A heat tone sensor includes a housing with a gas inlet and with a gas outlet as well as a device for generating a gas stream of a gas to be tested between the gas inlet and the gas outlet. A measuring element, around and/or through which the gas stream flows, is configured to catalytically burn at least a portion of the gas stream and to send a measurement signal. The measurement signal indicates a quantity of heat released in the process.

The invention relates to gas analysis and to combustible gas and vapour analyzers based on a thermocatalytic operating principle. The subject of the invention is a sensor the sensitive elements of which are manufactured by planar techniques that can be easily automated. The main distinguishing feature is that a working sensitive element and a reference sensitive element are colocated in a single micron-sized structural component (a microchip) on a common substrate made of porous anodic aluminium oxide. The design of the sensitive elements provides for film-wise heat transfer from heated parts of the working and reference sensitive elements. Measuring microheaters which heat the working and reference sensitive elements up to working temperatures and provide for differentially measuring an output signal in a measuring bridge circuit are spaced apart at opposite sides of the anodic aluminium oxide substrate and are disposed on arms projecting beyond the common substrate configuration. The sensitive elements are disposed in a reaction chamber having restricted diffusion access via a calibrated orifice, and the diameter of regular pores in the microchip substrate is increased to sizes that provide for a predominantly molecular diffusion mode in the pores (100 nm or more).

In order to make it possible to remove dust produced in a heating furnace 10 more efficiently than ever before, the present invention is adapted to include: a dust discharge passage L that communicates with the inside of the heating furnace 10 and is for discharging dust produced by heating a sample X; a dust accommodating part 30 that accommodates the dust discharged from the dust discharge passage L; and a negative pressure generating mechanism 90 that is provided in the dust discharge passage L and generates negative pressure in the dust discharge passage, in which the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generating mechanism 90 guides the dust from the heating furnace 10 to the dust discharge passage L.

A heat tone sensor includes a housing with a gas inlet and with a gas outlet as well as a device for generating a gas stream of a gas to be tested between the gas inlet and the gas outlet. A measuring element, around and/or through which the gas stream flows, is configured to catalytically burn at least a portion of the gas stream and to send a measurement signal. The measurement signal indicates a quantity of heat released in the process.

In order to make it possible to remove dust produced in a heating furnace 10 more efficiently than ever before, the present invention is adapted to include: a dust discharge passage L that communicates with the inside of the heating furnace 10 and is for discharging dust produced by heating a sample X; a dust accommodating part 30 that accommodates the dust discharged from the dust discharge passage L; and a negative pressure generating mechanism 90 that is provided in the dust discharge passage L and generates negative pressure in the dust discharge passage, in which the negative pressure generated by the negative pressure generating mechanism 90 guides the dust from the heating furnace 10 to the dust discharge passage L.

The invention relates to gas analysis and to combustible gas and vapour analyzers based on a thermocatalytic operating principle. The subject of the invention is a sensor the sensitive elements of which are manufactured by planar techniques that can be easily automated. The main distinguishing feature is that a working sensitive element and a reference sensitive element are colocated in a single micron-sized structural component (a microchip) on a common substrate made of porous anodic aluminium oxide. The design of the sensitive elements provides for film-wise heat transfer from heated parts of the working and reference sensitive elements. Measuring microheaters which heat the working and reference sensitive elements up to working temperatures and provide for differentially measuring an output signal in a measuring bridge circuit are spaced apart at opposite sides of the anodic aluminium oxide substrate and are disposed on arms projecting beyond the common substrate configuration. The sensitive elements are disposed in a reaction chamber having restricted diffusion access via a calibrated orifice, and the diameter of regular pores in the microchip substrate is increased to sizes that provide for a predominantly molecular diffusion mode in the pores (100 nm or more).