Gas leak detector sensing tip with interior concentric bores and corona current generation

摘要

A gas leak detector that operates on the corona principle having a sensing tip with a pair of electrodes across which a high voltage is provided to generate a corona current through the electrodes. The sensing tip includes a first electrode having a conductive housing with a first end having a gas inlet formed therein and a second end and a flow passage formed therein. The flow passage has a first bore provided between the gas inlet and the second end of said conductive housing and a second bore having a diameter smaller than that of the first bore. The second bore is provided between the first bore and the gas inlet of the conductive housing and abuts the first bore to form an edge in the interior of the housing. The flow passage also has a third bore of a diameter smaller than that of the second bore provided between the second bore and the gas inlet. The gas leak detector also includes a second electrode provided in the interior of the conductive housing. The second electrode has a tip provided at a defined location with respect to the edge in the interior of said housing. The leak detector also has a voltage supply circuit for generating a voltage sufficient to cause a corona to be formed across the electrodes, with the corona being formed between the second electrode and the edge in the interior of the housing.