The TCA08 Total Carbon Analyser is a revolutionary scientific instrument designed for air quality monitoring. It precisely measures suspended aerosol particles’ Total Carbon (TC) content, providing near-real-time data for environmental and research applications.
Carbonaceous (OC + EC) matter is usually the largest contributor to PM2.5 mass. Conventional thermal analysis for the EC/OC content of aerosols gives data that is highly dependent on the thermal analysis protocol that is used: NIOSH vs. IMPROVE vs. EUSAAR. The Aerosol Magee Scientific TC-BC Method yields data that is in the ‘centre’ of this range, but which can be related to primary reference standards. See also CASS or the following publication.
TCA08 is a rugged instrument suitable for laboratory and Air Quality monitoring applications. TCA-08 contains no glass and requires no gas.
Data sheets and specifications are subject to change, and Enviro Technology cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies in manufacturer-issued data sheets. To confirm specifications and obtain the latest issue of the data sheet, please contact us.
The Aerosol Magee Scientific Total Carbon Analyser collects a sample of atmospheric aerosols on a quartz fibre filter enclosed in a small stainless-steel chamber at a controlled sampling flow rate of 16.7 LPM. The default sampling time is 60 minutes but can be set from 20 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the ambient aerosol concentrations.
The instrument has two identical parallel channels, with the air flows being controlled by ball valves and solenoids. While one channel is collecting its sample, the other channel analyses the sample collected during the previous period. At the end of the period, the valves switch over to provide continuous operation and continuous data.
After collecting the filter, two flash-heating elements combust the sample instantaneously in a small ‘analytic’ flow of filtered ambient air. This converts all the carbonaceous compounds into CO₂ and creates a short, but large-amplitude pulse of CO₂ in the analytic flow passed to the NDIR CO₂ detector. The background level of CO₂ in ambient air during the heating cycle is determined before, and after the heating cycle, the provide the baselines against which the combustion pulse is measured. The
CO₂ concentration over the baseline is integrated to give the Total Carbon content of the sample.
The chamber and combustion elements are cooled after analysis. At the end of the time-base period, the flow system of ball valves and solenoids switches over. The first channel collects the next period’s sample, while the second channel analyses the previously collected sample.
