US 12,292,428 B2
Rapid, sensitive hydrogen detector with active hydrogen-derived water vapor signal modulation
David D. Nelson, Jr., N. Chelmsford, MA (US); Scott C. Herndon, Littleton, MA (US); Joanne H. Shorter, Lexington, MA (US); and Joseph R. Roscioli, Chelmsford, MA (US)
Assigned to Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, MA (US)
Filed by Aerodyne Research, Inc., Billerica, MA (US)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/080,818.
Application 18/080,818 is a division of application No. 17/178,696, filed on Feb. 18, 2021, granted, now 11,802,858.
Prior Publication US 2023/0116043 A1, Apr. 13, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01N 33/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/005 (2013.01) [G01N 33/0013 (2013.01); G01N 33/0016 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for detecting molecular hydrogen, comprising:
receiving sample gas that includes ambient water vapor and hydrogen;
drying the sample gas to dampen variation in the ambient water vapor in the sample gas;
dividing the sample gas into a chemical conversion flow and a bypass flow;
chemically converting hydrogen in the chemical conversion flow to water vapor;
alternating between measuring water vapor in the converted chemical conversion flow or the bypass flow to produce a water vapor signal;
separating the water vapor signal into components based on differing variation over time to extract a hydrogen-derived water vapor signal from the water vapor signal; and
outputting a hydrogen signal that describes molecular hydrogen in the sample gas based on the hydrogen-derived water vapor signal.