Elementar Americas Inc elementar Americas Inc

elementar Americas Inc.

• elementar Americas Inc.

• history and current organization
• elementar product line
• applications overview

• Analyzer technology and operation

• Chemistry / Process flow / Mechanical design

• Selecting an instrument

• design considerations
• choices - Rapid N cube / vario MACRO cube / vario MAX

Technology Development

• Technology Development

• 1868 - high temperature techniques developed in Hanau, Germany
• 1878 - Dennstedt Patent
• 1925 - Nobel prize for CHN analysis
• 1990 - first Macro scale elemental analyzer
• 1999 - first MAX analyzer
• 2006 - first cube platform analyzer introduced

• Organization

• 1868 - Heraeus
• 1993 - management buyout forms elementar GmbH
• 1999 - elementar Americas Inc formed
• 2008 - Isoprime Ltd acquired (Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometers)

Manufacturing, R&D and applications labs

• Manufacturing, R&D and applications labs

• elementar Analysensysteme GmbH
• CHNS/O Elemental Analyzers
• Located in Hanau, Germany (30 minutes from Frankfurt Airport)
• Isoprime Ltd
• Wholly owned subsidiary
• Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometers
• Located near Manchester, U.K

• Sales, service, applications, and supplies

• elementar Americas, Inc.
• Responsible for sales and service in USA, Canada, Mexico and Central America
• based in Mt. Laurel, NJ (30 minutes from Philadelphia)
• Service from NJ, IN, CO, Toronto

Micro scale CHNS/O

• 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

Core Operations

• Core Operations

• Combustion
• Gas separation
• Gas detection

• Chemistry

• Process Flow Diagram

• Other operations

• Sample preparation
• Autosampler and sample feeding
• Software

Combustion

• Combustion

• Sample combusts in furnace at 950 deg C to 1200 deg C
• Sample drops into crucible or is lowered into center of combustion tube
• Jet injection of oxygen via lance right over/at sample
• Creates turbulent flow around sample
• like blowing on a fire
• Three tube low voltage furnace with 10 year warranty

Gas Separation

• Gas Separation

• Helium or CO2 carrier gas pushes combustion gases through analyzer.
• 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.

Gas Detection

• Gas Detection

• TCD – Thermal Conductivity Detector
• Utilizes a Wheatstone bridge circuit to compare relative thermal conductivity differences between the carrier gas and analyte gas
• Critical system component
• Elementar own design
• Larger dynamic range
• Very special thermistors which are not harmed by high oxygen content.
• Allows for suspension of carrier gas flow without any harm, even at operation temperature.

Combustion

• 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

Removal of other gases

• Removal of other gases

• X- via reaction with silver wool
• H2O via condensation, membrane dryer and Sicapent
• trace S02 via reaction with tungsten

• Nitrogen

• detected by TCD

• Carbon Dioxide

• rapid N – “fades” into carrier gas
• vario MAX and vario MACRO – separated on purge and trap column, then released and detected by TCD.

Core Operations

• Core Operations

• Combustion
• Gas separation
• Gas detection

• Chemistry

• Process Flow Diagram

• Other operations

• Sample preparation
• Autosampler and sample feeding
• Software

Robotic “gripper arm”

• Robotic “gripper arm”

• Lifts reusable crucible from carousel.
• Lowers crucible into the combustion tube (~1000 C)
• Lifts to removes crucible and ash
• Deposits the ash & crucible in catch bin

Core Operations

• Core Operations

• Combustion
• Gas separation
• Gas detection

• Chemistry

• Process Flow Diagram

• Other operations

• Sample preparation
• Autosampler and sample feeding
• Software

Vario MAX

• Vario MAX

• Best choice for CN or N samples that are non-homogeneous, very low in concentration, wet , high ash or difficult to handle.

• Vario MACRO cube

• Optimum economics for larger CN samples with easier handling characteristics (dry, semi-homogeneous).
• Capital cost lower than MAX
• CF Hybrid technology optimizes consumables cost

• Rapid N cube

• Optimum economics for larger N samples with easier handling characteristics.
• Capital cost lower than MACRO
• CO2 carrier gas reduces gas cost