Patent ID: 7434446

Claim:
In a gas sensing system for measuring the character or a property of a gas dissolved in water at depth in the water column of the ocean or a river or lake, or of water or other liquid confined in a pressure vessel in an industrial process or storage application, the combination of: i) a gas sensor for detecting a characteristic or property of at least one gas presented to said sensor, ii) a gas absorption means for effecting the transfer of gas dissolved in said water or other liquid under pressure into a sample gas volume to provide sample gas, and iii) the sample gas volume being connected to pass gas present therein to the gas sensor through sample gas circulation tubing; said gas absorption means comprising: a) a semi-permeable membrane admitting the transfer of gas while substantially excluding the penetration of liquid, such membrane being in the form of tubing having an outside surface, a tubing wall, an inside tubing wall surface and an inner core volume; and b) an internal support present within the inner core volume, the internal support having multiple spaced supporting surfaces which are presented to the inside tubing wall surface to provide support for said tubing wall against a pressure differential existing between the exterior of the tubing wall and the inner core volume, c) wherein the sample gas circulation tubing communicates with the inner core volume of said gas absorption means for carrying sample gas present therein to said gas sensor, whereby gas dissolved in the liquid when present outside the tubing wall having the outside surface may pass through said tubing wall into the inner core volume and be transported by the sample gas circulation means to the gas sensor for detection of the gas that has passed through the tubing wall.