Sii Nanotechnology Inc.

Hitachi High-tech Science Corporation

Shinya Nishimura

Kentaro Yamada

Hirohito Fujiwara

Ryoichi Kinoshita

Rintaro Nakatani

Kanji Nagasawa

Susumu Ito

Takeshi Umemoto

Kengo Kobayashi

Nobuaki Okubo

Ryoji Takasawa

An analyzing apparatus includes a memory unit that stores analysis conditions of each standards specifying analysis conditions for each analytical technique, a control unit, and an analysis unit that performs an analysis in accordance with a predetermined analytical technique. The control unit reads out the analysis conditions of the standard, and the control unit displays analysis conditions in time sequence, the displayed analysis conditions being necessary for the analysis and selected from out of the read-out analysis conditions, or the control unit prompts to input the analysis conditions in time sequence. When the analysis conditions are input, the control unit determines whether or not the input analysis conditions comply with the read-out analysis conditions, and in a case where a result of the determination is positive, the control unit displays a next analysis condition being necessary for the analysis, or the control unit prompts to input the next analysis condition.

Analyzing apparatus and analyzing method

Provided is a thermal analyzer, with which a sample can be observed even under a state in which a heat sink is cooled to a room temperature or lower. The thermal analyzer includes: the heat sink, in which a measurement sample container and a reference sample container are placed; a heat sink cover configured to cover the heat sink; a heat sink window provided in the heat sink; a heat sink cover window provided in the heat sink cover; an imaging device configured to image the sample in the heat sink through the heat sink window and the heat sink cover window; a purge gas introduction portion, through which a purge gas is introduced into the heat sink; and a discharge port, through which the purge gas is allowed to flow from one of the heat sink window and the heat sink to a space inside the heat sink cover.

Thermal analyzer

A thermal analyzer is provided with: a furnace tube; a pair of sample holders; a heating furnace; a measurement chamber; and a measurement unit arranged inside the measurement chamber. The sample holders are arranged inside the furnace tube and are provided with mounting faces on which a pair of sample containers are mounted respectively. The heating furnace has an opening through which a measurement sample is observable, the opening being located at a position above the center of a virtual segment which connects centers of gravity of the mounting faces of the sample holders. The opening is formed to have a size, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the mounting faces, of 7 mm or more in the direction along the virtual segment and of 3 mm or more in the direction perpendicular to the virtual segment.

Thermo-gravimetric apparatus

A thermal analyzer is provided with: a furnace tube; a sample holder; a heating furnace; a measurement chamber; and a measurement unit. The heating furnace comprises a fixing section to be fixed to the furnace tube. The furnace tube is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the heating furnace and provided with an engagement portion that is configured to be engaged with the fixing section at a variable position in the radial direction. A gap jig is configured to be detachable from the heating furnace and the furnace tube after inserting the furnace tube into the heating furnace and engaging the engagement portion of the furnace tube with the fixing section while the gap jig is interposed between the heating furnace and the furnace tube to maintain the gap between the heating furnace and the furnace tube in the radial direction to be in the predetermined distance.

An imaging apparatus for a thermal analyzer is configured to image a heated sample inside a thermal analyzer main body section from an observation window provided in the thermal analyzer main body section. The imaging apparatus is provided with: an imaging device that is provided with a lens housing and a main body section; a holding section configured to hold the imaging device to have an orientation in which the lens housing is oriented toward the observation window, and the main body section is positioned on the opposite side of the observation window across the lens housing; and a cooling fan configured to provide airflow inside the holding section. The holding section is provided with a cooling air passage having an intake portion and an exhaust portion. At least a portion of the lens housing is arranged in the cooling air passage to be cooled by the airflow provided by the cooling fan.

Imaging apparatus for thermal analyzer and thermal analyzer including the same

A thermal analyzer () includes: a furnace tube () made of a transparent material; a heating furnace (); a sample holding part () arranged inside the furnace tube; a first support base (); a second support base (); a measurement chamber () connected to the furnace tube; a first movement part () for moving the first support base and the second support base between a measurement position, at which the furnace tube is connected to the measurement chamber, and a sample setting position, at which the sample holding part is exposed on a rear end side with respect to the furnace tube and the heating furnace; and a second movement part () for moving only the second support base to a sample observation position, at which the heating furnace is advanced and the furnace tube is exposed. Accordingly, the sample is observable from outside the exposed furnace tube.

