GB2290871A - An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in breath - Google Patents

An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in breath Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2290871A
GB2290871A GB9412282A GB9412282A GB2290871A GB 2290871 A GB2290871 A GB 2290871A GB 9412282 A GB9412282 A GB 9412282A GB 9412282 A GB9412282 A GB 9412282A GB 2290871 A GB2290871 A GB 2290871A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
ethyl alcohol
instrument
alcohol vapour
air
measuring
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB9412282A
Other versions
GB9412282D0 (en
Inventor
Robert Gittins
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
ELE International Ltd
Original Assignee
ELE International Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by ELE International Ltd filed Critical ELE International Ltd
Priority to GB9412282A priority Critical patent/GB2290871A/en
Publication of GB9412282D0 publication Critical patent/GB9412282D0/en
Publication of GB2290871A publication Critical patent/GB2290871A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
    • G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
    • G01N33/483—Physical analysis of biological material
    • G01N33/497—Physical analysis of biological material of gaseous biological material, e.g. breath
    • G01N33/4972—Determining alcohol content

Abstract

An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in air comprising a photo-ionisation detector 9 measuring the air after the alcohol vapour content has diffused through a selective semipermeable membrane 1. The semi-permeable membrane is microporous PTFE in which is absorbed Polyethylene Glycol 400 liquid. <IMAGE>

Description

AN INSTRUMENT FOR MEASURING ETHYL ALCOHOL VAPOUR IN BREATH This invention relates to an instrument for measuring the concentration of ethyl alcohol vapour in breath.
The measurement of the concentration of ethyl alcohol vapour in breath is required to enforce regulations controlling the amount of ethyl alcohol drivers are allowed to have in their body whilst driving.
Regulations are not the same in every country but generally a measurement is made at the roadside in the first place and then a subsequent measurement made on a more accurate instrument if prosecution is likely. The instrument used for roadside measurement must be very portable and easy to use. It is therefore not possible for it to be as accurate as a more complex instrument giving a specific response to ethyl alcohol vapour based on well known laboratory techniques.
The laboratory technique usually used is a combination of a high sensitivity ionisation detector such as a flame ionisation detector to give a good response to low concentrations of ethyl alcohol vapour and Gas Chromatography to make the specific response to the ethyl alcohol. Such a combination cannot be made into a very portable instrument as the flame ionisation detector requires a cylinder of hydrogen to operate it and the Gas Chromatography equipment is not simple to use nor is it simply automated.
The only other high sensitivity ionisation detector which could be used to measure ethyl alcohol in air without a gas such as hydrogen is the photo-ionisation detector. Like the flame ionisation detector it does not give a specific response to ethyl alcohol and must be used in combination with a device to make it specific. This could be a gas chromatograph but a simpler lightweight device would be preferred.
According to the present invention there is provided a photo-ionisation detector in combination with a semi-permeable membrane device to give a response highly specific to ethyl alcohol vapour. The semi-permeable membrane used is described in UK Patent Application No GB 9401102.0 A specific embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing.
The membrane 1 is a disc of microporous PTFE impregnated with polyethylene glycol 400. The pores are filled with the polyethylene glycol 400 and there is no air flow through the disc.
The disc is held between two chambers, 3 and 8. A pump 6 draws air into the inlet tube 2 through the chamber 3. It passes through a flow control 4 and through a carbon trap 5. The carbon trap removes all ethyl alcohol vapour and any other organic vapours which may be present in the inlet air. From the pump, the air passes through a second carbon trap ensuring clean air passes through chamber 8 to the photo-ionisation detector 9. If the incoming air contains ethyl alcohol vapour, the vapour diffuses through the membrane and is carried to the detector. The response of the detector is proportional to the concentration of the ethyl alcohol in the incoming air. Other organic vapours in breath which would give a response in the photo-ionisation detector such as odours do not pass through the membrane and are not measured.

Claims (4)

1. An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in air comprisingsa photo-ionisation detector and a system so that the alcohol vapour in the air reaching the detector has diffused through a semi-permeable membrane.
2. An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in air as in Claim 1 where the membrane is microporous PTFE in which Polyethylene Glycol 400 liquid is absorbed.
3. An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in air as in Claim 1 where the membrane is as described in UK Patent Application No GB 9401102.0
4. An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in air substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawing.
GB9412282A 1994-06-18 1994-06-18 An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in breath Withdrawn GB2290871A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9412282A GB2290871A (en) 1994-06-18 1994-06-18 An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in breath

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB9412282A GB2290871A (en) 1994-06-18 1994-06-18 An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in breath

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB9412282D0 GB9412282D0 (en) 1994-08-10
GB2290871A true GB2290871A (en) 1996-01-10

Family

ID=10756971

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB9412282A Withdrawn GB2290871A (en) 1994-06-18 1994-06-18 An instrument for measuring ethyl alcohol vapour in breath

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2290871A (en)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2298925A (en) * 1995-03-14 1996-09-18 Draegerwerk Ag Device for selectively detecting a component in a gas mixture
DE19951204A1 (en) * 1999-10-15 2001-05-10 Filt Forschungsgesellschaft Fu Apparatus to analyze the components in the exhaled air of a patient forms a condensation to be caught by a filter or storage layer to give a sample passed directly to electrochemical sensors for measurement
EP2827144A1 (en) * 2013-07-19 2015-01-21 Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA Sensor head for a gas measurement device

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3933432A (en) * 1974-10-29 1976-01-20 Hnu Systems Inc. Photoionization
FR2330005A1 (en) * 1975-10-27 1977-05-27 Marsland Engineering Ltd Continuous monitoring of vapour in air - involves using electron capture detector followed by universal detector and logic circuits
EP0046699A2 (en) * 1980-08-21 1982-03-03 The Bendix Corporation Ion mobility detector provided with a membrane interface
EP0219602A2 (en) * 1985-08-01 1987-04-29 Allied Corporation Ionization detector
GB2262990A (en) * 1991-12-31 1993-07-07 Secr Defence Explosives detector

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3933432A (en) * 1974-10-29 1976-01-20 Hnu Systems Inc. Photoionization
FR2330005A1 (en) * 1975-10-27 1977-05-27 Marsland Engineering Ltd Continuous monitoring of vapour in air - involves using electron capture detector followed by universal detector and logic circuits
EP0046699A2 (en) * 1980-08-21 1982-03-03 The Bendix Corporation Ion mobility detector provided with a membrane interface
EP0219602A2 (en) * 1985-08-01 1987-04-29 Allied Corporation Ionization detector
GB2262990A (en) * 1991-12-31 1993-07-07 Secr Defence Explosives detector

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2298925A (en) * 1995-03-14 1996-09-18 Draegerwerk Ag Device for selectively detecting a component in a gas mixture
GB2298925B (en) * 1995-03-14 1998-08-19 Draegerwerk Ag Device for selectively detecting a component in a gas mixture
DE19951204A1 (en) * 1999-10-15 2001-05-10 Filt Forschungsgesellschaft Fu Apparatus to analyze the components in the exhaled air of a patient forms a condensation to be caught by a filter or storage layer to give a sample passed directly to electrochemical sensors for measurement
DE19951204C2 (en) * 1999-10-15 2002-08-08 Filt Forschungsgesellschaft Fu Procedure for analyzing the ingredients in exhaled air
EP2827144A1 (en) * 2013-07-19 2015-01-21 Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA Sensor head for a gas measurement device

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB9412282D0 (en) 1994-08-10

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WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)