A fully automatic thermogravimetric analyzer

Abstract

This invention discloses a fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace, comprising a furnace body and a furnace door hinged to one side of the furnace body, with a base at the lower end of the furnace body. The furnace body is characterized by a control mechanism for controlling the opening and closing of the furnace door, a heating assembly mounted on the inner wall of the furnace body, and a balance housed in the base. This invention features a novel design and simple structure. Through multiple insulation methods, it minimizes heat transfer from the furnace body to the base, ensuring the weighing accuracy of the balance during thermogravimetric analysis. Furthermore, the design of the control mechanism and control box allows for automated thermogravimetric analysis in conjunction with robotic arms, meeting the requirements for batch material thermal performance testing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of thermogravimetric analysis technology, and in particular to a fully automated thermogravimetric analysis furnace. Background Technology

[0002] Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), a classic method for testing the thermal properties of materials, plays an irreplaceable role in scientific research and industry. This method provides crucial data support for evaluating the thermal stability, composition, and thermal decomposition behavior of materials by monitoring changes in sample mass over temperature or time. When the analyte undergoes sublimation, vaporization, decomposition into gas, or loss of water of crystallization during heating, the sample's mass changes, resulting in a corresponding thermogravimetric curve. Analyzing this curve yields the amount of mass change and the corresponding temperature and time points.

[0003] Most current thermogravimetric analysis furnaces rely on manual loading and unloading. When performing thermogravimetric analysis on a large amount of material, a lot of manpower is required. At the same time, when weighing materials using current thermogravimetric analysis balances, the heat at the balance location inevitably increases after a long period of material thermal performance testing, affecting the weighing accuracy of the balance and the reliability of the thermogravimetric analysis results. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the shortcomings of existing thermogravimetric analysis, which relies on manual operation and has unstable weighing accuracy due to the temperature rise of the balance after long-term use. Therefore, a fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace is proposed.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace includes a furnace body and a furnace door hinged to one side of the furnace body, and a base is provided at the lower end of the furnace body. The furnace body is characterized by having a control mechanism for controlling the opening and closing of the furnace door, a heating assembly on the inner wall of the furnace body, and a balance in the base.

[0007] A heat-insulating support is vertically fixed on the balance. The upper end of the heat-insulating support extends into the inner cavity of the furnace and a crucible is installed thereon. A water-cooled flange is fixedly installed on the inner top wall of the base corresponding to the outer side of the heat-insulating support. The inlet and outlet ports of the water-cooled flange are connected to a water-cooling circulation device. A gap is provided between the inner side of the water-cooled flange and the heat-insulating support.

[0008] Preferably, the heat-insulating support includes a vertically arranged quartz tube and heat-insulating filler inside the quartz tube.

[0009] More preferably, the bottom of the crucible is provided with a positioning ring that matches the quartz tube, and the positioning ring is inserted into the quartz tube or sleeved on the outside of the quartz tube.

[0010] More preferably, the balance is provided with a mounting base for mounting a quartz tube.

[0011] Preferably, the inner wall of the furnace body and the inner side of the furnace door are provided with a refractory layer, and the heating component is embedded in the refractory layer.

[0012] Preferably, a thermocouple is provided on the side wall of the furnace body, and the sensing end of the thermocouple extends through the refractory layer into the inner cavity of the furnace body.

[0013] Preferably, the control mechanism includes a guide rail fixedly mounted on the upper end of the furnace door, a slider slidably mounted in the guide rail, a connecting rod rotatably connected to the upper end of the slider, a drive shaft fixedly connected to the other end of the connecting rod, and a stepper motor that drives the drive shaft to rotate through a gear set. A mounting bracket is fixedly mounted on the furnace body, the stepper motor is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket, and a fixed seat for supporting the drive shaft is provided on the mounting bracket. The drive shaft is rotatably mounted on the fixed seat.

[0014] More preferably, the gear set includes two meshing bevel gears, which are coaxially mounted on the output shaft and drive shaft of the stepper motor, respectively.

