PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To detect methane in a practical range at a low cost, by removing nonmethane hydrocarbon through combustion without using any nonmethane hydrocarbon remover principally. SOLUTION: The methane detector comprises a combustion tube 103 having an upper exhaust port 104 and a lower sample gas introduction port 5, a burner 108 having a tip nozzle 108a at the upper and inserted into the combustion tube 103, an electrode 111 composed of the burner 108 itself as a conductor, an electrode 113 arranged on the burner 108, a power supply 117 connected with the electrodes 111, 113, an air tube 28 and a fuel gas tube 29 coupled with the fuel gas introduction port 114 of the burner 108, an amplifier 22 for amplifying a current flowing into the electrode 113, and an indicator 23 for indicating the output signal from the amplifier 22. A sample gas is introduced through a sample gas pipe 143 and a nonmethane hydrocarbon remover 26 (extremely small type remover which may be omitted) into the combustion tube 103 and burnt at the tip nozzle of burner 108a and electrons generated therefrom are captured at the electrodes 111, 113 in order to detect methane.
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