Patent ID: 8884215

Claim:
A device that analyzes the composition of hydrocarbon gases comprising methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, iso-butane, n-pentane, iso-pentane, neo-pentane, hexane isomers, heptane isomers, and octane isomers released from drilling muds, wherein the device comprises a wide band infrared emitter, a gas cell in which the sample gas is irradiated, a Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer measuring a primary hydrocarbon absorption spectrum of 3.15 to 3.55 μm and primary absorption spectrum shoulder regions of 2.9 to 3.15 μm and 3.5 to 4.2 μm, a focusing optic element that directs gas cell radiation into the spectrometer, and a system processor that performs analysis of the absorption spectrum to determine the gas composition.