Patent ID: 6143245
Filing Date: 2000-11-07
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
An apparatus comprising:a. a heated chamber including:i. an oxidizing zone where a portion of a sample is oxidized in the presence of an oxidizing agent to water and oxides including nitrogen and sulfur oxides;ii. a reducing one where a portion of the sulfur oxides are reduced in the presence of a reducing agent to form an effluent comprising ozone reactive nitrogen and sulfur species;b. a light tight, reaction/detection chamber including:i. a first zone having a first port in light communication with a nitrogen chemiluminescence detector, an inlet for receiving the effluent and an ozone inlet for supplying ozone where the ozone reactive nitrogen and sulfur species are contacted with ozone to form meta-stable nitrogen species and meta-stable sulfur species and where the meta-stable nitrogen species immediately decay generating nitrogen chemiluminescent light detected by the nitrogen detector;ii. a second zone having a second port in light communication with a sulfur chemiluminescence detector and an outlet for exiting the effluent out of the reaction/detection chamber where the meta-stable sulfur species decay generating sulfur chemiluminescent light detected by the sulfur detector;iii. a gas permeable, light barrier interposed between the two zones where the effluent flows from the first zone to the second zone so that the two chemiluminescent lights are substantially independently detected; andc. a signal analyzer, in electrical communication with the nitrogen and sulfur detectors, for converting detectors signals into quantified concentrations of nitrogen and sulfur in the sample.