A thermal analyzer heats and cools a sample placed inside a furnace for measuring a thermal characteristic of the sample during heating and cooling. The thermal analyzer has a multilayer structure for covering the furnace and its surroundings so as to isolate the furnace and its surroundings from an external environment. The multilayer structure includes a multilayer wall with two layers formed of a material having high thermal conductivity and heat dissipation property. The two layers are spaced apart from one another to provide therebetween an interlayer that contains a substance having a heat capacity substantially equal to a gas contained in the furnace so that heat transfer between the two layers is minimized.

A differential scanning calorimeter () includes: a sample container () for receiving a measurement sample; a reference substance container () for receiving a reference substance; a heat sink (); a thermal resistance (), which is connected between the sample container and the heat sink, and between the reference substance container and the heat sink to form heat flow paths therebetween; a sample-side thermocouple (), which is thermally connected to the thermal resistance at a portion in the vicinity of the sample container with its hot-junction () being insulated; and a reference substance-side thermocouple (), which is thermally connected to the thermal resistance at a portion in the vicinity of the reference substance container with its hot junction () being insulated, in which the sample-side thermocouple and the reference substance-side thermocouple output a heat flow difference signal indicating a temperature difference between the measurement sample and the reference substance.

Differential scanning calorimeter

The differential scanning calorimeter includes: a heat sink, which stores a measuring sample and a reference material; a heater, which heats the heat sink; a cooling block, which is separated away from the heat sink, and positioned below the heat sink; a thermal resistor, which is connected between the heat sink and the cooling block, and forms a heat flow path therebetween; a cooling head, which is detachably fitted to the cooling block, and is cooled by an external cooling device; and differential heat flow detectors, which output a temperature difference between the measuring sample and the reference material as a heat-flow-difference signal, in which: the cooling block forms a side wall to fit the bore of the cooling head outward from the joint of the thermal resistance body; the top surface of the cooling head is lower than the joint.

To enable the reduction in working efforts by hand by performing control a drying operation by appropriately selecting dry conditions depending on the connection mode of the cooling device, and removal of moisture and the like without fail. The thermal analysis system uses a heater and a cooling device to raise and decrease the temperature inside the purge box. In the drying method for the thermal analysis system, the drying operation is performed by: previously setting dry conditions depending on the connection mode of the cooling device; starting control of an opening time dry process upon activation of the thermal analysis system; supplying a predetermined amount of dry gas into the purge box in accordance with the dry conditions corresponding to the selected connection mode of the cooling device with the cooling device kept off; and making the temperature control module control the temperature of the dry gas.

Thermal analysis system and method of drying the same

There is provided a differential scanning calorimeter possessing an accommodation chamber accommodating a sample to be measured and a reference material, a heater heating the accommodation chamber, a differential heat flow detector outputting a temperature difference between the sample to be measured and the reference material as a heat flow difference signal, a cooling block cooling-controlled to a predetermined temperature, a heat resistor which mechanically connects the cooling block and the accommodation chamber and forms a heat flow path between both, a first fixation means which fixes the heat resistor to the cooling block by pressing the former while being biased by a constant elastic force, and a second fixation means which fixes the accommodation chamber to the heat resistor by pressing the former while being biased by a constant elastic force.

A differential scanning calorimeter has a heat sink for accommodating therein a measurement sample and a reference material, and a differential heat flow detector that detects a temperature difference between the sample and the reference material. A cooling mechanism cools the heat sink, and a thermoconductor is disposed between the cooling mechanism and the heat sink and forms a heat flow path between the two. A first heater heats the heat sink, and a second heater heats the thermoconductor to thereby heat the heat sink. The second heater begins operating before the first heater nears its rated maximum output power.

Differential scanning calorimeter with a second heater

A thermal analyzer has a heat sink for storing therein a specimen, a heater for heating the heat sink and the specimen, at superheating temperatures, and a cooling mechanism thermally connected to the heat sink for cooling the heat sink and the specimen. The cooling mechanism is comprised of a tubular member having an inlet port for introducing a cooling gas into the tubular member and an outlet port for discharging the cooling gas from the tubular member. A tubular extension is thermaly connected to and extends from the tubular member. An electric cooling device has a cooling head connected to the tubular extension for cooling the cooling mechanism.

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Chiba, Japan

Shinya Nishimura