[0015] More preferably, a control box is provided on one side of the furnace body, and the control box is electrically connected to the heating component, thermocouple, stepper motor and balance.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0017] 1. In this invention, the heat is prevented from being transferred to the balance through the quartz tube and its internal heat insulation filling. The water-cooled flange is used to cool the quartz tube wall to prevent heat from being transferred to the balance through the quartz tube wall. At the same time, the top wall of the base is cooled to prevent the heat radiation of the balance after the base heats up. By isolating the heat of the furnace body, the measurement accuracy of the balance is kept stable.

[0018] 2. In this invention, the furnace door is automatically opened and closed through a control mechanism, which facilitates the integration with automated components such as robotic arms to achieve a fully automated thermogravimetric analysis process and meet the requirements for batch material thermal performance testing.

[0019] 3. In this invention, the interlocking design between the crucible positioning ring and the quartz tube facilitates the stable handling and placement of the crucible with the help of a robotic arm, ensuring stable placement of materials and guaranteeing the effectiveness of automated thermogravimetric analysis.

[0020] This invention features a novel design and a simple structure. Through the design of multiple heat insulation methods, it minimizes the transfer of heat from the furnace body to the base, ensuring the weighing accuracy of the balance during thermogravimetric analysis. Furthermore, through the design of the control mechanism and control box, it can be used in conjunction with robotic arms to achieve automated thermogravimetric analysis, meeting the thermal performance testing requirements of batch materials. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the furnace body structure of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the furnace door in the open state of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the control mechanism structure of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the heat insulation support structure of the present invention.

[0027] In the diagram: Furnace body 1, Furnace door 11, Refractory layer 12, Heating component 13, Thermocouple 14, Control mechanism 2, Guide rail 21, Slider 22, Linking rod 23, Drive shaft 231, Gear set 232, Fixing seat 24, Stepper motor 25, Mounting bracket 26, Crucible 3, Positioning ring 31, Quartz tube 4, Thermal insulation filler 41, Balance 43, Fixing seat 431, Water-cooled flange 44, Base 5, Control box 6. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments.

[0029] Reference Figure 1-6 A fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace includes a furnace body 1 and a furnace door 11 hinged to one side of the furnace body 1. A base 5 is provided at the lower end of the furnace body 1. The furnace body 1 is characterized by a control mechanism 2 for controlling the opening and closing of the furnace door 11. The control mechanism 2 automatically controls the opening and closing of the furnace door 11, enabling automated feeding of the thermogravimetric analysis furnace in conjunction with a robotic arm. A heating assembly 13 is provided on the inner wall of the furnace body 1, and a balance 43 is provided in the base 5.

[0030] A heat-insulating support is vertically fixed on the balance 43. The upper end of the heat-insulating support extends into the inner cavity of the furnace body 1 and a crucible 3 is installed thereon. The crucible 3 can be a quartz crucible. A water-cooled flange 44 is fixedly installed on the inner top wall of the base 5, corresponding to the outer side of the heat-insulating support. The inlet and outlet ports of the water-cooled flange 44 are connected to a water-cooling circulation device. A gap is provided between the inner side of the water-cooled flange 44 and the heat-insulating support. The heat-insulating support facilitates the placement and fixation of the crucible 3. At the same time, its heat insulation capacity prevents heat in the heating cavity of the furnace body 1 from being transferred downwards along the support, thus affecting the accuracy of the balance 43. In addition, the design of the water-cooled flange 44 further reduces the downward transfer of heat along the heat-insulating support and also prevents the heat on the top wall of the base 5 from rising and causing thermal radiation to the balance 43, ensuring the stable detection accuracy of the balance 43.

