What is a pyrolyzer?

Question: What is a pyrolyzer? Answer: A pyrolyzer (or pyrolyser) is the name for a component, which is installed inside a number of our detection units. A better name for a pyrolyzer is decomposer unit. The decomposer unit contains a decomposer filament, which heats up to a certain temperature (depending on the target gas). When in contact with the filament a gas converts (decomposes) to another gas or to  different other gases. The general purpose of the decomposer unit is to convert electrochemically inactive gases to gases, which can easily be detected. Some examples of gases, which are detected with a detector containing a pyrolyzer: NF3, N2O, Freon®, Acrylonitrile. Bionics Instrument calls the technique of combining a selective electrochemical sensor with a decomposer unit the Combine Electrochemical Cell (CEC) technique.