 29, 0 characterized in that substances are added to the carrier gas in the colloidal or gaseous state which remove, by reaction, the surface-active substances in the carrier gas bubbles which bubble through the metal and said substances are removed by filtration after passage through the metal. 2 5 32. Method according to one of the Claims 23 to 31, characterized in that, during the actual measuring cycle, a quantity of the gas component whose content in the metal is to be measured is added to the carrier gas in order to achieve the equil ibrium concentration of said 30. g as component in the carrier gas more rapidly. 33. Method according to Claim 32, characterized in that, during the measurement, the carrier gas is fed into a closed circuit around the circuit (2) through the probe (1) and the gas detector (5), after the first circulation 5 or one of the first circulations of the carrier gas the change of concentration of the gas component in the car¬ rier gas is measured, the equil ibrium concentration is estimated on the basis of a "known, pre-programmed satura¬ tion curve, the gas component is added to the carrier gas unt l the concentration of sa d component almost reaches the estimated equilibrium concentration, the concentra¬ tion change is measured again after a subsequent circula¬ tion of the carrier gas, the equilibrium concentration is esti ated in an analogous manner, and, if necessary, this procedure is repeated until the est ated concentration is sufficiently accurate. 34. Method according to Claim 32, characterized in that, during the measurement, the carrier gas is fed in a closed circuit around the circuit (2) through the probe (1) and the gas detector (5) before a circulation of the carrier gas, the concentration of the gas component to be measured in the carrier gas is varied in a known manner and thus a concentration profile of the gas component as a function of time is obtained and, after said c rcula¬ tion of the carrier gas, the altered profile of concen¬ tration as a function of time is measured and said pro¬ file is compared with the preceding profile, allowance being made for the delay resulting from the circulation time. 35. Probe for measuring a gas content of a bath of liquid metal, which probe (1) has a gas supply line (17, 18, 27), one end of which debouches at the end of the probe (1) designed to be situated at the bottom and a gas removal line ( 15, 28) for collecting the carrier gas which flows out of the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) whose ' end is situated in the vicin ty of the lowermost end of the gas supply line (17, 18, 27), characterized in that at least one of the gas lines (15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) is sealed by a seal (40) w i h can be removed during the immersion. 36. Probe according to Claim 35, characterized in that the lowermost en,d (18) of the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) is sealed. 37. Probe according to one of the claims 35 and 36, characterized in that the gas line ( 15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) s sealed by a fusible plug (40) which melts during the i mersion in the metal bath. 38. Probe according to one of the Claims 35 to 37, characterized in that it is a throwaway probe (1 ) and contains means (9 ) for detachably coupling it to a lance ( 11) . 39. Method for measuring a gas content, in particular a hydrogen content, of a bath of l iquid metal with a low partial pressure of oxygen, according to which method a probe ( 1) having a gas supply line (17, 18, 27) and a gas removal l ine ( 15, 28), the lowermost ends of which a r e to be immersed in the bath and are situated near each other, is immersed in the bath, a carrier gas is supplied via a gas l ine to the gas supply l ine ( 17, 18, 27), said car¬ rier gas is collected again after the gas whose content is to be measured has been exchanged with the bath and fed via the gas removal l ine ( 15, 28) of the probe and a gas line connected thereto via a gas detector (5) in which the gas content is measured, characterized in that the gas is dried. 40. Method according to Claim 39, characterized in that during the measurement, the gas is passed in a closed c ircuit through the probe ( 1) and the gas detector (5), drying of the gas being carried out during this circula¬ t ion. 41. Apparatus for measuring a gas content, in parti¬ cular a hydrogen content, of a bath of liquid metal with a low partial pressure of oxygen, which apparatus contains a probe (1) which is designed to be immersed in the l iquid metal and which in its turn has a gas supply l ine (17, 18, 27), one end of which debouches at the end of the probe (1) designed to be s ituated at the bottom, a gas removal l ine (15, 28) for collecting the gas which flows out of the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) and has picked up a gas whose content has to be measured from the bath, .the end of which removal line is situated in the vicin*ity of the lowermost end of the gas supply line (17, 18, 27), which apparatus further contains a gas circuit (2), one end of which connects to the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) of the probe (1) and the other end of which connects to the gas removal line ( 15, 28) of the probe (1), a gas detector (5) installed in said circuit (2) and means (6) installed in or on said circuit (2) for causing carrier gas to flow round the circuit (2), through the gas detector (5) and the probe (1), character zed in that it contains dr ing means (43) which are installed in the entity formed by the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) of the probe (1), the gas removal line (15, 28) of the probe (1), the gas cir¬ cuit (2) and the gas detector (5). 42. Apparatus according to Claim 41, characterized in that the drying means (43 ) are provided in one of the gas lines C15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) in the probe (1). 43. Apparatus according to one of Claims 41 or 42, characterized in that it contains a lance (11) and the probe (1) is a throwaway probe which is installed by means of a quick-connect on coupling (9, 10) on the lance (11), of which quick-connection coupling a section (9) is instal¬ led on the probe (1) and a section (10) on the lance (11), and which quick-connection coupling (9, 10) connects the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) and the gas removal line (15, 28) of the probe (1) to both ends of the gas circuit (2) n a gastight manner, the drying means (43) ' are disposed in one of the gas lines (15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) in the probe (1), the lowermost end of at least one of the gas lines (15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) in the probe (1) is sealed in a moisture- tight manner by a seal (40) which is opened when the probe 5 (1) is immersed in the metal bath and the uppermost end of said gas line (15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) n the probe is also sealed in a moisture-tight manner by a seal (41) which is opened by coupling the sections (9 and 10) of the quick- connection coupling to each other. ° ; Apparatus according to Claim 43, characterized in that the gas supply line (17, 18, 27) of the probe (1) is closed at both ends, respectively by a seal (40), which is opened during the immersion and a seal (41) which is opened by coupling the probe (1) to the lance (11). 45. Throwaway probe for measuring a gas content, in particular a hydrogen -content, of a bath of liquid metal with a low partial pressure of oxygen, which probe (1) has a gas supply line (17, 18, 27), one end of which debouches at the end designed to be situated at the bottom, and a gas removal l ine ( 15, 28) for collecting a gas which flows out of the gas supply l ine (17, 18, 27) whose end is s ituated in the vicinity of the lowermost end of the gas supply l ine (17, 18, 27), characterized in that it contains drying means (43) in at least one of the gas l ines ( 15, 28 or 17, 18, 27) and said gas l ine is closed at both ends in a mo i s tu re-t i gh t manner by breakable seals (40 and 41) . 46. Throwaway probe according to Claim 45, character- ized in that the gas l ine (17, 18, 27) in which drying means (43) a r e provided is closed at its lowermost end by a fusible stopper (40) which melts at the temperature of l iquid metal . 47. Throwaway probe according to one of the Claims 45 and 46, characterized in that the gas line (17, 18, 27), in which the drying means (43) are provided, is closed at its uppermost end by an elastic stopper ( 41 ) which can be pierced by a hollow needle.

Inventors: MAES RUDI, PLESSERS JACQUES JOSEPH, MAES, RUDI, PLESSERS, JACQUES, JOSEPH
Applicants: ELECTRO NITE, ELECTRO-NITE INTERNATIONAL N.V.
Application year: 1988
Main classification: G01N33
IPC codes: G01N33