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An improved method for water vapor detection - Annals of Biomedical Engineering

  • ️Heisey, S. Richard
  • ️Tue Mar 01 1983

Abstract

We describe improvements in and details for the construction, calibration and use of a device using a thermal conductivity cell for the measurement of low-level rates of water evaporation (E) from a small surface area. E is measured from 0.0 to 1.0 mg·min−1 with a correlation coefficient of 0.999 between measured and independently verified rates and amounts of water evaporation. Data are available as a recordable analog d.c. voltage as well as in digital display for E and for the amount of water evaporated during an operator defined time period. The device we describe is noninvasive and it is designed to be constructed of conventional components. It is useful not only for measuring transcutaneous water diffusion in normal and diseased skin, but also it is adequately sensitive and rapidly responding to follow thermoregulatory and psychogenic sweating in small (nom. 1.0 cm2) skin areas. It can also be used to measure accurately and precisely the rates at which water is adsorbed by and removed from inanimate materials, as well as to determine how much water they store.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Duane M. Baldwin

    Present address: Department 581, IBM Corporation, Building 658-B, Highway 52 North and 37th Street, 55901, Rochester, MN

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, Michigan

    Thomas Adams, Michael A. Steinmetz & S. Richard Heisey

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, Michigan

    David B. Manner

  3. Department of Electrical Engineering, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, Michigan

    Duane M. Baldwin

Authors

  1. Thomas Adams

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  2. Michael A. Steinmetz

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  3. David B. Manner

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  4. Duane M. Baldwin

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  5. S. Richard Heisey

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Adams, T., Steinmetz, M.A., Manner, D.B. et al. An improved method for water vapor detection. Ann Biomed Eng 11, 117–129 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02367495

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  • Issue Date: March 1983

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02367495

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