THEMYS TGA/STA-EGA (Evolved Gas Analysis)

Balances
Because the core of a thermogravimetric analyzer is its balance, SETARAM Instrumentation designs balances exclusively for thermal analysis applications. Three models of balance are offered with THEMYS, namely HIGH SENSITIVITY, HIGH CAPACITY and HIGH VERSATILITY.

They are all based on the hang-down design, providing the highest level of stability and the best limit of detection.

DTA, DSC, STA (TG-DTA, TG-DSC) accessories
Our range of DTA and DSC sensors feature

• Temperature ranges up to 800, 1 000, 1 500, 1 600, 1 750 °C,
• The most sensitive thermocouple wires available within each temperature range, including the type R thermocouples,
• Tricouple DTA systems for enhanced sensitivity even at the highest temperatures,
• Protected DTA rods for prolonged thermocouple lifetime even when corrosive species are evolved from the samples,
• Easy Fit connectors for rod exchange within seconds,
• The finest quality metal (aluminum, platinum, tungsten) or ceramic (alumina, zirconia, yttria, graphite) crucibles, with volumes from 20 to 300 μl.

Furnace and temperature control
THEMYS is designed around a single, robust and high performance graphite furnace providing a large homogeneous temperature zone required by changing experiments: small or large samples, small TGA crucibles or large tricouple DTA rods, etc. This also avoids tedious furnace exchange when experiment conditions change.

This furnace principle is consistent with the traditional SETARAM effort for providing systems with the lowest operational costs in the market.

A choice of high sensitivity thermocouples to cover changing temperature range needs is provided with an easier than ever TWIST AND LOCK system.

Atmosphere
3 options, PureGas, GasBlend and MultiGasBlend, are made available with increasing capacities to generate and control complex atmospheres. They all have in common an intelligent software control system for sequentially changing the gas types, flowrates, or blend ratios during the experiment or sample pretreatment.

Primary, Forced Primary or Secondary Vacuum options are available with a selection of adapted vacuum pumps.

Specific accessories are designed for samples under really harsh conditions while protecting the thermal analyzer. Sleeved thermocouples (alumina) and protected DTA rods are available.

Evolved Gas Analysis
Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) enhances the thermogravimetric analyzers capacity for the investigation of the sample’s composition or thermal decomposition chemistry, thanks to the identification of the evolved species by a gas analyzer.

The THEMYS gas sampling system was designed to feature:

• Coupling to the main gas analysis techniques: Mass spectrometry (MS), FTIR spectrometry, gas chromatography (GC) and combinations of these : TG-MS, TG-FTIR, TG-MS-FTIR, TG-GC/MS,
• Transfer lines and parts made to ensure accurate temperature control up to 300 °C, avoiding cold condensation points,
• Advanced sampling/gas injection strategies for GC/MS analyses with the unique Auto-Injector system,
• Quantitative EGA after calibration using the titration TGA option,
• Gas Analyzers data integration in the Calisto thermal analysis software.

Depending on its configuration (TGA, STA) and mode of operation (isothermal, temperature scanning), THEMYS can be applied to the characterization of organic or inorganic materials ranging from polymers, composites, oils, coal, to ceramics, cements, metals, and nanomaterials. It is the perfect tool to understand the thermal behavior of materials that are exposed to temperature increase during their production, service life, or recycling. The objectives of the experiments are the characterization of their composition, of their thermal resistance, of their corrosion resistance properties, of the efficiency of their synthesis routes, of their regeneration / recycling conditions, and the detection of their phase transitions.