Tutorial on Replacing Quartz Tubes and Infrared Lamp Tubes in Thermogravimetric Instruments Using Infrared Heating

TA Company's thermogravimetric analyzer in the United States uses infrared heating to change the temperature during the experimental process. The main instrument models used in this form of heating include TGA 2950 thermogravimetric analyzer, TGA Q5000IR thermogravimetric analyzer, Discovery TGA thermogravimetric analyzer, and TGA5500 thermogravimetric analyzer. In the heating furnace of this type of instrument, four evenly placed infrared tubes are used for heating, and the infrared tubes and sample baskets are lined with quartz glass material (Figure 1). During the long-term use of the instrument, the lifespan of the infrared lamp tube will gradually decay with the extension of usage time. In addition, the decomposition products during the experiment will also react with the quartz inner lining tube, which can cause damage or even damage over time. Long term use of infrared light tubes can cause a decrease in brightness, and damage to the quartz inner lining tube can also cause serious pollution to the furnace body, resulting in a decrease in the actual temperature reached by the instrument and inaccurate measurement temperature. Therefore, the quartz tube and infrared lamp tube lining of the thermogravimetric instrument should be replaced regularly to ensure the normal operation of the instrument.

Due to the complexity and risks involved in replacing light tubes and quartz tubes, these tasks are usually completed by engineers from instrument companies. The number of instruments of this type currently used in the laboratory is conservatively estimated to be several hundred, and it is still growing rapidly at a rate of over a hundred each year. In order to ensure efficient and normal operation of the instrument and save laboratory operating costs, it is necessary for instrument users to master this operation. In this article, the author intends to introduce the replacement method of quartz inner lining tube and infrared lamp tube in conjunction with the TGAQ5000IR thermogravimetric analyzer in the laboratory, hoping to provide reference for similar instrument users when encountering similar problems.