MOISTURE BALANCE
POSTED BY ALICE
In the scrap catalytic converters, the moisture balance must be taken into consideration. We advise you to check our previous articles to understand what we are talking about.
Now that you have decanned your used catalytic, the idea is to now know what is the value of your catalysts are. Basically, you will need to mill the honeycomb you got from the separation. Once the monolith is in powder form you can now perform the analysis of the sample.
Why moisture must be analysed ?
Moisture is the worst enemy of this industry. It can basically false all your analysis. When you perform an XRF analysis the machine will take the weight of your sample as an analyse base. Don't skip the steps and analyse the moisture rate of your sample. Then calibrate your XRF to have accurate results.
METTLER TOLEDO - Moisture analyser
We had the opportunity to meet Mettler Toledo, a company specialized in Moisture Analyzers. This balance is not only used in PGM recycling, it's also used to control de moisture of spices.
HE53 / HE73
Designed in Switzerland but produced in China, the HE53 and HE73 are the "entry model" of this company. If we vulgarise how the HE operates, it is a balance that through halogen heating technology, analysis the moisture rate of your sample.
The main difference between these two models is their capacity for analysis. The HE73 can analyse up to 71g whereas the HE53 can analyse 54g. However, this machine needs to be used manually, meaning that you'll need to switch off the heating when you want it.
HC103
Trusted results at one click, convenient, clever, and robust, this the motto of the brand new Moisture Analyzers HC103. This high-end product now has a bright and sharp touchscreen that is easy to read. On this screen, you can see useful info such as the weight of your sample (maximum: 101g), the heating, and also a real-time dynamic drying curve. Finally, it automatically switches off the heating process through a timer.
The results storage can go up to 100, but you can now export your results on a USB flash drive and so on.
The price
As for everything, it will mostly depend on the options and negotiation you took. Overall if you want this kind of machine and a calibration service it will roughly be around $3.000. Yes, test machines can be quite expensive but it will surely allow you in the end to save money. All your tests will be more accurate.
