The invention provides a method and device for measuring mercury isotopes in natural gas. The method includes the following steps: (1) primary enrichment: subjecting natural gas to a three-stage cascading absorption with an acidic potassium permanganate aqueous solution, and collecting all of the acidic potassium permanganate aqueous solutions in which natural gas is absorbed in step (1); (2) mercury purification and enrichment: reducing the mercury absorbed in the step (1) to mercury vapor with a stannous chloride solution, and then purifying and enriching the mercury vapor by using an acidic potassium permanganate aqueous solution; (3) detecting the acidic potassium permanganate solution in which the mercury vapor is enriched in step (2) to determine the total mercury content therein; and (4) detecting the acidic potassium permanganate solution in which the mercury vapor is enriched in step (2) to determine the composition/content of stable mercury isotopes therein.

The invention relates to a method and a device for detecting mercury isotopes in an oil-gas source. The device includes at least one enrichment-absorption system for mercury in crude oil/hydrocarbon source rock, an enrichment-absorption system for mercury in natural gas and at least one secondary purification-enrichment system for mercury; the enrichment-absorption system for mercury in crude oil/hydrocarbon source rock comprises three air-absorption bottles, a pyrolysis/cracking system, five impact samplers, and a vacuum pump, which are connected in series by pipe lines; and the enrichment-absorption system for mercury in natural gas includes five impact samplers connected in series, wherein the first impact sampler is connected to the natural gas outlet from the natural gas well and the last impact sampler is connected to the cumulative gas flow meter.

Apparatus and methods are provided for quantitative detection of mercury vapor in gas samples using a film of nanoparticles. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of an amalgam nanoparticle is sensitive to adsorbed mercury mass. The equilibrium mass of mercury on a gold nanoparticle is a function of the surrounding vapor concentration and the temperature of the gold. A device that introduces a temperature-controlled gold nanoparticle film to a controlled flow of sample gas responds predictably to a given mercury vapor concentration when optically probed in situ. Controlling the temperature of the film allows for control of adsorption and desorption rates. Equilibrium plasmonic mercury detection, described herein, removes the cycling necessary for many gold-based mercury analyses. Methods are given for the operation and analysis of the temperature-stabilized gold nanoparticle mercury sensor. The disclosed mercury-detection apparatus and methods find use in a variety of applications, including, for example, mercury detecting applications.

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to gaseous mercury detection systems, calibration systems, and related methods. The gaseous mercury detection systems are configured to detect gas-phase mercury-compounds present in ambient air. For example, the gaseous mercury detection systems collect gas-phase mercury-compounds from ambient air and release the gas-phase mercury-compounds at concentrations capable of being measured by a gas-chromatography mass spectrometer without heating the gas-phase mercury-compounds above a decomposition temperature of at least one gaseous mercury compound that may present in the mercury-containing gas. The calibration systems are configured to determine an accuracy of or calibrate a gaseous mercury detection system. The disclosed calibration systems may be integrated with or distinct from the gaseous mercury detection systems disclosed herein.

Apparatus and methods are provided for quantitative detection of mercury vapor in gas samples using a film of nanoparticles. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of an amalgam nanoparticle is sensitive to adsorbed mercury mass. The equilibrium mass of mercury on a gold nanoparticle is a function of the surrounding vapor concentration and the temperature of the gold. A device that introduces a temperature-controlled gold nanoparticle film to a controlled flow of sample gas responds predictably to a given mercury vapor concentration when optically probed in situ. Controlling the temperature of the film allows for control of adsorption and desorption rates. Equilibrium plasmonic mercury detection, described herein, removes the cycling necessary for many gold-based mercury analyses. Methods are given for the operation and analysis of the temperature-stabilized gold nanoparticle mercury sensor. The disclosed mercury-detection apparatus and methods find use in a variety of applications, including, for example, mercury detecting applications.

Apparatus and methods are provided for quantitative detection of mercury vapor in gas samples using a film of nanoparticles. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of an amalgam nanoparticle is sensitive to adsorbed mercury mass. The equilibrium mass of mercury on a gold nanoparticle is a function of the surrounding vapor concentration and the temperature of the gold. A device that introduces a temperature-controlled gold nanoparticle film to a controlled flow of sample gas responds predictably to a given mercury vapor concentration when optically probed in situ. Controlling the temperature of the film allows for control of adsorption and desorption rates. Equilibrium plasmonic mercury detection, described herein, removes the cycling necessary for many gold-based mercury analyses. Methods are given for the operation and analysis of the temperature-stabilized gold nanoparticle mercury sensor. The disclosed mercury-detection apparatus and methods find use in a variety of applications, including, for example, mercury detecting applications.

Apparatus and methods are provided for quantitative detection of mercury vapor in gas samples using a film of nanoparticles. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of an amalgam nanoparticle is sensitive to adsorbed mercury mass. The equilibrium mass of mercury on a gold nanoparticle is a function of the surrounding vapor concentration and the temperature of the gold. A device that introduces a temperature-controlled gold nanoparticle film to a controlled flow of sample gas responds predictably to a given mercury vapor concentration when optically probed in situ. Controlling the temperature of the film allows for control of adsorption and desorption rates. Equilibrium plasmonic mercury detection, described herein, removes the cycling necessary for many gold-based mercury analyses. Methods are given for the operation and analysis of the temperature-stabilized gold nanoparticle mercury sensor. The disclosed mercury-detection apparatus and methods find use in a variety of applications, including, for example, mercury detecting applications.

Mercury that may be contaminated radioactively is converted with radionuclides of other elements to a gaseous state of aggregation, which increases the distance between the mercury atoms and reduces the shielding effect of the mercury with respect to the radionuclides of other elements contained in the mercury. The method disclosed, enables the radiological characterisation of the radiation listing of mercury, without prior processing, in particular homogenization, of the sample being necessary. In particular, the method enables continuous measurement of the entire mass to be characterized and includes preparing a predefined quantity of mercury, evaporating at least one fraction of the prepared mercury, and measuring the radioactive ?-radiation emitted by the gaseous mercury.

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to gaseous mercury detection systems, calibration systems, and related methods. The gaseous mercury detection systems are configured to detect gas-phase mercury-compounds present in ambient air. For example, the gaseous mercury detection systems collect gas-phase mercury-compounds from ambient air and release the gas-phase mercury-compounds at concentrations capable of being measured by a gas-chromatography mass spectrometer without heating the gas-phase mercury-compounds above a decomposition temperature of at least one gaseous mercury compound that may present in the mercury-containing gas. The calibration systems are configured to determine an accuracy of or calibrate a gaseous mercury detection system. The disclosed calibration systems may be integrated with or distinct from the gaseous mercury detection systems disclosed herein.

Embodiments disclosed herein are directed to gaseous mercury detection systems, calibration systems, and related methods. The gaseous mercury detection systems are configured to detect gas-phase mercury-compounds present in ambient air. For example, the gaseous mercury detection systems collect gas-phase mercury-compounds from ambient air and release the gas-phase mercury-compounds at concentrations capable of being measured by a gas-chromatography mass spectrometer without heating the gas-phase mercury-compounds above a decomposition temperature of at least one gaseous mercury compound that may present in the mercury-containing gas. The calibration systems are configured to determine an accuracy of or calibrate a gaseous mercury detection system. The disclosed calibration systems may be integrated with or distinct from the gaseous mercury detection systems disclosed herein.