A rapid micro gas analysis system for carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrocarbon gases, and hydrogen

Abstract

The apparatus described is applicable to multicomponent systems. The percentage of carbon dioxide, oxygen, hydrocarbon gases, hydrogen, and inert gases may be determined in a sample of 50 to 100 μl with a precision of ±0.5% of the total sample for carbon dioxide, somewhat better than this for oxygen, and from 1 to 10% of the total sample for gaseous hydrocarbons or hydrogen, depending on the concentrations present. Analysis requires approximately 15 min if all five components of the mixture are determined, but is ordinarily much more rapid if one or more of the components are known to be absent. For example, respiratory gases containing only carbon dioxide, oxygen, and inert gases or bacterial fermentation gases containing only carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and methane, can be analyzed in 2 to 3 min. Calculations are eliminated by the use of a sliding scale on the gas buret, which reads percentage composition directly.