Patent ID: 6793889
Filing Date: 2004-09-21
Classification: G01N,Y10T

Abstract:
A system for the measurement of the total organic carbon content (TOC) of a sample of water, comprising:a. a source of a CO2-free oxidant gas; b. a cell of a material capable of containing a plasma, said cell defining an interior volume for receiving said oxidant gas and said sample, being provided with at least one inlet and one outlet port, and comprising first and second electrodes disposed on opposite sides of said cell; c. a high voltage power supply connected across said first and second electrodes and operable to cause a low-intensity, non-equilibrium plasma to be formed in said interior volume of said cell, whereby TOG in said sample is oxidized by said oxidant gas to form CO2; and d. an instrument for measuring the quantity of CO2 in said cell after exposure of the mixture of said sample and said oxidant to said plasma and oxidation of said TOC thereby to CO2.