Patent ID: 8435448

Claim:
A sensor assembly for determining the ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide in a gaseous feed mixture, comprising: a reference compartment containing a portion of a gaseous feed mixture comprising carbon monoxide; a reaction compartment comprising a shift catalyst in which the feed mixture is reacted in a shift reaction to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide; a product compartment for receiving some or all of the feed reaction product; a first sensing element disposed within the reference compartment for sensing a property indicative of a quantity of hydrogen in the feed mixture; a second sensing element disposed within the product compartment for sensing a property indicative of a quantity of hydrogen in the reaction product; and an analyzer circuit configured to measure a concentration differential for hydrogen in the reference compartment and the product compartment based on the first and second sensed properties sensed by the first and second sensing elements, respectively, and to determine the ratio of hydrogen to carbon monoxide in the gaseous feed mixture using the measured concentration differential and a known stoichiometry of the catalyzed shift reaction.