[0031] Based on the above technical solution, when performing thermogravimetric analysis on materials, the material is placed in crucible 3, crucible 3 is placed on a heat-insulating support and fixed, and the furnace door 11 is closed by the control mechanism 2 to ensure the closed state of the heating chamber inside the furnace body 1. For different materials with different thermogravimetric analysis requirements, a gas washing pipeline is installed on the furnace body 1 to wash the inner cavity of the furnace body 1. After the operation is completed, the heating component 13 is started to heat up. During the heating, the weight change of the material is monitored by the balance 43 until the thermogravimetric analysis is completed. After cooling, the furnace door 11 is opened by the control mechanism 2 to remove the crucible for the next thermogravimetric analysis. With the help of a robotic arm, fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis can be realized, improving efficiency and meeting the needs of large-scale thermal performance testing in material research.

[0032] In this technical solution, such as Figure 1-6 As shown, the heat insulation support includes a vertically arranged quartz tube 4 and a heat insulation filler 41 disposed inside the quartz tube 4. The heat insulation filler 41 can be made of heat insulation fiber cotton. By using the quartz tube 4 in conjunction with the heat insulation filler 41, the heat transfer from the furnace body 1 to the base 5 is reduced. In conjunction with the water-cooled flange 44 on the outside, the quartz tube 4 is cooled down, further preventing heat transfer from the quartz tube 4, ensuring a constant temperature at the balance 43, and thus ensuring the weighing monitoring accuracy of the balance 43.

[0033] In this technical solution, such as Figure 1-6 As shown, the bottom of the crucible 3 is provided with a positioning ring 31 that matches the quartz tube 4. The positioning ring 31 is inserted into the quartz tube 4 or sleeved on the outside of the quartz tube 4. The design of the positioning ring 31 facilitates the placement and fixation of the crucible 3, makes it easier to install and pick up the crucible 3 with the help of a robotic arm, facilitates fully automated thermogravimetric analysis, and also ensures the stability of the crucible 3 during thermogravimetric analysis, thus ensuring the reliability of the weight monitoring in thermogravimetric analysis.

[0034] In this technical solution, such as Figure 1-6As shown, the balance 43 is provided with a fixing seat 431 for installing the quartz tube 4. The fixing seat 431 can be made of aluminum material, which facilitates the installation of the quartz tube 4 and ensures the stability of the quartz tube 4, as well as the stable placement of the crucible 3.

[0035] In this technical solution, such as Figure 1-6 As shown, the inner wall of the furnace body 1 and the inner side of the furnace door 11 are both provided with a refractory layer 12, and the heating component 13 is embedded in the refractory layer 12. The refractory layer 12 can be made of fiber cotton with an inorganic binder, and the heating component 13 is made of spirally wound electric heating wire. The electric heating wire is embedded in the refractory layer 12 to form an integrated heating component 13 and refractory layer 12, which ensures good thermal stability and low thermal conductivity, ensures good heating and heat preservation effects of the furnace body 1, and ensures effective temperature control.

[0036] In this technical solution, such as Figure 1-6 As shown, a thermocouple 14 is provided on the side wall of the furnace body 1, and the sensing end of the thermocouple 14 extends into the inner cavity of the furnace body 1 through the refractory layer 12. The temperature of the heating cavity of the furnace body 1 is monitored by the thermocouple 14, and the weight is monitored by the balance 43 to ensure comprehensive data collection for thermogravimetric analysis.

[0037] In this technical solution, such as Figure 1-6 As shown, the control mechanism 2 includes a guide rail 21 fixedly mounted on the upper end of the furnace door 11, a slider 22 slidably mounted in the guide rail 21, a connecting rod 23 rotatably connected to the upper end of the slider 22, a drive shaft 231 fixedly connected to the other end of the connecting rod 23, and a stepper motor 25 that drives the drive shaft 231 to rotate through a gear set 232. A mounting bracket 26 is fixedly mounted on the furnace body 1, and the stepper motor 25 is fixedly mounted on the mounting bracket 26. A fixed seat 431 for supporting the drive shaft 231 is provided on the mounting bracket 26, and the drive shaft 231 is rotatably mounted on the fixed seat 431. The gear set 232 includes two meshing bevel gears, which are coaxially mounted on the output shaft of the stepper motor 25 and the drive shaft 231, respectively. A speed reducer can be installed between the output end of the stepper motor 25 and the gear set 232 to increase the output torque of the stepper motor 25. When it is necessary to control the opening and closing of the furnace door 11, the stepper motor 25, in conjunction with the gear set 232, drives the drive shaft 231 to rotate, which in turn drives the connecting rod 23 to rotate, thereby driving the furnace door 11 to open and close. When the connecting rod 23 rotates, the slider 22 slides in the guide rail 21 accordingly, realizing the automatic opening and closing of the furnace door 11, which is convenient for cooperating with the robotic arm to achieve fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis. To control the maximum opening and closing angle of the furnace door 11, a limit switch can be installed at the furnace door 11 or the hinge to limit the opening and closing angle of the furnace door 11 and avoid the furnace door 11 from being difficult to close automatically due to an excessive opening and closing angle.

