Vario Pyrocube

Stable isotope laboratories have ever increasing demands for functionality and versatility. H and O isotopic determination in solids and liquids often requires pyrolysis at temperature of up to 1,500 °C. At the same time, laboratories need routine for carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur isotope ratio determination as well as elemental concentration analysis. In the past, laboratories have had to invest in two separate analyzers to cover this range of analysis; one for combustion and the other for pyrolysis.

The vario PYRO cube breaks new ground by combining an up to 1,500 °C pyrolysis analyzer with a fully functional elemental analyzer for carbon, nitrogen, and/or sulfur determination with separate combustion and reduction tubes.

Oxygen isotope ratio determination of high nitrogen containing samples poses analytical challenges. The use of Elementar purge and trap technology results in complete baseline separation of the N₂ from the CO peak and superior CO peak focussing. The system uses a special backflush system (patent applied for) to remove background bleed of the pyrolysis reactor from the CO peaks.

The vario PYRO cube is a member of Elementar’s well renowned “cube family”. The very small footprint is the result of the most advanced functional design in the market. Even the power supply for the 1,500 °C furnace is incorporated in the compact design of the vario PYRO cube with a footprint of only 42 x 55 cm.

• Quantitative sample pyrolysis at up to 1,500 °C . This is the prerequisite for 100% recovery also for samples difficult to pyrolyze. Equipped with one silicon carbide heater element and a standard reduction oven, it allows full flexibility without any compromise.
• Due to the novel reactor design with fully separated gas flow a very low background signal has been achieved.
• Sample weight between 0.02 mg and 1 g with up to 6 mg O abs., from ppm to 100%
• Separation of gaseous components on up to three specific columns for perfect separation without overlap and automatic optimization of the analysis time. A peak separation to the baseline, e.g. for CO₂ and N₂, can be reached even with a concentration ratio of 5000:1.
• Specifically equipped with novel backflush technology to guarantee full nitrogen-carbon monoxide separation for highly accurate analysis of oxygen.
• With a standard PC for perfect results also for unknown or heavily variable sample matrices with integrated sample feeder for 120 samples. Possibility for remote service due to full digitalization of the instrument electronics
• No expensive special catalysts, easy ash removal from the pyrolysis tube and long lifetime of all components are the basis for a low cost of ownership
• The analysis only takes a few minutes, no aggressive or toxic chemicals are used, Helium carrier gas
• 48 x 55 cm benchtop space, 1 power supply (230, 110, 100 V), and two gases are sufficient for maintenance free long t