FAQ

The sampler on the top of the pyrolyzer is being purged with carrier gas at all times. When air gets into the system it is purged out of the system in a minute or two. For example, when the total carrier gas flow rate is 50 mL/min, any air in the system will be completely purged two minutes after the sampler is re-attached.

The sample cup is dropped into the preheated pyrolysis furnace, causing the sample to be instantly pyrolyzed. Pyrolyzates flow through the needle interface and into the GC injector. Sample vapors are split, a small portion of the pyrolyzates flow into a GC separation column for analysis. This technique is generally called, Flash Pyrolysis.

The EGA technique is a simple thermal analysis technique, in which relatively volatile gases released by the continuous programmed heating of a sample are directly analyzed by GC/MS. The technique uses a deactivated metal tube (Ultra ALLOY, 0.15 mm id., 2.5 m in length) to connect the split/splitless injection port and the MS detector. The EGA thermograms obtained from this technique provide a wide range of information including details about additives, volatile components contained in sample, and decomposition temperature of the sample.

This technique allows a polymer sample to be sequentially analyzed for volatile and polymer components. Volatile components contained in a sample are first desorbed at relatively low temperatures, this is followed by flash pyrolysis in which the sample polymer is dropped into the furnace heated at high temperatures and the base polymer is pyrolyzed.

This is an analytical technique in which only the evolved gases from a selected temperature zone of an EGA thermogram are introduced into a GC separation column for analysis. This is useful for the analysis of composite materials.

The amount of HF formed by the pyrolysis of a sample quantity (about 0.2 mg) of fluorocarbon polymer is very limited. Our experience showed that there is almost no impact to the separation column. If you would not like to introduce the HF gas to the column, a piece of quartz wool dampened with 10 % aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH), followed by drying, is placed at the bottom of the glass insert in the GC injector (immediately before the separation column) will prevent the HF gas from being introduced to the column. This will trap the HF gas. However, please note that other acids are trapped here and therefore will not be analyzed.

To recover a sample cup when using an Eco-Stick SF, remove the sampler and use the sample cup retriever (Eco-Pickup) supplied as a standard accessory.
When using an Eco-Stick LF, remove the sampler, then pull the Eco-Stick out using tweezers.

Turning off the power to the temperature controller also turns off the cooling fan that cools the sample cup positioned at the top of the quartz pyrolysis tube. If the cooling fan stops, the temperature of the top seal on the quartz liner increases due to thermal conduction, and radiant heat from the hot pyrolysis furnace. Frontier recommends that the temperature controller be turned off only when the temperature of the pyrolysis furnace is >300 °C.

First remove the quartz pyrolysis tube from the furnace – refer to the video on the frontier web site for details. Polymeric residues and tars are removed by heating the quartz tube with a propane torch. Alternatively, heat the tube in an electric muffle furnace. Inorganic contaminants may be removed by acid treatment. If this is done, heat the quartz tube to “red” hot before using it.