[0038] In this technical solution, such as Figure 1-6As shown, a control box 6 is provided on one side of the furnace body 1. The control box 6 is electrically connected to the heating component 13, thermocouple 14, stepper motor 25, and balance 43. The control box 6 can be equipped with temperature control instruments, communication interfaces, indicator lights, switch knobs, etc., to realize real-time monitoring and data storage and output of temperature and weight, meeting the data statistics needs of fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis.

[0039] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace, comprising a furnace body (1) and a furnace door (11) hinged to one side of the furnace body (1), wherein a base (5) is provided at the lower end of the furnace body (1), characterized in that, The furnace body (1) is provided with a control mechanism (2) for controlling the opening and closing of the furnace door (11), and a heating component (13) is provided on the inner wall of the furnace body (1). A balance (43) is provided in the base (5). A heat-insulating support is vertically fixed on the balance (43). The upper end of the heat-insulating support extends into the inner cavity of the furnace body (1) and a crucible (3) is installed thereon. A water-cooled flange (44) is fixedly installed on the inner top wall of the base (5) corresponding to the outer side of the heat-insulating support. The inlet and outlet ports of the water-cooled flange (44) are connected to the water-cooled circulation equipment. A gap is provided between the inner side of the water-cooled flange (44) and the heat-insulating support.

2. The fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat insulation support includes a vertically arranged quartz tube (4) and a heat insulation filler (41) disposed inside the quartz tube (4).

3. The fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that, The crucible (3) has a positioning ring (31) at the bottom that matches the quartz tube (4). The positioning ring (31) is inserted into the quartz tube (4) or sleeved on the outside of the quartz tube (4).

4. The fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to claim 2, characterized in that, The balance (43) is provided with a mounting base (431) for mounting the quartz tube (4).

5. The fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the furnace body (1) and the inner side of the furnace door (11) are provided with a refractory layer (12), and the heating component (13) is embedded in the refractory layer (12).

6. The fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that, Thermocouples (14) are provided on the side wall of the furnace body (1), and the sensing end of the thermocouples (14) extends into the inner cavity of the furnace body (1) through the refractory layer (12).

7. The fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control mechanism (2) includes a guide rail (21) fixedly installed on the upper end of the furnace door (11), a slider (22) slidably installed in the guide rail (21), a connecting rod (23) rotatably connected to the upper end of the slider (22), a drive shaft (231) fixedly connected to the other end of the connecting rod (23), and a stepper motor (25) that drives the drive shaft (231) to rotate through a gear set (232). A mounting bracket (26) is fixedly installed on the furnace body (1), and the stepper motor (25) is fixedly installed on the mounting bracket (26). A fixed seat (431) for supporting the drive shaft (231) is provided on the mounting bracket (26), and the drive shaft (231) is rotatably installed on the fixed seat (431).

8. The fully automatic thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to claim 7, characterized in that, The gear set (232) includes two meshing bevel gears, which are coaxially mounted on the output shaft and drive shaft (231) of the stepper motor (25), respectively.

9. A fully automated thermogravimetric analysis furnace according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, A control box (6) is provided on one side of the furnace body (1). The control box (6) is electrically connected to the heating component (13), thermocouple (14), stepper motor (25) and balance (43).

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