BR-112019014017-B1 - DEVICE FOR MEASURING THE AMOUNT OF OXYGEN PRESENT IN A GAS, AND AIR SEPARATION MODULE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device (1) for measuring the amount of oxygen present in a gas to be analyzed, said device (1) comprising at least one measuring member (3) for measuring the amount of oxygen, a first inlet (5) communicating with the measuring member (3) in order to supply gas to be analyzed, and an outlet (7) for the escape of the analyzed gas. According to the invention, the device (1) comprises a second gas inlet (6), communicating with the measuring member (3), allowing said device (1) to be selectively supplied with a standard gas having a known amount of oxygen, so that the measurement of the amount of oxygen present in the standard gas allows determining a possible deviation in the measurement obtained by said measuring member (3) relative to the actual known amount of oxygen present in the standard gas.

Inventors

• Olivier Vandroux
• Nelly Giroud
• Norbert Ponsinet
• Jorge Gaspar
• Gilles Delaitre
• Jean-Michel Cazenave
• Philippe Boggetto

Assignees

• SAFRAN AEROSYSTEMS

Dates

Publication Date

20260310

Application Date

20180105

Priority Date

20170109

Claims (8)

1. 1. Device (1) for measuring the amount of oxygen present in a gas to be analyzed, said device (1) comprising at least one member (3) for measuring the amount of oxygen, a first inlet (5) intended to communicate with the measuring member (3) to supply gas to be analyzed, and an outlet (7) for discharging said analyzed gas, characterized in that it comprises a second inlet (6) intended to communicate with the measuring member (3), allowing said device (1) to be selectively supplied with a standard gas having a known amount of oxygen, such that the measurement of the amount of oxygen present in the standard gas allows determining a possible deviation in the measurement obtained by said measuring member (3) relative to the actual known amount of oxygen present in the standard gas; the member (3) for measuring the amount of oxygen comprising a zirconium probe (4) capable of measuring the partial pressure of oxygen present in a gas; wherein the measuring device (1) further comprises a temperature sensor (18) disposed in the zirconium probe (4) and governed by the microcontroller (9), such that the microcontroller (9) is able to vary the supply voltage of the zirconium probe (4) based on the measured temperature.
2. 2. Measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a microcontroller (9) governed by the measuring member (3) to perform an automatic recalibration of the measuring member (3) based on the determined deviation.
3. 3. Measuring device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a selection module (13) controlled by the microcontroller (9) capable of placing, as selected, the first (5) or second (6) input in communication with the measuring member (3) to analyze the gas coming from the first input (5), or the standard gas coming from the second input (6).
4. 4. Measuring device (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the selection module (13) is a pneumatic selection module.
5. 5. Measuring device (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the pneumatic selection module (13) comprises a solenoid valve (14) comprising two inputs (15, 16), respectively connected to the first (5) and second (6) inputs of the measuring device (1), and an output (17) in communication with the measuring member (3).
6. 6. Measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a pressure sensor (10) disposed in the zirconium probe (4) and governed by the microcontroller.
7. 7. Measuring device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a microcontroller that allows identifying the origin of equipment faults.
8. 8. Air separation module (20) for generating inert gas in a system for inerting at least one fuel tank of an aircraft, the module internally having at least one permeable membrane and comprising an inlet (22) for compressed air intended to pass through the membrane, an outlet (23) for oxygen-enriched air and an outlet (21) for oxygen-free air called inert air, characterized in that it comprises a measuring device (1) as defined in any one of claims 1 to 7, the first inlet (5) of which is connected to the oxygen-free air outlet (21) of the air separation module (20), and the second inlet (6) of which is connected or intended to be connected to a standard air source (24).

Description

FIELD OF TECHNIQUE [001] The present invention relates to a device for measuring the amount of oxygen present in a gas, as well as an air separation module comprising such a measuring device. “Amount of oxygen” in particular refers to the proportion or percentage of oxygen. [002] The invention is advantageously applicable for verifying the percentage or partial pressure of oxygen contained in the gas generated, for example, by a system for producing inert gas on board an aircraft, such as an airplane. [003] Another advantageous application is in measuring the percentage of oxygen present in a volume, such as a fuel tank, for example, to check its flammability properties. PREVIOUS TECHNIQUE [004] In the field of aeronautics, systems are known to parainertize aircraft fuel tanks comprising air separation modules with permeable membranes, such as polymer membranes, through which an airflow passes. Due to the different permeabilities of the membranes for nitrogen and oxygen, the system splits the airflow so that an airflow with a high nitrogen content and an airflow with a high oxygen content are obtained. [005] The nitrogen-enriched air fraction is transported to the aircraft's fuel tanks, so that the oxygen concentration of the air and kerosene vapor mixture present in that location is reduced to make said tank inert. [006] Alternatively, the oxygen-enriched air fraction can be reintroduced into the passenger cabin after being treated using appropriate means. [007] In these applications, it is important to know precisely the amount of oxygen present in the gas discharged by said air separation module, especially in relation to the gas intended to render the fuel tank inert. [008] For this purpose, the use of a measuring device is known which implements a measuring means provided with a zirconium probe to perform the necessary measurements in said gas to determine the amount of oxygen. The zirconium probe is, in particular, energized by a fixed voltage. [009] However, this type of measuring device is sensitive to environmental conditions, and the measurement it provides can drift uncontrollably. In fact, the measurement made by the zirconium probe varies based on the environmental conditions of use of said probe and, in particular, based on the ambient temperature at which the measuring media are kept. [0010] Additionally, the measurement made by the probe drifts randomly over time, as it does not take into account the aging of the zirconium-based sensor element. [0011] Another disadvantage lies in the management of the probe, which also does not take into account the disparities with respect to its manufacturing process. [0012] Finally, in the application considered, which consists of analyzing an inert gas, the verification of the accuracy of the measuring devices, with the aim of ensuring that the signal given by the probe has not drifted, is carried out very infrequently, particularly only during maintenance operations. Additionally, the described analyzer has a function that makes it possible to determine the operation of any defects, thus making it possible to save time during maintenance operations. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [0013] One objective of the invention is therefore to solve these disadvantages by proposing a device that makes it possible to measure the amount of oxygen present in a gas reliably and accurately over time. [0014] Another objective of the invention is, in particular, to provide such a measuring device that is not sensitive to environmental conditions, so as to limit the deviation of its measurement, or even eliminate it. [0015] Another objective of the invention is to provide such a measuring device that can be installed at the outlet of an air separation module of a system for inerting aircraft fuel tanks. [0016] For such purpose, a device that has been developed to measure the amount of oxygen present in a gas to be analyzed, according to the state of the art, comprising at least one member for measuring the amount of oxygen, a first inlet intended to communicate with the measuring member for the supply of gas to be analyzed, and an outlet for the escape of said analyzed gas. [0017] According to the invention, the device comprises a second gas inlet, in communication with the measuring member, allowing said device to be selectively supplied with a standard gas having a known quantity of oxygen, so that measuring the quantity of oxygen present in the standard gas allows determining a possible deviation in the measurement obtained by said measuring member relative to the actual known quantity of oxygen present in the standard gas. [0018] In fact, the standard gas makes it possible to verify that the measurement given by the measuring device is not altered and, in fact, corresponds to reality. For example, the standard gas used can be ambient air, the composition of which is known, at any point around the globe and up to an altitude of 15 kilometers, to be 20.9% oxygen. Thus, by