Absorption analysis method

Abstract: The absorption analyzer of the type provided with light sources (3a, 3b), cells (l, 2) comprising a reference gas and an ingredient gas to be measured, respectively and a detector (5) for determining the absorption of the light emanating from said light sources and passing through said cells, in addition is equipped with a gas filter (8) ar­ ranged in the optical path between said light sources and said detector and containing an ingredient gas with an absorption spectrum band nearly corresponding to that of an ingredient gas to be measured or an ingredient gas to be measured. The advantage of the invention is that a re­ latively large range of concentrations of gas ingredients can be measured with the same type of cells having the same cell length.

Description: The present invention relates to an absorption analysis method using infrared rays, ultraviolet rays and the like. With an absorption analyzer, for example an infrared gas analyzer, the absorption of infrared rays incident upon the inside of a cell from a light source by a sample gas contained in the cell is measured to determine the concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured contained in the sample gas. This absorption analyzer is fundamentally based on the Lambert-Beer's law. That is to say, provided that the intensity of an incident ray is I o , a cell-length being l, the absorptivity (the constant determined by a measuring-wave length and an object to be measured) being K, and the gas-concentration being C, the intensity of the transmitted ray I is expressed by the following equation: I = I o e -KCl Accordingly, with an absorption analyzer, a relation between the concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured and an output shows a larger radius of curvature with an increase of the concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured, as shown in Fig. 2, so that, in order to improve the accuracy of measurement by the use of an almost linear portion of a curve shown in Fig. 2, a cell-length is reduced when the concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured is high while a cell-length is increased when the concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured is low. A known absorption analyzer of this type, in which the cell-length is changed in correspondence to the concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured in a sample gar, is disclosed for example in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 49-25349. In this known analyzer, a plurality of cells is arranged in series between a light source and a detector, and the cells to be used are changed according to the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured in a sample gas. However, since the cells are arranged in series, this prior art has the disadvantages that the constructional dimensions of the analyzer as a whole cannot be made as large as desirable and a troublesome operation is required in order to change the cell-length in correspondence to the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured. In addition, although the provision of an interference filter sideways of a light source is disclosed in the above mentioned Japanese Patent Publication, only the influence of an interference spectrum upon the measurement is eliminated by previously removing an interference spectrum band overlapping an absorption spectrum band of an ingredient gas to be measured, but other undesired effects are not overcome. The document FR-A-2.219.723 describes a method for analyzing the content of an ingredient gas within a sample gas by using a filter gas within the light path from a light source means to a detector means. This filter gas is contained in the housing of the light source and it is a mixture of appropriate proportion between a monoatomic neutral gas and the gas to be analyzed. The proportion is determined as a function of the sensibility to be achieved and the response curve of the detector means. The response of the entire optical arrangement shall be linearized. To improve the measurement accuracy in a method for analyzing the content of an ingredient gas within a sample gas, it is further known to use a fluid-modulation type analysis method comprising a pair of cells alternately supplied with a reference gas and a sample gas (see the US-patent US-A-4,514,635). It is the object of the invention to provide an absorption analysis method capable of measuring the concentration of an ingredient gas having a wide range of possible concentrations by means of the same one cell without changing the cell length. The method of the invention is defined by the teaching of claim 1 as enclosed. In this method, the concentration of an absorption gas in a gas filter is selected higher when the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured is higher and is selected lower when the concentration of said ingredient gas is lower. Further details of the invention and particular advantages thereof will be described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a graph showing a relation between an output of a conventional absorption analyzer and a concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured in the sample gas; Fig. 3 is a graph showing a relation between an output of an absorption analyzer using the method of the present invention and a concentration of an ingredient gas to be measured in the sample gas; and Fig. 4 is a graph showing a relation between a concentration of CO₂ enclosed in a gas filter and a calibration curve. The presently preferred embodiment of an absorption analyzer using the method of the invention is described with reference to an infrared gas analyzer as shown in Fig. 1. Referring to Fig. 1, reference numeral 1 designates a reference cell filled with a gas, such as N₂, absorbing no infrared rays.A sample cell 2 is supplied with a sample gas. A light source 3a, 3b is arranged on one side of the reference cell 1 and the sample cell 2, respectively. Beams of light radiated from these light sources 3a, 3b are turned to intermittent beams by a rotating sector 4, the intermittent beams being passed through the reference cell 1 and the sample cell 2, respectively, to alternately enter a condenser microphone 5 arranged on the other side of the reference cell 1 and the sample cell 2 as a detector. 6 designates a condenser film and 7 designates a fixed pole. A gas filter 8 is arranged between the reference cell 1 and the sample cell 2 and the condenser microphone 5. A gas having an absorption spectrum band nearly equivalent to that of an ingredient gas to be measured or an ingredient to be measured is enclosed in the gas filter 8. In the case where the ingredient to be measured is a stable gas such as CO or CO₂, the gas filter 8 is used per se enclosing the ingredient gas to be measured. On the other hand in the case where the ingredient to be measured is unstable, e. g. cyan gas, the gas filter 8 can be used with an acetylene gas loading having an absorption spectrum band nearly equivalent to that of the ingredient gas to be measured. Reference numeral 9 designates an amplifier. With the above described construction, upon supplying the sample cell 2 with the sample gas, infrared rays emitted from the light source 3a are not absorbed in the reference cell 1 but pass through the gas filter 8 to be absorbed in correspondence to the concentration of the gas in the gas filter 8, whereby the condenser film 6 is dislocated. On the other hand, infrared rays emanating from the light source 3b are absorbed in the sample cell 2 in correspondence to the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured contained in the sample gas and pass through the gas filter 8 to be absorbed again, and then the infrared rays enter the condenser microphone 5 to dislocate the condenser film 6. The concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured contained in the sample gas is measured from a difference in quantity of the dislocation of the condenser film 6. A gas of higher concentration is enclosed in said gas filter 8 when the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured in the sample gas is higher, while the gas of lower concentration is enclosed in the gas filter 8 when the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured in the sample gas is lower. For example, when the cell-length is 10 mm and the ingredient gas to be measured is CO₂, CO₂ gas having a concentration of 5 % by volume is enclosed in the gas filter 8 in the case of a full scale of 20 % by volume (for use in a higher-concentration measurement), CO₂ gas having a concentration of 3 % by volume in the case of a full scale of 15 % by volume (for use in a middle-concentration measurement), and CO₂ gas will not be enclosed in the gas filter 8 in the case of a full scale smaller than several % by volume (for use in a superlow-concentration measurement). In addition, although the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured in a sample gas is unknown, it can be previously estimated roughly depending upon the kind of the sample gas, such as air, a smoke from a plant and an exhaust gas from a motorcar, so that the concentration of the gas to be enclosed in the gas filter may be selected in correspondence to the estimated concentration. The graph of Fig. 4 depicts the relation between the concentration of CO₂ (one example of an ingredient gas to be measured) enclosed in the gas filter 8 and calibration curves as shown in Figs. 2, 3. More concretely speaking, the ratio of B to A, that is to say B/A x 100 (%), as shown in Figs. 2, 3 is plotted on the ordinate axis while the concentration (Vol%) of CO₂ enclosed in the gas filter 8 is plotted on the abscissa axis. And, referring to Fig. 4, a point P shows a bending extention of the calibration curve at a 50 %-full scale point in Fig. 2 (B/A x 100 30 %) while a point Q shows a bending extention of the calibration curve at a 50 %-full scale point in Fig. 3 (B/A x 100 20 %). As can be taken from Figs. 2, 3, the bending extention of the calibration curve is increased (the linearity is lowered) with an increase of the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured in the sample gas. On the other hand, as can be concluded from Fig. 4, the bending extention of the calibration curve is reduced with an increase of the concentration of the gas enclosed in the gas filter 8 (but an output is reduced). Accordingly, as above described, when the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured in the sample gas is higher, the gas having also higher concentration is enclosed in the gas filter 8, while when the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured in the sample gas is lower, said gas having also lower concentration is enclosed in the gas filter. In fact, it is desired that the said concentration of the gas to be enclosed in the gas filter 8 is set so that the bending extention (B/A x 100) of the calibration curve may be 20 % or less and the reduction of the output may be not increased. In this way, the accuracy of measurement is improved by setting the concentration of the gas enclosed in the gas filter 8 in correspondence to the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured contained in the sample gas. Accordingly, also CO₂, of which the concentration in a sample gas can be comparatively large which so far had to be measured with a short cell, can now be measured with high accuracy without changing the cell-length by using an infrared ray analyzer for use in the determination of CO having lower concentrations, in which a cell is formed in a comparatively large length, and providing a gas filter in the optical path of the infrared ray analyzer. Although a condenser microphone is used as a detector in the above described preferred embodiment, optional detectors, such as a solid state detector using a pyroelectric detector, a semiconductor detector, a thermopile and the like may be used. Also, the present invention may be applied to a "fluid-modulation type analyzer" in which a pair of cells are alternately supplied with a reference gas and a sample gas, or a single cell is alternately supplied with a reference gas and a sample gas. In addition, the gas filter 8 can be constructed as an integrated unit with the detector 5. Besides, the gas filter 8 may be arranged between the rotating sector 4 and the reference cell 1 and the sample cell 2. Furthermore, said ingredient gas to be measured and the like may be enclosed in a housing surrounding the light source to form the gas filter.

