Method and apparatus for producing standard gases, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen for determining isotope relationships
AssigneeFinnigan Mat GmbH
InventorHairigh Avakgharagelou
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention, relates to a method for producing standard gases (CO and H2) for determining the isotope relationships of oxygen and/or hydrogen, in particular during on-line operation, with a sample being decomposed in a (hot) reactor (11) to produce CO and/or H2, and these components being fed to a mass spectrometer (15), and with the mass spectrometer also the gases obtained from the sample. The invention also relates to an apparatus for providing standard gases. The method according to the invention provides for the standard gases in the reactor (11) to be formed by decomposition, and for initial products which are suitable for this purpose to be fed to the reactor.
Claims6
A method for producing a standard gas containing carbon monoxide (CO) and/or hydrogen (H2) for determining the isotope relationships of oxygen and/or hydrogen in a sample during online operation comprising the steps of:
- decomposing said sample in a heated reactor to produce a sample gas containing one or more of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2);
- feeding said decomposed sample gas to a mass spectrometer;
- producing standard gases containing one or more of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) within said reactor via decomposition of one or more appropriate initial product gases that are fed to said heated reactor;
- feeding said standard gases to said mass spectrometer;
- and
- determining the isotope relationships of oxygen and/or hydrogen in the sample gas by comparison to the isotope composition of oxygen and/or hydrogen in the standard gases.
An apparatus for producing standard gases for determining the isotope relationships of oxygen and/or hydrogen in a sample during online operation comprising:
- a heated reactor wherein said sample is decomposed to produce a sample gas containing one or more of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2) and one or more initial product gases are also decomposed to produce said standard gases containing one or more of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2);
- a mass spectrometer into which said sample gas and said standard gases are fed;
- and
- means for feeding said sample and said initial products product gases into said heated reactor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.