A first novation consisted in measuring the gas concentrations from their property of viscosity and thermal conductivity. Thus, applied to gases such as CO2 or Argon, or binary mixtures from these gases, the invention makes it possible to perform the analysis in a few ms after transfer of the fluid from the sample to the sensory elements. This is incomparably faster than ordinary measurement techniques by non-dispersive infrared spectrometry, about 3000 times faster.
This inventiveness is based on the ability to discriminate between orifice sizes, or defect sizes, of a few µm in diameter, using heat conductive mass flowmeters. Thus, by mastering the pneumatic distribution of the fluid, the instrument has a processing capacity with a possible digital resolution of 5/100th of µm, unmatched. When a gas of interest passes through the orifice, the difference in calculation of the orifice size determines the gas concentration.
But that’s not all!
By solving the technical problems of low internal volume for gas analysis, and free pneumatic passage to obtain the best leakage measurement sensitivity, the combination of both solutions in a single reversible flow instrumentation (in suction and blowing), also solves problems encountered in packaging of different dimensions, and performs accurate analyses in record time, whose performance is unmatched, and finally recognized by the granting of international patents, recently in the United States in January 2024.
This is a new step to develop a scientific reference instrumentation for the food packaging industry, the first French industry, and propose a considerable progress in the optimization of packaging processes to better protect the content, consumers and brands of manufacturers.