Measuring apparatus and method of use for analyzing a gas mixture

摘要

The invention relates to a measuring apparatus for analyzing a gas mixture for at least one gas contained therein in a very low concentration. Such a gas can, for example, be anesthesia gas in ambient room air. The invention is directed to a type of apparatus wherein the gas mixture is split up into conversion products with a heated catalyzer element during measurement and wherein the conversion products are detected by means of a gas sensor which takes up at least one of the conversion products. The measuring apparatus makes possible a quasi-continuous monitoring of the ambient room air for an anesthesia gas with the aid of such sensors. In order to make this possible, a sequence of measuring phases and regeneration phases are cyclicly repeated. The measuring phases are very short in relationship to the response time of the sensor. During the regeneration phase, the catalyzer temperature is reduced so far and the sensor temperature is increased to the extent that the sensor releases more conversion products than it takes up. The regeneration phase in a cycle can be so controlled that the measuring quantity again has its initial value at the beginning of each new cycle.