Patent ID: 8448493

Claim:
A method for analyzing a sample, comprising: injecting samples and a hydrogen carrier gas into a gas chromatograph; separating samples into a plurality of compounds to produce an output gas stream from the gas chromatograph; mixing the output gas stream from the gas chromatograph with oxygen gas and an inert carrier gas suitable for a mass spectrometer to produce an input gas stream for a combustion system; combusting, substantially completely, the hydrogen carrier gas in the input gas stream of the combustion system to produce an output gas stream from the combustion system, wherein the output gas stream of the combustion system includes the inert carrier gas, carbon dioxide gas, and water vapor; substantially removing the water vapor from the output gas stream of the combustion system using a water separator to produce a gas stream for analysis, wherein the gas stream for analysis comprises the inert carrier gas and the carbon dioxide gas; and providing the gas stream for analysis to the mass spectrometer fitted with a gas ion source.