SIRCAL Rare Gas Purifier Model MP-2000

Upgraded and improved from the year 2000 model.

Latest surface mount electronics with lcd display and added functionality

Now well established since its introduction in 2000 the upgraded model will be available from around March 2009.  The MP-2000 is a stand-alone unit for the purification of argon or any of the other rare gases: helium, neon, xenon and krypton. It offers a compact system for delivery of purified gas directly to the point of use. The purifier contains two reactive getter tubes and a molecular sieve drier tube housed in a cabinet for immediate use. Just plug into the local ac power supply, connect the gas and purge the lines, turn on the power and you are up and running.

When introduced in 2000 it offered several new features and benefits over the previous model. From time to time the user has to replace the getter tubes and the molecular sieve drier tube when they become exhausted. The MP2000  has been designed to make this operation much quicker than before. The getter tubes can now be removed from the purifier through the top of the enclosure by simply undoing a couple of gas connections. The drier tube is equally easy to remove from the front of the enclosure. The entire tube replacement procedure has been simplified and reduced in time by a factor of 10 compared with the previous model.

For flow rates up to 10 litres per minute and inlet pressures up to 250 psig (17 bar), the MP-2000 will remove the impurities, i.e. oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and moisture (typically present in the range of 30-50vpm) in commercially available rare gases down to a concentration of less than 1 vpm in total.

The MP-2000 has been designed on a modular basis to simplify servicing and maintenance by the user. All parts are available as spares on a quick delivery basis either direct from SIRCAL or from your local agent.

With over 20 years experience in supplying rare gas purifiers throughout the world SIRCAL has built up a fine reputation for reliability and technical excellence. The typical user will find they will need to replace the getter tubes after about two years use. (Replacements may be needed sooner if the gas is very impure for example). Replacement tubes are available at quick delivery and compare very favourably to higher cost competitive equivalents. The molecular sieve drier tube can have a longer life as it can be regenerated many times by using the in built regeneration facility.

Easy to use self-sealing plug-in gas connections are provided to ensure the user cannot leave the purifier open to air contamination when the purifier is disconnected from its feed gas.

The new lcd display design provides information on instrument status, elapsed furnace hours and improved information on any fault condition.  As in the previous electronics, there is no loss of furnace heating due to temporary loss of mains power.  As before relay contacts are provided for remote indication of purifier status and a microcontroller alarm system is provided to warn of heater control failure, thermocouple faults or low gas pressure (with optional pressure sensor).

 

Principle of Operation

The purification system consists of a furnace in which a titanium getter tube at 700°C removes oxygen and nitrogen by chemical reaction and a copper oxide tube at 450°C removes carbon monoxide, hydrogen and hydrocarbons, again by chemical reaction. Finally, external to the furnace, there is a molecular sieve drier tube operating at ambient temperature which removes moisture and carbon dioxide by physical adsorption. The molecular sieve drier tube can be regenerated in-situ by means of the band heater facility provided.

The furnace temperature is controlled at 700°C by means of a pair of thermocouples which in turn control the amount of power fed to the furnace heater element via a zero switching controller and triac. A supervisory alarm circuit in the unit cuts off the power to the heater element if the temperature of the furnace for any reason rises above 800°C .

 

 

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