System for identifying and quantifying selected constituents of gas samples using selective photoionization

A method of analyzing a sample compound comprising the steps of:

• (a) flowing a carrier gas through a chamber for exposure to DC current thereby energizing at least one component of said carrier gas to an excited state as a result of exposure to said DC current;
• (b) commingling a gaseous sample with said carrier gas within a chamber wherein said carrier gas comprises at least one component in an excited state;
• (c) forming one or more excited compounds in said gaseous sample resulting from photon emission in the decay of at least one excited component of said carrier gas wherein the emissions involve an energy exchange up to about 11.8 eV;
• and
• (d) determining the type and concentration of one or more compounds in said gaseous sample by measuring photon emission from the decay of said excited compounds in said gaseous sample.

A gas detector for identification and quantification of sample compounds, comprising:

• (a) an elongated chamber having a first chamber inlet at one end an outlet at the other end, and a gas flow path between said first inlet and outlet ends;
• (b) two electrodes spaced apart and located to produce short, repeated, high voltage, pulsed DC current within said chamber across said gas flow path and wherein spark duration minimizes electrode erosion and permits observation of phenomena occurring at and between said DC current at and remote from said electrode location;
• (c) means for introducing a carrier gas into said chamber through said first chamber inlet and flowing said carrier gas in said gas flow path;
• (d) means for introducing a sample gas into said chamber through a second inlet which is located downstream from said first chamber inlet and downstream from said two spaced electrodes, and flowing said sample gas in said gas flow path;
• and
• (e) wherein ions are produced by said spark or by metastable species of said carrier gas.

A method of selectivity analyzing a sample of air for impurities comprising the steps of:

• (a) flowing a carrier gas comprising argon through a chamber for exposure to periodically pulsed DC currents across said chamber;
• (b) energizing said argon to an excited metastable state as a result of exposure to said current;
• (c) commingling an air sample with said carrier gas within said chamber by inputting said air sample into said chamber downstream from the input of said carrier gas and downstream from said periodically pulsed DC current across said chamber;
• (d) forming charged particles as a result of ionizing radiation emitted by the decay of said argon component of said carrier gas in said chamber, and wherein the charged particles are formed by selective ionization of impurities of said air sample based on ionization potentials of said impurities while precluding ionization of major constituents of air;
• and
• (e) observing reactions induced by ionizing radiation produced by the decay of said metastable argon with said impurities of said air sample.

A method of testing an airborne sample comprising the steps of:

• (a) providing an airborne sample flowing through a test chamber;
• (b) simultaneously providing a carrier gas flowing through said test chamber;
• (c) within said test chamber, forming with an electrical current a metastable species in said carrier gas wherein said metastable species is characterized by having a ground energy state and excited state of sufficient time duration to enable an energy transfer from said excited state of said metastable species to said airborne sample by the emission of photons;
• and
• (d) wherein the excited state causes an energy transfer to said airborne sample wherein the excitation energy range of said metastable species is selected to preclude energizing the constituents of air.

A method for analyzing a sample compound in a carrier gas, comprising the steps of:

• (a) through a first inlet, flowing said carrier gas through a chamber for exposure to pulsed DC current across said chamber wherein said carrier gas comprises argon;
• (b) energizing at least one component of said carrier gas to an excited state as a result of exposure to said pulsed DC current;
• (c) flowing a gaseous sample compound into said chamber through a second inlet downstream from said first inlet and also downstream from said pulsed DC current thereby commingling said gaseous sample with said carrier gas;
• (d) forming charged particles in the gaseous sample as a result of ionizing radiation emitted in the decay of said excited component of said carrier gas wherein said charged particles are formed from said gaseous sample;
• (e) measuring said charging particles wherein said measurement occurs in timed relationship with respect to said pulsed DC current;
• and
• (f) selectively determining types and concentrations of compounds contained in said gaseous sample by utilizing said measurements.

A method for analyzing a sample compound comprising the steps of:

• (a) flowing a carrier gas comprising argon through a chamber for exposure to DC current thereby energizing at least one component of said carrier gas to an excited state as a result of exposure to said DC current;
• (b) commingling a gaseous sample with said carrier gas within said chamber wherein said carrier gas comprises at least one component in an excited state;
• (c) forming one or more excited compounds in said gaseous sample resulting from photon emission in the decay of at least one excited compound of said carrier gas wherein emissions involve energy exchange up to about 11.8 eV;
• and
• (d) determining the type and concentration of one or more compounds in said gaseous sample by measuring photon emission from the decay of said excited compounds in said gaseous sample.