LABORATORY
Ageing Apparatus
A system has been specially designed and prepared that can be used for the accelerated artificial hydrothermal ageing of autocatalysts. The hydrothermal ageing apparatus is equipped with a muffle furnace of 3L capacity (static oven with a Digital programmable temperature controller capable of storing up to 30 programs – up to 8 steps per program). Heating ramp can be set at 1-20 °C/min, while the maximum working temperature is 1100 °C. The ageing atmosphere can be controlled to contain O2 using an air gas cylinder. Steaming can be conducted using a thermostated water saturator made of stainless steel.
Upstream the furnace, an air stream passes through the thermostated water saturator operating at a specified temperature to introduce the required steam concentration in air mixture into the furnace chamber. The saturator’s effluent is preheated prior to entering the muffle furnace in order to avoid condensation.
- Controllable atmosphere inside the furnace to obtain different ageing cycle modes.
- O2 in the feed: 0-21 vol.% (using air gas cylinders, total feed up to 5L/min).
- The total flow can be varied and accurately measured based on different requirements (total flow up to 6L/min).
- Reproducible ageing conditions are ensured.