TGA801 Thermogravimetric Analyzer

Moisture, Ash, Volatile Content, and Loss-on-Ignition

The TGA801 keeps the essential capabilities and dependability of earlier generations of LECO macro TGA instruments while delivering significant performance and robustness improvements. In different organic, inorganic, and synthetic materials, state-of-the-art technology paired with a touch-screen software platform and durable architecture enables accurate, high-precision thermogravimetric constituent analysis—moisture, ash, volatile content, and LOI. The TGA801 conforms to ASTM established techniques and can be used in a variety of industries and applications, including coal, cement, catalysts, foods, and feeds.

Traditional manual gravimetric techniques, which need numerous sample weighing and transfer steps including ovens, muffle furnaces, and desiccator equipment, are frequently sluggish and labor-intensive. Macro thermogravimetric analysis (nominal 1 g) replaces these. Flexible technique settings, automation, and hardware capabilities enable an automated analysis procedure with only the manual measurement of the initial sample mass, resulting in increased lab productivity.

Features

  • Increased throughput by automating the analysis of up to 19 samples.
  • The consistency of the sample mass allows for automatic end point detection.
    Throughout the analysis cycle, an integrated, thermally separated 0.0001 g low drift balance ensures stable and exact mass measurements.
  • Temperature accuracy is outstanding with low temperature overshoot thanks to precise furnace temperature ramping and set point management.
  • A rotating automation sequence ensures that all samples are exposed to the same furnace conditions.
  • Automated furnace atmosphere and gas flow control (air, nitrogen, or oxygen).
  • Flexible method settings allow the system to be configured to mimic the needs of traditional gravimetric test methods.
  • In the case of a power or pneumatic outage, the furnace lid locks open, preventing the lid from closing uncontrollably.

Applications

The TGA801 is well-suited to the following tasks: Coal and coke, Biomass Materials, Catalyst Materials, Soil and Ore Materials, Ceramics, Gypsum and Building Materials, Hydrated Lime and Cement, Flour and Milled Products, Feed Materials, and Resins and Polymers are some of the topics covered.

Theory of Operation

The TGA801 Thermogravimetric Analyzer measures weight loss in organic, inorganic, and synthetic materials, as well as moisture, ash, volatile content, and Loss-on-Ignition (LOI). As samples are exposed to a temperature programme in an atmosphere-controlled environment, weight change is measured as a function of temperature. The multi-sample furnace enables for the analysis of up to 19 samples at the same time.

After samples have been logged in and empty crucibles have been put into the sample carousel, analysis can commence. The user is prompted to load samples once empty crucible weights have been automatically recorded. After the samples have been loaded, the sample weights are recorded, and the method-specific furnace-temperature programme commences. During an analysis, one of three analytical gases (air, N2, or O2) is utilised to control the atmosphere inside the furnace. Each technique step has options for temperature, temperature ramp rate, atmosphere, and duration (fixed time or mass constancy). The most typically used method steps are moisture, volatile, and ash, which are all available as predefined method steps.

Throughout an analysis, the mass change of each sample is tracked sequentially. The position of the crucibles above (and lowered onto) the balance pedestal where sample weights are recorded is automatically indexed. The percentage mass change is normally reported at the end of each stage, though the user can specify alternative and additional computations in the method.

All quantitative calculations and data are managed and saved on an external PC running LECO Cornerstone® brand software.

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