Patent ID: 8368894

Claim:
A sensing system comprising: a housing having an inlet with a cross-sectional area for receiving a fluid flow from a source and an outlet with a cross-sectional area for directing a fluid flow from the housing, wherein a longitudinal axis transverses a center of the inlet and the outlet; a flow conduit disposed in the housing and in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet, the flow conduit having a cross-sectional area that is substantially the same as the cross-sectional area of the inlet and the outlet, wherein a first length of the flow conduit along a first axis is larger than a second length of the flow conduit along a second axis and the first length and the second length simultaneously vary in an inverse relationship along the longitudinal axis, and wherein the first axis and the second axis are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing and the first axis is perpendicular to the second axis; a light source for illuminating the fluid in the flow conduit at a portion thereof wherein the first length is at a maximum along the first axis; and a sensor for detecting contaminants in the fluid based upon the illumination thereof.