Apparatus for measuring the total content of organic carbon and nitrogen in water

US5459075A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Hartmann & Braun Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Walter Fabinski · Kriftel, DE
• Bernd Hielscher · Bad Vilbel, DE
• Peter Schlau · Frankfurt, DE
• Christian Wolff · Monheim, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 22, 1993
• Grant date: Oct 17, 1995
• Expiry date: Sep 22, 2013

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T436/235
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring the total content of organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) in water. The TOC value is correctly determined as the sum of the liquid, dissolved, and solid substances of a specimen of the water. The apparatus includes a NDIR gas analyzer for simultaneously measuring the concentration of CO.sub.2 and NO gas components with a phase separator, a thermal reactor, a condenser, and two amplifiers for the pneumatic signals of the receivers with an indicator for the measured TOC and TN concentrations. The specimen is split into a gaseous part and a liquid part in the phase separator. The gaseous part which essentially contains the inorganic fraction of carbon, the TIC fraction, in the form of CO.sub.2 gas is cooled in a condenser until a substantial fraction of its water vapor content is separated in the condenser by condensation. The dried gaseous part is directed via the comparison vessels as comparison gas. The gaseous part exiting from the comparison vessels is returned to the liquid part of the specimen again in its entirety and oxidized together with the latter in a thermal reactor. The gas specimen which is formed in so doing is charged via the condenser wi…