1. Mid-Atlantic Soil Testing & Plant Analysis Work Group
Hybrid Gas Streaming
Sandy Hughes
elementar Americas, Inc.

2. Elemental Analyzer Technology and Operation
Who is Elementar?
Hybrid Gas Streaming offerings in 2010
Core Operations
Combustion
Gas separation
Gas detection
Chemistry
Details of the Hybrid Gas Streaming 2 2

3. elementar Organization
Manufacturing, Research and Development
elementar Analysensysteme GmbH
Elemental analyzers (CHNS/O)
Located in Hanau, Germany (30 minutes from Frankfurt Airport)
R&D, applications and training lab, manufacturing, administration
Subsidiary - Isoprime Ltd
Isotope Ratio Mass Spectometers
Located near Manchester, U.K
elementar Americas Inc
Sales, Service, Applications & Supplies - USA and Canada
opened in 1998 in Mt. Laurel, NJ (30 minutes from Philadelphia )
18 employees 3 3

4. elementar Americas Elemental Analyzer Product Line
Micro scale CHNS/O
vario MICRO cube
vario EL cube
Macro scale CHNS/O
vario Macro cube
vario Max
rapid N cube & rapid CS cube
TOC
LiquiTOC
vario TOC cube 4 4

5. Macro N/CN Elemental Analyzers
vario MAX CN
vario MACRO CN cube
rapid N cube 5 5

6. Sample Preparation rapid N cube and vario MACRO cube
60 position open carousel
- add samples at any time during run
- optional 80 or 120 position carousel
Variety of foils/capsules
Sample Pressing Tool 6 6

7. Vario Max Sample preparation7 7

8. Elemental Analyzer Core Operations
Combustion
Sample combusts in furnace at 950 deg C to 1200 deg C
Sample drops into crucible
Jet injection of oxygen via lance right over/at sample
Creates turbulent flow around sample
like blowing on a fire 8 8

9. Elemental Analyzer Core Operations
Gas Separation
Helium carrier gas pushes combustion gases through analyzer. Argon is alternate gas.
C, H and S combustion gases are trapped in separate columns, then sequentially released (aka “purge and trap”).
N2 gas is not trapped. It flows straight thru columns. 9 9

10. Elemental Analyzer Core Operations
Gas Detection
TCD – Thermal Conductivity Detector. Combustion gases and reference gas have different thermal conductivities.
R3 and R4 are thermistors (resistors whose resistance changes with temperature).
TCD creates voltage signal which is integrated over time and calibrated to elemental mass.
The voltage signal is created as follows:
Electric current in R3 and R4 thermisters increases their temperatures relative to TCD metal mass surrounding path of gas flow.
R3 thermister is cooled by thermal conductivity of column gas. R4 thermister is cooled by thermal conductivity of reference gas.
R3 vs R4 temperature difference creates difference in thermister resistance which creates voltage signal. 10 10

11. Elemental Analyzer Chemistry
Combustion
R-N + O2 ----> N2 + NOx + O2 + CO + CO2 + CH4 + X- + SOx + H2O
Post Combustion
CO + CH4 ---CuO & Pt --> CO2 + H2O
Reduction
NOx+O2 +SO2--tungsten--> N2+WO3 +CO (trace)
CO + CuO > CO2 11 11

12. Elemental Analyzer More Chemistry
Removal of other gases
X- via reaction with silver wool
H2O via condensation, membrane dryer and Sicapent
Tr S02 via reaction with tungsten
Nitrogen
detected by TCD
Carbon Dioxide
rapid N – “fades” into carrier gas
Max and Macro – separated on purge and trap column, then released and detected by TCD. 12 12

13. Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming Technology
This option enables elementar CN and N analyzers to stream only a portion of the combustion gases to the reduction tube for reduction and subsequent detection. The reduction tube accordingly has a longer life.
POST
COMB
REDUCTION
COMB GS
Stream to Reduction Column
To Exhaust

14. Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming Features and Benefits
Operator control
Operator turns on gas streaming and defines the streaming ratio
User can optimize analyzer performance for customer’s mix of samples
Turn off gas streaming for very small samples or low concentrations
Turn on gas streaming for long runs of larger samples
Continuous Process
The gas steaming process uses a mass flow controller. There is no ballast tank and no aliquot loop.
Maintenance is very low.
Reduction tube life is extended
Up to three times longer life for reduction tube.
Depends on streaming ratio
Lower Consumables cost.
Fast payback – depends on samples per day, see attached.
Longer runs. Less downtime.

15. Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming Equipment

16. Continuous Flow Hybrid Gas Streaming Financial Payback

17. Mid-Atlantic Soil Testing & Plant Analysis Work Group
Questions, Comments, or Suggestions