Mid-Atlantic Soil Testing & Plant
Analysis Work Group
Hybrid Gas Streaming
Sandy Hughes
elementar Americas, Inc.
Elemental Analyzer
Technology and Operation
Who is Elementar?
Hybrid Gas Streaming offerings in 2010
Core Operations
Combustion
Gas separation
Gas detection
Chemistry
Details of the Hybrid Gas Streaming
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elementar Organization
Manufacturing, Research and Development
elementar Analysensysteme GmbH
Elemental analyzers (CHNS/O)
Located in Hanau, Germany (30 minutes from Frankfurt Airport)
R&D, applications and training lab, manufacturing, administration
Subsidiary - Isoprime Ltd
– Isotope Ratio Mass Spectometers
– Located near Manchester, U.K
– R&D, applications and training lab, manufacturing, administration
elementar Americas Inc
Sales, Service, Applications & Supplies - USA and Canada
opened in 1998 in Mt. Laurel, NJ (30 minutes from Philadelphia )
18 employees
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elementar Americas
Elemental Analyzer Product Line
Micro scale CHNS/O
vario MICRO cube
vario EL cube
Macro scale CHNS/O
vario Macro cube
vario Max
rapid N cube & rapid CS cube
TOC
LiquiTOC
vario TOC cube
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Macro N/CN Elemental Analyzers
rapid N
cube
vario
MACRO CN
cube
vario MAX
CN
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Sample Preparation
rapid N cube and vario MACRO cube
Variety of foils/capsules
60 position open carousel
- add samples at any time during run
- optional 80 or 120 position carousel
Sample Pressing Tool
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Vario Max
Sample preparation
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Elemental Analyzer
Core Operations
Combustion
Sample combusts in furnace at
950 deg C to 1200 deg C
Sample drops into crucible
Jet injection of oxygen via lance
right over/at sample
Creates turbulent flow around
sample
like blowing on a fire
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Elemental Analyzer
Core Operations
Gas Separation
Helium carrier gas pushes
combustion gases through
analyzer. Argon is alternate gas.
C, H and S combustion gases are
trapped in separate columns, then
sequentially released (aka “purge
and trap”).
N2 gas is not trapped. It flows
straight thru columns.
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Elemental Analyzer
Core Operations
Gas Detection
TCD – Thermal Conductivity Detector.
Combustion gases and reference gas have
different thermal conductivities.
R3 and R4 are thermistors (resistors whose
resistance changes with temperature).
TCD creates voltage signal which is integrated
over time and calibrated to elemental mass.
The voltage signal is created as follows:
Electric current in R3 and R4 thermisters
increases their temperatures relative to TCD
metal mass surrounding path of gas flow.
R3 thermister is cooled by thermal conductivity
of column gas. R4 thermister is cooled by
thermal conductivity of reference gas.
R3 vs R4 temperature difference creates
difference in thermister resistance which
creates voltage signal.
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Elemental Analyzer
Chemistry
Combustion
R-N + O2 ----> N2 + NOx + O2 + CO + CO2 + CH4 + X- + SOx + H2O
Post Combustion
CO + CH4 ---CuO & Pt --> CO2 + H2O
Reduction
NOx+O2 +SO2--tungsten--> N2+WO3 +CO (trace)
CO + CuO --------> CO2
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Elemental Analyzer
More Chemistry
Removal of other gases
XH 2O
Tr S02
via reaction with silver wool
via condensation, membrane dryer and Sicapent
via reaction with tungsten
Nitrogen
detected by TCD
Carbon Dioxide
rapid N – “fades” into carrier gas
Max and Macro – separated on purge and trap column, then
released and detected by TCD.
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Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming
Technology
This option enables elementar CN and N analyzers to
stream only a portion of the combustion gases to the
reduction tube for reduction and subsequent detection.
The reduction tube accordingly has a longer life.
P
O
S
T
C
O
M
B
C
O
M
B
R
E
D
U
C
T
I
O
N
GS
Stream to Reduction Column
To Exhaust
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Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming
Features and Benefits
Operator control
Operator turns on gas streaming and defines the streaming ratio
User can optimize analyzer performance for customer’s mix of samples
Turn off gas streaming for very small samples or low concentrations
Turn on gas streaming for long runs of larger samples
Continuous Process
The gas steaming process uses a mass flow controller. There is no
ballast tank and no aliquot loop.
Maintenance is very low.
Reduction tube life is extended
Up to three times longer life for reduction tube.
Depends on streaming ratio
Lower Consumables cost.
Fast payback – depends on samples per day, see attached.
Longer runs. Less downtime.
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Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming
Equipment
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Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming
Financial Payback
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Mid-Atlantic Soil Testing & Plant
Analysis Work Group
Questions, Comments, or Suggestions