Optoacoustic Analyzer

This invention relates to an optoacoustic analyzer using laser light, and more particularly, to an analyzer that is capable of providing stable and accurate measurement of substances of ultralow concentrations such as pollutants in the atmosphere, specific components of a solid, etc.

Heretofore, heated nichrome wire has been typically used as the optical source for infrared absorption analysis. But recently, laser light has been drawing attention as the effective optical source for measuring substances of extremely low concentrations because it has high monochromaticity, produces high output and has good directivity. FIGS. 1 and 2 each shows a conventional type of analytic apparatus that uses laser light as the light source. According to an apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 1, laser light emitted from a gas laser resonator 1 is caused to irradiate (or pass through) a sample chamber 2 and reference chamber 3 of a differential cell type, light transmitting, optoacoustic detector. This type of detector however requires laser light of high energy because the light emitted from the resonator 1 has its energy attenuated in the process of transmission, and secondly, the accuracy of measurement falls just short of perfection because absorption of light by windows 4 and 5 causes an error.

According to an apparatus of the type described in FIG. 2, a sample cell 6 is disposed within a gas laser resonator 7, and a detector 8 outside the resonator. In this case, the error due to a window 9 may be negligible, but since this is not an apparatus of differential cell type, the adverse effect of any inhibitory component of low concentration in a sample gas is difficult to eliminate (the differential cell type requires a complicated double beam system). Further, compared with the amount of light existing in the resonator, the light that reaches the detector 8 through a mirror 10 is only few percents, thus resulting in so much reduced sensitivity.

All of these defects encountered in the conventional technique has been eliminated from this invention, which is characterized by disposing the sample chamber and reference chamber of a differential cell type, light transmitting, optoacoustic detector within a gas laser resonator having a laser discharge tube and a pair of resonating mirrors.

According to the analyzer of this invention which accommodates both a sample chamber and reference chamber within a resonator, no attenuation of the laser light that is passing through these chambers takes place, thus providing high sensitivity and obviating the need of using a laser light of high energy. In addition, the provision of the chambers within the resonator results in higher accuracy of measurement because no error will occur due to the absorption of energy by windows. As a further advantage, the detector of this invention which is of differential cell type allows effective elimination of the adverse effect of an inhibitory component of low concentration in a sample. What is more, if a specific component of a sample gas is to be analyzed by diluting the sample gas with a base gas and sealing such sample gas into the sample chamber while sealing only the base gas into the reference chamber, the amount of energy absorbed by the base gas is equal between the two chambers, thus permitting recovering as an output that amount of the sample which exactly corresponds to the energy absorbed. Furthermore, the error of measurement due to inhibitory components can be eliminated by sealing into the reference chamber the gas obtained by removing the target component of the sample with the aid of an absorption tube, combustion tube or so forth.

The preferred embodiments of this invention are now described by reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1 and 2 are each an illustration of a conventional apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an illustration showing one embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the results of experiments using a conventional apparatus and the apparatus according to this invention.

FIG. 5 is an illustration showing another embodiment of this invention.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are each an illustration showing the essential part of another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3 shows the first embodiment of this invention, or an optoacoustic analyzer for measuring a low concentration of methane CH.sub.4 contained in a sample gas (for instance, the ambient atmosphere). In the Figure, 11 is a gas laser resonator accommodating a laser discharge tube 12 filled with He-Ne gas and a pair of resonating mirrors 13, 13; 14 is a differential cell type, light transmitting, optoacoustic detector equipped with a sample chamber 15, a reference chamber 16, windows 17, 18 and 19, and a capacitor microphone 20. As the Figure shows, the sample chamber 15 and reference chamber 16 are disposed within the laser resonator 11. The reference numerals 21 and 22 are electrodes; 23 is a high voltage source; 24 is a chopper provided in the laser resonator 11; 25 is a sync signal detector; 26 and 27 are gas introducing passageways; 28 and 29 are gas discharging passageways; 30, 31, 32 and 33 are valves; 34 is a preamplifier; 35 is a lock-in amplifier; and 36 is an indicator.

According to the arrangement illustrated above, the light emitted from the laser discharge tube 12 is resonated with the mirrors 13, 13 to produce a laser light having a wavelength of 3.39 .mu.m. The laser light passes through the sample chamber 15 and reference chamber 16 disposed within the resonator 11. The light is also interrupted by the chopper 24 at a specified frequency and a.c. converted for the purpose of stabilized processing of signals.

The sample chamber 15 of the detector 14 is charged with the atmosphere containing a low concentration of methane CH.sub.4 through the passageway 26, and the reference chamber 16 charged through the passageway 27 with N.sub.2 gas which does not absorb the laser light above or the atmosphere from which CH.sub.4 has been removed using an oxidizing catalyst. Each chamber is then made tight by closing the valves 30 to 33. The laser light with which the sample chamber 15 has been irradiated is absorbed by CH.sub.4 gas that has an absorption band at 3.39 .mu.m, the wavelength of the laser light; the temperature of the sample gas then increases in proportion to the concentration of CH.sub.4 it contains, which in turn increases the pressure of the gas. On the other hand, no pressure build-up occurs in the reference chamber 16 which is free from CH.sub.4. As a result, a difference in pressure develops between the two chambers 15 and 16 and moves the membrane 37 of the capacitor microphone. The movement is amplified by the preamplifier 34, synchronized and rectified with a signal from the sync signal detector 36 so as to actuate the indicator 36.

As FIG. 4 shows, the embodiment described above provides sensitivity more than 10 times higher than in the case of operating the conventional apparatus of the type described in FIG. 1 from the same excitation energy.

FIG. 5 shows the second embodiment of this invention, wherein the windows 17, 18 and 19 that define the sample chamber 15 and reference chamber 16 are absent, and instead, the end walls 38, 39 of the laser discharge tube 12 and the resonating mirrors 13, 13 are used to define the two chambers; a discharge interrupter 40 replaces the chopper 24 for interrupting the emission of light from the laser discharge tube 12 and issuing a signal to the lock-in amplifier 35 for synchronization and rectification purposes. The members the same as those used in the first embodiment are referred to by the same numerals and their explanation is therefore omitted.

Both first and second embodiments illustrated above relate to the analysis of gas, but it should of course be understood that this invention is applicable to the analysis of liquid or solid, emulsion and suspension. For analysis of a solid, as illustrated in FIG. 6, a sliced sample is placed in the sample chamber 15 which a laser light B passes through as indicated by the dotted line, and both the sample chamber 15 and reference chamber 16 are filled with a gaseous thermal expansion medium such as N.sub.2 gas. If a liquid is to be analyzed, as shown in FIG. 7, a sample 42 is placed in a vessel 43 made of a material through which the laser of a specified wavelength can pass and placed in the sample chamber 15, and both the sample chamber 15 and reference chamber 16 are filled with a gaseous thermal expansion medium such as N.sub.2 gas. For both cases, this invention is capable of eliminating the adverse effect of impurities present in the gaseous thermal expansion medium.