GreCon GA 6000

• Analysis of the formaldehyde emission in only few hours
• No use of the health-damaging toluol
• Intuitive operation via a 10“ colour touch screen
• Silent in operation
• Flexible valve configuration
• Accepted by CARB
• Reliable results also in case of very low emitting samples
• No waiting times thanks to the programmable heating of the measuring chambers
• Data export (e.g. history) by USB interface
• An upgrade of GA 5000 to GA 6000 is generally possible

The two measuring chambers made of polished stainless steel are controlled separately and can be used independently. An airflow of 60 l/h with a temperature of 60 °C channels the formaldehyde emitted from the test specimen out of the measuring chamber into gas wash bottles. Before introducing the air into the measuring chambers, it is cleaned with silica gel and filtered to achieve a clean air flow.

According to standard the air flow is fed to four pairs of wash bottles for a period of four hours, i.e. formaldehyde containing air is blown through each pair of wash bottles for one hour. After the forth hour, the air flow is stopped automatically. The sequence to open and close the valves is regulated by the PLC. As measuring temperature and valve configuration can be adapted, a flexible reaction on future changes of the standard is possible. The lines of the test air as well as the valve blocks are heated to avoid any condensation and resulting measuring errors. An automatic leak test issues a warning if a leakage occurs.

The relevant test parameters – as required in EN ISO 12460-3 – can be exported via a USB interface. Furthermore, the sample identification as well as date and time of the test are saved in the history.

The test specimen is introduced with sealed edges into a tempered measuring chamber through which a controlled flow of cleaned and heated air flows. The formaldehyde emitted from the test specimen is transported into wash bottles together with the air flow and absorbed in the distilled water. This part of the test takes four hours in compliance with the standard.

Finally, the formaldehyde concentration in the water of the wash bottles is spectrophotometrically determined by means of the acetylacetone method with 412 nm. It is possible to analyse two test specimens at the same time but independently from each other in the two chambers of the GA 6000.

The software of the GA 6000 is implemented on a PLC with integrated touch panel. Access to the user interface is possible via this touch panel.

The system is operated by the user interface. Here, the user may e.g. switch on the heating, start a test or – if stored – select a special valve configuration. Furthermore, the status of the system is displayed, e.g. the current values of the test parameters temperature, the air flow and the test progress. If required according to EN ISO 12460-3, the parameters of temperature, air flow and pressure are saved as average values for each test hour and each test. Date and time are added automatically. Moreover, the user may enter an individual identification for each test, e.g. a production number. The details of the last ten tests can be seen in the history and exported via USB interface.