Perkin-Elmer STA 6000, Installation And Hardware Manual

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56 . STA 6000 Installation and Hardware GuideSTA 6000 Installation and Hardware Guide
STA 6000 Hardware Overview
The STA 6000 Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer offers performance, reliability and productivity
you can depend on. Designed with routine and research applications in mind, the STA 6000
Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer applies leading edge sensor technology to yield higher
accuracy and quality results. The patent pending SaTurnA™ sensor and proven compact
furnace allows for better temperature control, more consistent measurements and the rapid
cool-down time.
The STA 6000 is controlled by Pyris Software on the computer to which the analyzer is
connected. The information it provides is essential to industries such as plastics and
polymers; automotive; semiconductors and electronics; adhesives; paints and coatings; fuels;
ceramics, clays, and soil; food; pharmaceuticals; and medical devices and equipment. The
STA 6000 applies the innovative patent pending SaTurnA sensor for high quality,
simultaneous TG and DTA/DSC measurements. It combines the sample pan holder and a
precision platinum thermocouple reference ring which is designed to match the thermal
characteristics of the sample pan. The advanced sensor is optimized to achieve flat DTA
baselines and excellent sensitivity. Both sample and reference temperature are directly
measured for best analytical performance. The pan support and reference ring is made of
pure platinum which is corrosive resistant for a wide variety of applications. Also, since
measurements can be performed in a well-defined atmosphere, the behavior of a sample in
atmospheres other than air can be studied easily.
The STA 6000 has an integrated cooling system. You can use various types of cooling liquids
with temperatures higher than 0 °C (noncondensing). During operation, the cooling liquid
must flow through the heat exchanger at a maximum flow rate of 100 ml/min (6 l/h). The
cooling liquid should be at a temperature such that there is no condensation inside the
analyzer. The recommended cooling device is the Chiller (P/N N5370220/N5370221, 120 V
and 220 V, respectively).
A unique feature of the STA 6000 is its top-loading microbalance. The sample pan is placed
onto the sample holder which connects to the microbalance via the SaTurnA Sensor. The
top-loading balance has many advantages over a hangdown wire design. With this design,
however, placement of the sample in the sample pan and of the sample pan in the sample
holder is very important. The microbalance is very sensitive to sample positioning.
The furnace has a large isothermal zone. The sample position in the STA 6000 is
approximately in the middle of the isothermal zone. This increases reproducibility of
temperature measurements.
The rapid cooling rate of the furnace is achieved by mounting the furnace in a liquid-cooled
jacket. To reduce the heating power at high temperatures, the cooling jacket is nickel plated.
Also, there is forced air cooling. A small air pump is mounted inside the instrument and
activated by clicking the Cooling Air button on the control panel. Liquid cooling is also used to
keep the temperature of the balance housing constant. The cooling jacket is mounted on and
thermally insulated from the balance housing. Temperature gradients are eliminated as much
as possible.