Abstract:
A method for determining the amount of water above the saturation value in a hydrocarbon liquid, such as a jet fuel, includes passing a known quantity of liquid having an unknown quantity of undissolved water through a test element having a sensitive area, which will fluoresce in the presence of ultraviolet light in proportion to the amount of undissolved water collected by the sensitive area. The test element and a standard element having a known fluorescent intensity are subjected to the ultraviolet light, whereupon the intensity of the ultraviolet light striking the surface of one of these elements is varied to match its fluorescent intensity with the reflected fluorescent intensity of the other of the elements. Thus, the intensity level of the varied fluorescent light can be correlated to a known predetermined quantity of undissolved water in the liquid.