Gas analyzing apparatus

• US 6,550,308 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Nippon Sanso Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kikuchi, Tsutomu, Kimijima, Tetsuya, Nishina, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Larkin, Daniel S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Politzer, Jay L
• Application Number:
  US10/117,599
• Publication Number:
  US 20020108429A1
• Time in Patent Office: 383 Days
• Field of Search: 73/234.2, 702/27, 137/597, 250/282, 250/288
• US Class Current: 73/23.42
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/201 multiport valves, i.e. having more than two ports
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2030/8886 Analysis of industrial production processes
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 30/7206 interfaced to gas chromatograph interfaces in general for introducing or extracting samples to be analysed with specially adapted mass spectrometer, see H01J49/04

Abstract

There is provided a gas analyzing apparatus capable of minimizing gas remaining by integrating gas switching apparatuses into one and capable of analyzing impurities of ppb level to sub-ppb level contained in various kinds of high-purity gases efficiently and accurately. The gas analyzing apparatus comprises an analyzer introduction passage 22 for introducing a sample gas supplied from a sample gas source 11 into an analyzer 12 via an analyzer introduction valve 22V; a separator introduction passage 23 diverging from a first side passage of the analyzer introduction valve 22V for introducing a sample gas into a separator 13 via a separator introduction valve 23V; a separator flowing-out passage 24 for introducing the sample gas flowing out from the separator 13 into a second side passage of the analyzer introduction valve 22V via a separator flowing-out valve 24V; and a gas switching apparatus to be such formed that when the analyzer introduction valve 22V is opened, the separator introduction valve 23V and the separator flowing-out valve 24V are connectively operated to be closed, and when the analyzer introduction valve 22V is closed, the separator introduction valve 23V and the separator flowing-out valve 24V are connectively operated to be opened.

Claims

1. A gas analyzing system, comprising:

a gas analyzing apparatus including a separator such as a gas chromatograph or the like for separating gas components, and an analyzer such as an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer or the like for analyzing gas components;

a sample gas source for supplying a sample gas; and

a carrier gas source for supplying a carrier gas into said separator, said gas analyzing apparatus further comprising;

an analyzer introduction passage for directly introducing a sample gas supplied from the sample gas source into the analyzer to which a sample gas passage connected to said sample gas source and an analyzer inlet passage connected to said analyzer are connected via an analyzer introduction valve;

a separator introduction passage to which said sample gas passage and a separator inlet passage are connected via a separator introduction valve;

a separator flowing-out passage to which a separator outlet passage and said analyzer inlet passage ax-c connected via a separator flowing-out valve;

a purge valve for blocking or passing said carrier gas supplied from said carrier gas source; and

a purge passage to which said separator outlet passage and said separator inlet passage are connected via said purge valve;

wherein when said sample gas from said sample gas source is directly introduced into said analyzer, said analyzer introduction valve and said purge valve are open while said separator introduction valve and said separator flowing-out valve are closed, whereby said sample gas from said sample gas source is directly introduced into said analyzer via said analyzer introduction passage while a carrier gas supplied from said carrier gas source into said separator and flowing out from said separator outlet passage is introduced into said separator inlet passage via said purge passage, and when said sample gas from said, sample gas source is introduced into said analyzer after said sample gas is separated in said separator, said analyzer introduction valve and said purge valve are closed while said separator introduction valve and said separator flowing-out valve are open, whereby said sample gas from said sample gas source is introduced into said separator through said separator introduction passage to be separated in said separator and then is accompanied by said carrier gas to flow out from said separator outlet passage and then introduced into said analyzer inlet passage through said separator flowing-out passage.