Patent ID: 6048497
Filing Date: 2000-04-11
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A device for evaluating at least one pollution characteristic of soil samples contaminated by hydrocarbon compounds, said device comprising a first heater heating a soil sample in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, a measuring device determining an amount of hydrocarbon compounds released after feeding the soil sample into said first heater, a sample transfer device transferring the sample from the first heater into a second heater operating in an oxidizing atmosphere, a CO.sub.2 measuring device determining CO.sub.2 content of each effluent discharged from said first and second heaters, said CO.sub.2 measuring device measuring continuously the CO.sub.2 content throughout heating by the first and the second heaters and including a device measuring CO content of each effluent discharged from the two heaters, a temperature controller controlling the temperature of soil samples waiting to be fed into said first heater, and a device determining the pollution characteristic.