ELTRA CS-580A, Operating Manual

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Analysis
17
3 Analysis
3.1 Working procedure
With the CS-580A (Helios), a wide variety of materials can be analyzed. The
analysis methods are therefore diverse. As different materials burn differently, the
chosen sample weight, the possible accelerators and the sensitivity of the infrared
cells will all be different. The user of the device can receive from us free advice
regarding the different methods involved for different materials. The sensitivities of
the infrared cells are optimized, free of charge, for each individual purpose.
In the following, the procedures are described for the analysis of coal samples.
Before starting making analyses ensure the following:
– The temperature of the analyzer is stable (at least one to two hours on
setting 1).
– The moisture traps are checked and, if necessary, the magnesium
perchlorate is replaced. See chapter
“Moisture trap replacing furnace“ .
– The incoming oxygen supply has a pressure of 2-4 bar (30 to 60 psi).
– The furnace has reached its operating temperature. See chapter
“Temperature adjustment“ .
– The mains switch is set to position 3 for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
– The software is started on the connected PC.
3.1.1 Procedure of carrying out analyses with autoloader
1. Place an empty crucible on the balance.
2. Tare the balance using the “Tare” button, located on the balance, or
“F6-Tare” button in the “Analysis control” window of the software (F6
on the PC-keyboard).
3. Put about 250 mg coal sample into the crucible.
4. Press the “F4-Balance” button in the ”Analysis control” window of the
software (or F4 on the PC-keyboard) to transfer the weight value from
the balance to the PC. The transfer function is performed regardless
how often the button is pressed. This enables a correction of any
falsely entered weight.
5. Enter the sample ID into the corresponding input field of the “Analysis
control” window of the software. This step is optional. If no sample ID
is required, the entry may be omitted.
6. Press the “F7-Add” button in the “Loader” window. The sample weight
and sample ID are transferred to the loader stack and memorized
there.
7. Take the crucible from the balance and put it on the loader, on the first
tray before the pick-up position.
8. Mark the “F8-Run/Stop” checkbox to start the analysis.
The analysis procedure begins. From now on, no operator intervention is required.
The furnace is opened automatically, the crucible of the previous analysis is picked
up from the pedestal and disposed, and the crucible is taken from the loader and
put on the pedestal for analysis. The furnace closes. At the end of analysis, the
results are displayed on the PC-screen and saved in the database of the software.
A series of analyses can be run with the CS-580A (Helios) analyzer. To do this,
repeat steps 1 to 7 for every sample in the series, while each crucible is placed as
next after the last one placed on the loader. This can be done at any time, with or
without running analyses.
When putting the samples on the loader, the order of positioning the crucibles on
the trays must be respected, i.e. the crucibles must be placed on the loader exactly