Method of measuring O{HD 2 {B and O{HD 2 {B containing constituents

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR MEASURING THE PARTIAL PRESSURE OF OXYGEN AND OXYGEN CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS OF A GAS THROUGH THE USE OF A SOLID ELECTROLYTE OXYGEN ION CONDUCTIVE ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL OPERATING AS A PUMP, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF, ESTABLISHING AN OXYGEN MEDIA IN CONTACT WITH A FIRST ELECTRODE OF AN ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL COMPRISED OF AN OXYGEN ION CONDUCTIVE SOLID ELECTROLYTE AND FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SURFACES THEREOF, CIRCULATING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN A CLOSED LOOP FLOW IN CONTACT WITH THE SECOND ELECTRODE, APPLYING A POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID ELECTRODES TO EFFECT PUMPING OF THE FREE OXYGEN IN SAID GAS THROUGH SAID SOLID ELECTROLYTE TO THE OXYGEN MEDIA, ADJUSTING THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID POTENTIAL TO EFFECTIVELY REMOVE ALL FREE OXYGEN FROM SAID GAS WITHOUT CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DISSOCIATION OF OXYGEN FROM OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS IN SAID FLUID, SAID PUMPING OF SAID FREE OXYGEN IONS PRODUCING A CELL CURRENT, INTEGRATING SAID CELL CURRENT PRODUCED BY SAID PUMPING OF OXYGEN TO PRODUCE AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE FREE OXYGEN CONTAINED WITHIN SAID GAS, INCREASING THE APPLIED VOLTAGE TO A MAGNITUDE SUFFICIENT TO DISSOCIATE THE OXYGEN CONTAINED IN SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS PRESENT WITHIN SAID GAS, PUMPING THE DISSOCIATED OXYGEN THROUGH SAID SOLID ELECTROLYTE TO SAID OXYGEN MEDIA, CIRCULATING SAID GAS IN A CLOSED LOOP FLOW ACROSS SAID SECOND ELECTRODE UNTIL DISSOCIATION IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE, AND INTEGRATING THE CELL CURRENT DEVELOPED AS A RESULT OF THE PUMPING OF OXYGEN DISSOCIATED FROM SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS AS AN INDICATION OF THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENT IN SAID GAS.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR MEASURING THE PARTIAL PRESSURE OF OXYGEN AND OXYGEN CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS OF A GAS THROUGH THE USE OF A SOLID ELECTROLYTE OXYGEN ION CONDUCTIVE ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL OPERATING AS A PUMP, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF, ESTABLISHING AN OXYGEN MEDIA IN CONTACT WITH A FIRST ELECTRODE OF AN ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL COMPRISED OF AN OXYGEN ION CONDUCTIVE SOLID ELECTROLYTE AND FIRST AND SECOND ELECTRODES DISPOSED ON OPPOSITE SURFACES THEREOF, CIRCULATING AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN A CLOSED LOOP FLOW IN CONTACT WITH THE SECOND ELECTRODE, APPLYING A POTENTIAL ACROSS SAID ELECTRODES TO EFFECT PUMPING OF THE FREE OXYGEN IN SAID GAS THROUGH SAID SOLID ELECTROLYTE TO THE OXYGEN MEDIA, ADJUSTING THE MAGNITUDE OF SAID POTENTIAL TO EFFECTIVELY REMOVE ALL FREE OXYGEN FROM SAID GAS WITHOUT CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DISSOCIATION OF OXYGEN FROM OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS IN SAID FLUID, SAID PUMPING OF SAID FREE OXYGEN IONS PRODUCING A CELL CURRENT, INTEGRATING SAID CELL CURRENT PRODUCED BY SAID PUMPING OF OXYGEN TO PRODUCE AN ELECTRICAL SIGNAL INDICATIVE OF THE FREE OXYGEN CONTAINED WITHIN SAID GAS, INCREASING THE APPLIED VOLTAGE TO A MAGNITUDE SUFFICIENT TO DISSOCIATE THE OXYGEN CONTAINED IN SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS PRESENT WITHIN SAID GAS, PUMPING THE DISSOCIATED OXYGEN THROUGH SAID SOLID ELECTROLYTE TO SAID OXYGEN MEDIA, CIRCULATING SAID GAS IN A CLOSED LOOP FLOW ACROSS SAID SECOND ELECTRODE UNTIL DISSOCIATION IS SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE, AND INTEGRATING THE CELL CURRENT DEVELOPED AS A RESULT OF THE PUMPING OF OXYGEN DISSOCIATED FROM SAID OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENTS AS AN INDICATION OF THE OXYGEN-CONTAINING CONSTITUENT IN SAID GAS.

