Patent attributes
A porous medium tensiometer has a filling mechanism which allows to fill a fluid chamber and simultaneously withdraw gas contained in the fluid chamber. A self-priming tensiometer includes a porous material tip having a first section surrounded by a fluid-impermeable membrane, a second section, a threshold suction range and pores, the pores auto-filling with liquid when in fluid communication with a porous medium having a liquid potential being at least equal, in absolute value, to the threshold suction range, the liquid contained in the pores having a liquid pressure representative of the liquid potential; a one-way fluid control device in fluid communication with the porous material tip and allowing fluid contained in pores of the porous material to exit therethrough when the porous material tip auto-fills with liquid; and a pressure transducer in liquid communication with the porous material tip.
