Patent ID: 6890422

Claim:
A method for determining a concentration of an oxidizable gas component in a gas mixture using an electrochemical gas sensor including an electrochemical measuring cell having a measuring electrode and a reference electrode, the measuring electrode having a material that is one of not able to catalyze and not able to completely catalyze an establishment of a gas equilibrium, the electrochemical gas sensor further including at least one electrochemical pumping cell having at least one inner pumping electrode, the method comprising: positioning the at least one inner pumping electrode and the measuring electrode in a measuring gas compartment; coupling the at least one electrochemical pumping cell to a circuit configured to apply a pumping voltage to the at least one electrochemical pumping cell, so that the at least one electrochemical pumping cell pumps oxygen into or out of the measuring gas compartment; applying a pumping voltage to the at least one electrochemical pumping cell via the circuit such that a partial pressure of oxygen in the measuring gas compartment corresponds to a lambda value of ≧1.3; and determining the concentration of the oxidizable gas component.