METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ANALYZING OXYGEN

PURPOSE:To analyze the amount of oxygen with high accuracy by mounting a sample introducing device, a melting furnace, an electrochemical oxygen pump, a carbon monoxide meter, an introducing pipe for carrier gas of a definite ratio and a discharge pipe. CONSTITUTION:Carrier gas is circulated to be always introduced into a circulation flow path 1 from the outside at a definite place in a definite ratio with respect to a flow rate and always discharged in the same amount as the introducing amount at the other definite place. Oxygen in the carrier gas of the circulation flow path is discharged to the outside of the circulation flow path by an electrochemical oxygen pump 7 using a solid electrolyte 7a to set sufficiently low definite oxygen partial pressure and, thereafter, a sample is introduced into the flow path to discharge oxygen in the sample to the circulation flow path and this oxygen is discharged to the outside of the circulation flow path by the oxygen pump to calculate the amount of discharged oxygen and the increment of carbon monoxide in the circulation flow path after the introduction of oxygen is calculated and the amount of oxygen forming carbon monoxide is calculated to be added to the amount of discharged oxygen. By this constitution, obstruction gas is not continuously accumulated in the circulation flow path and the total amount of oxygen in the sample can be analyzed with high accuracy over a long time.