Patent ID: 8223332

Claim:
A mercury measuring apparatus for measuring mercury contained in a sample composed mainly of hydrocarbon, which apparatus comprises: a column accommodating therein a first adsorbent for adsorbing mercury and a reducing agent for reducing monovalent and bivalent mercury into a metal mercury; an injector for injecting the sample into the column; a first heating unit for heating the first adsorbent within the column; a second heating unit for heating the reducing agent within the column; a mercury collecting tube filled with a second adsorbent for adsorbing the metal mercury; a third heating unit for heating the mercury collecting tube; a mercury measuring unit for measuring by introducing the metal mercury, which is isolated from the mercury collecting tube then heated by the third heating unit, into a sample cell; a gas flow path defining one of an injecting and collecting passage for introducing a carrier gas from a gas introducing port so as to flow through the first adsorbent and discharging the carrier gas from a gas discharge port, a reducing and collecting passage for introducing the carrier gas from the gas introducing port so as to flow through the first adsorbent, a reducing agent and a second adsorbent and discharging the carrier gas from the gas discharge port, and a measuring passage for introducing the carrier gas from the gas introducing port so as to flow through the second adsorbent and a sample cell and discharging the carrier gas from the gas discharge port; a flow path switching valve for selecting one of the gas flow passages; and a control unit for controlling the first heating unit, the second heating unit, the third heating unit, the injector, the flow path switching valve and the mercury measuring unit.