PerkinElmer TGA 4000, Installation And Hardware Manual

Page: 62 / 88

62 . TGA 4000 Installation and Hardware Guide
Maintenance
The TGA 4000 Thermogravimetric Analyzer needs little routine maintenance other than
giving it the proper treatment of a sensitive electromechanical device. Avoid contamination of
the furnace by always using a balance protective gas and a purge gas. If the furnace should
become contaminated, clean it as soon as possible.
Maintenance includes the following procedures:
• Cleaning the Furnace and Sample Holder
• Cleaning the Cover
•
Changing the Sample Thermocouple
Cleaning the Furnace and Sample Holder
When the furnace and sample holder have become contaminated with reaction products, the
best method of cleaning them is to heat the furnace up to 995 °C in an air or oxygen
atmosphere for approximately 10 minutes. This should remove all products that can be
oxidized.
CAUTION
ATTENTION
Do not touch the sample thermocouple (in the TGA 4000)..
Ne pas toucher l'échantillon de thermocouple (dans le TGA 4000).
CAUTION
ATTENTION
Do not remove the furnace lid when heating at high temperatures.
Ne pas enlever le couvercle du four lorsqu'il chauffe à des températures
élevées.
If the sample holder becomes contaminated, remove it from the furnace and clean it gently
with a small brush.
When a sample has dropped into the furnace, remove the sample holder first, if present, and
then remove the sample material, preferably with a vacuum. Take care that material does
not fall into the hole for the sensor.
Cleaning the Cover
The reaction byproducts from the samples run inside the STA 6000, TGA 4000 and Pyris 6
TGA furnace and condense on cold spots of the instrument: the bottom side of the cover and
the top inner part of the cooling jacket. The bottom side of the cover can be cleaned easily
with a tissue and some solvent. This should be done on a regular basis. The top inner side of
the cooling jacket can be cleaned in a similar manner. To keep the top of the cooling jacket
clean, a ring of porous ceramic material is provided and should be positioned as seen in the
figure displayed by clicking here. The ring should be replaced when necessary.