Method and apparatus for monitoring detergent concentration in a decontamination process

1. A system for monitoring the concentration of a detergent in a detergent solution used for decontamination of an article, the system comprising:

sensing means responsive to changes in the concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution to produce an output signal indicative of a measured detergent concentration, said sensing means including a capacitor having first and second electrical conductors exposed to the detergent solution, wherein said detergent solution comprises a dielectric therebetween, said capacitor having an electrical property that varies according to the concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution;

a memory for storing a set of data including (a) measured values associated with the electrical property of the capacitor and (b) corresponding detergent concentration values indicative of the concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution;

processing means for receiving the output signal from the sensing means and determining the concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution by accessing the set of data stored in the memory.

2. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said memory stores a setpoint value associated with said electrical property.

3. A system according to claim 2 , wherein said processing means includes means for determining whether the concentration of the detergent exceeds the setpoint value by a predetermined amount.

4. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said system further comprises:

a bridge circuit, wherein said capacitor forms a part of the bridge circuit.

5. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said system further comprises:

a charge transfer circuit, wherein said capacitor forms a part of the charge transfer sensor circuit.

6. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said detergent is selected from the group consisting of: enzymatic, alkaline, acidic, oxidative, neutral, inorganic-based and organic-based detergent chemical components.

7. A system according to claim 1 , wherein said system further comprises an electronic weighing device for determining the weight of the one or more articles being decontaminated, said weight being used to determine an appropriate concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution.

8. A method for monitoring the concentration of a detergent in a detergent solution used for decontamination of an article, the method comprising:

exposing a capacitor, having first and second electrical conductors, to the detergent solution, said detergent solution comprising a dielectric therebetween, said capacitor having an electrical property that varies according to the concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution, and producing an output signal indicative of a measured detergent concentration; and

pre-storing data including (a) measured values associated with the electrical property and (b) corresponding concentration values indicative of the concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution;

determining the concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution by using the output signal and accessing the pre-stored data.

9. A method according to claim 8 , wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the concentration of the detergent solution exceeds a setpoint value by a predetermined amount.

10. A method according to claim 8 , wherein said capacitor forms a part of a bridge circuit.

11. A method according to claim 8 , wherein said capacitor forms a part of a charge transfer sensor circuit.

12. A method according to claim 8 , wherein said detergent is selected from the group consisting of: enzymatic, alkaline, acidic, oxidative, neutral, inorganic-based and organic-based detergent chemical components.

13. A method according to claim 8 , wherein said method further comprises the step of:

determining the weight of one or more articles being decontaminated, using an electronic weighing device, said weight being used to determine an appropriate concentration of the detergent in the detergent solution.

14. A system for detecting a detergent for decontamination of an article in a decontamination system, the system comprising:

sensing means responsive to chemical components of a detergent to produce an output signal indicative of the detergent, said sensing means including a capacitor having first and second electrical conductors exposed to the detergent, wherein said detergent comprises a dielectric therebetween, said capacitor having an electrical property that varies according to the chemical components of the detergent; and

processing means for determining whether the detergent meets a predetermined criterion based upon the output signal produced by the sensing means, said processing means preventing the decontamination system from decontaminating the article in the event that the predetermined criterion has been met, said predetermined criterion being one of: (a) the detergent is not a suitable detergent for decontamination of the article, or (b) the detergent is not an approved detergent for use with the decontamination system.

15. A system according to claim 14 , wherein said processing means activates an indicator when said predetermined criterion has been met.

16. A method for detecting a detergent for decontamination of an article in a decontamination system, the method comprising:

exposing a capacitor, having first and second electrical conductors, to the detergent, said detergent comprising a dielectric therebetween, said capacitor having an electrical property that varies according to the chemical components of the detergent;

producing an output signal indicative of chemical components of the detergent;

determining whether the detergent meets a predetermined criterion based upon the output signal; and

preventing the decontamination system from decontaminating the article in the event that the predetermined criterion has been met, said predetermined criterion being one of: (a) the detergent is not suitable for decontamination of the article, or (b) the detergent has not been approved for use with the decontamination system.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein an indicator is activated when the predetermined criterion has been met.