Claim 6

A method for measuring the partial pressure of oxygen and oxygen-containing constituents of a gas through electrochemical ion pumping, comprising the steps of, establishing an oxygen media in contact with a first electrode of a first electrochemical cell comprised of an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte and a first and second electrode disposed on opposite surfaces thereof, supplying an oxygen-containing gas in contact with the second electrode, applying a potential across said first and second electrodes to effect pumping of the free oxygen in said gas through said solid electrolyte to the oxygen media, adjusting the magnitude of said potential to effectively remove all free oxygen from the gas without significantly dissociating oxygen from oxygen-containing constituents in the gas, the pumping of said oxygen ions through said solid electrolyte developing a cell current which is a function of the free oxygen content of said gas, measuring said current, subsequently supplying said gas in contact with a first electrode of a second electrochemical cell comprised of an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte and a first and second electrode disposed on opposite surfaces thereof, establishing an oxygen media in contact with the second electrode of said second electrochemical cell, applying a potential across said electrodes of said second electrochemical cell, adjusting the magnitude of said potential to a level sufficient to dissociate the oxygen from the oxygen-containing constituents in said gas, the dissociated oxygen being pumped through said solid electrolyte of said second electrochemical cell to the oxygen media, said pumping of said oxygen producing a cell current from said second electrochemical cell which is representative of the content of said oxygen-containing constituent in said gas and measuring said current.

Claim 7

A method for measuring the partial pressure of oxygen and oxygen-containing constituents of a gas through electrochemical ion pumping, comprising the steps of, establishing an oxygen media in contact with a first electrode of a first electrochemical cell comprised of an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte and a first and second electrode disposed on opposite surfaces thereof, supplying an oxygen-containing gas in contact with the second electrode, applying a potential across said first and second electrodes to effect pumping of the free oxygen in said gas through said solid electrolyte to the oxygen media, adjusting the magnitude of said potential to effectively remove all free oxygen from the gas without significantly dissociating oxygen from oxygen-containing constituents in the gas, the pumping of said oxygen ions through said solid electrolyte developing a cell current which is a function of the free oxygen content of said gas, measuring said current, subsequently supplying said gas in contact with a first electrode of a second electrochemical cell comprised of an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte and a first and second electrode disposed on opposite surfaces thereof, establishing an oxygen media in contact with the second electrode of said second electrochemical cell, applying a potential across said electrodes of said second electrochemical cell, adjusting the magnitude of said potential to a level sufficient to dissociate the oxygen from the oxygen-containing constituents in said gas, the dissociated oxygen being pumped through said solid electrolyte of said second electrochemical cell to the oxygen media, said pumping of said oxygen producing a cell current from said second electrochemical cell which is representative of the content of said oxygen-containing constituent in said gas and measuring said current.

Claim 9

A method for determining the carbon dioxide content of a gas by electrochemical ion pumping, comprising the steps of, passing the gas containing carbon dioxide in contact with a first electrode of an electrochemical cell comprised of an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte and a first and second electrode disposed on opposite surfaces thereof, applying a potential across said first and second electrodes of a magnitude to dissociate the oxygen from said carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and carbon monoxide, pumping said dissociated oxygen from said gas through said solid electrolyte to said second electrode to produce a current representative of the carbon dioxide content in said gas, measuring said current, and directing said carbon monoxide to recombine with said dissociated oxygen at said second electrode to form carbon dioxide.

Claim 10

A method for determining the carbon dioxide content of a gas by electrochemical ion pumping, comprising the steps of, passing the gas containing carbon dioxide in contact with a first electrode of an electrochemical cell comprised of an oxygen ion conductive solid electrolyte and a first and second electrode disposed on opposite surfaces thereof, applying a potential across said first and second electrodes of a magnitude to dissociate the oxygen from said carbon dioxide to produce oxygen and carbon monoxide, pumping said dissociated oxygen from said gas through said solid electrolyte to said second electrode to produce a current representative of the carbon dioxide content in said gas, measuring said current, and directing said carbon monoxide to recombine with said dissociated oxygen at said second electrode to form carbon dioxide.