Claims: A method for analyzing the content of an ingredient gas within a sample gas by absorption measurement, comprising the following steps: a) arranging a sample gas cell (1,2) and a separate gas filter (8) between a light source means (3a, 3b) and a detector means (5) for measuring the amount of light penetrating through said sample gas cell and said gas filter; b) supplying said sample gas cell with the sample gas to be measured; and c) using as said gas filter a gas filter which encloses an absorption gas and a dilution gas, whereby c1) the concentration of said absorption gas is selected higher when the concentration of the ingredient gas to be measured is higher, and is selected lower when the concentration of said ingredient gas is lower; and c2) the absorption gas is the ingredient gas to be analyzed or a gas having an absorption band nearly equivalent to that of the ingredient gas to be analyzed. A method according to claim 1, wherein a per se known fluid-modulation type analysis method is used, comprising the use of a pair of cells (1, 2) alternately supplied with the sample gas and a reference gas, respectively, whereby said gas filter (8) is commonly used for both cells.

Inventors: IMAKI TAKAO, MIYATAKE KIMIO - TAKANO JYUTAK, TAKEDA KENJI, IMAKI, TAKAO, MIYATAKE, KIMIO 2-205, TAKANO JYUTAKU NO. 2, TAKEDA, KENJI
Applicants: HORIBA LTD, HORIBA, LTD.
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G01N21
IPC codes: G01N21