The new TAM Air from TA Instruments is a powerful isothermal calorimeter that is an ideal choice for labs requiring high sensitivity and the industry’s best baseline stability for both long term process analysis and R&D applications.
The TAM Air offers heat flow sensitivity in the microwatt range and unparalleled baseline drift performance.
The new TAM Air benefits are as follows:
- Operating temperature range: 5 °C – 90 °C
- Eight-channel or three-channel calorimeter configuration choice available
- Circulating air thermostat with temperature stability at ±0.02 °C
- Connect up to eight external probes including I/O voltage card
- Compatible with all existing TAM Air ampoules
- Updated electronics for accurate data acquisition and EU ROHS compliance
- Enhanced baseline drift performance for long term (e.g. weeks) experiments
- Operates with complete TAM IV Lab Asst. software
Each calorimetric channel is a twin type, consisting of a reference chamber and a sample. The eight-channel calorimeter will house ampoules with a 20 mL volume. The three channel calorimeter will house ampoules with a 125 mL volume.
The TAM Air is a popular instrument of choice in the quality control process of concrete and cement. The TAM Air with the three-channel calorimeter with higher volume ampoules can also be utilized in environmental science and food applications.
Thermostat
The TAM Air is an air-based thermostat that uses a heat sink to conduct heat away from the sample and efficiently reduce temperature effects from outside.
Thermostat Specifications
| Calorimeter Positions |
8 or 3 |
| Operating Temperature Range |
5 ºC to 90 ºC |
| Thermostat type |
Air |
| Thermostat Stability |
± 0.02º C over 24 hours |
Calorimeter
The TAM Air thermostat is provided with two user changeable calorimeter blocks. Both the eight channel standard volume and three channel large volume calorimeters consist of a calorimeter block and data logging system that is needed for use with the TAM Air thermostat. All calorimeters are twin-type – reference and sample.
Eight (8) Channel Standard Volume Calorimeters
The eight-channel standard volume calorimeters are twin-type - reference and sample - and built for use with 20 mL plastic or glass ampoules or the 20 mL Admix ampoules.
Eight-Channel Standard Volume Calorimeter specifications
| Short term noise |
<±4 µW |
| Baseline drift over 24 hours |
<25 µW* |
| Limit of detection |
4 µW |
* Baseline drift specification is based on a 24-hour room temperature cycle and can be extended to be valid for a number of days and up to several weeks.
Three (3) Channel Large Volume Calorimeters
The three-channel large volume calorimeters have three twin style calorimeters that will house either 125 mL stainless steel ampoules or 125 mL glass ampoules.
Three-Channel Large Volume Calorimeter specifications
| Short term noise |
<±8 µW |
| Baseline drift over 24 hours |
< 55 µW* |
| Limit of detection |
8 µW |
* Baseline drift specification is based on a 24-hour room temperature cycle and can be extended to be valid for a number of days and up to several weeks.
Ampoules
A broad range of closed ampoules are available for the TAM Air Calorimeters, which enables the highest sensitivity and highest flexibility for sample management. All 20 mL closed ampoules currently available from TA Instruments can be used in the Eight-Channel TAM Air Calorimeter, as well as the 20 mL Admix ampoules. The Three-Channel Calorimeter will house either 125 mL stainless steel ampoules or 125 mL glass ampoules.
Eight-Channel Calorimeter
20 mL Closed Ampoule - 20 mL ampoules are available in stainless steel, glass, and plastic (HDPE).
20 mL ADMIX Ampoule - The Admix Ampoule is a 20 mL accessory available to start reactions within the calorimeter and can be configured with or without a motor for stirring.
Three-Channel Calorimeter
125 mL Polished Glass Ampoule - The polished glass ampoules are preferred for moisture-containing or wet samples. The ampoules are designed with a polished inner surface at the top to provide a proper seal to the o-ring in the metal lid. The ampoules may be washed for reuse or can be disposed.
125 mL Stainless Steel Ampoule - The stainless steel ampoules are suitable for most samples that can be cleaned out after measurements. These ampoules are sealed with a Viton o-ring and a circlip.
Experiments
The TAM Air Calorimeters are particularly suitable for processes that evolve or consume heat over the course of days and weeks, such as food spoilage, cement and concrete hydration, microbial activity and many others.
Cement Setting Times with Admixtures
When testing cement lots without admixture, minimal variation in setting time is noticed. When different cement lots are tested with the same admixture, large differences in setting times can be noticed.
Cement Thermal Profile with Contaminants
A steady reduction in thermal power is obvious as the cement mortar is contaminated by a mixture of sawdust and soil increases (0; 0.9; 2.5 and 5.9% of w/c=0.6 cement mortar).
Cement Sulfate Depletion
The sulfate depletion peak occurs after the main silicate peak. This can be used for a fast indication of the most favorable sulfate content of a laboratory ground clinker. The results show that 2.5% added S03 might be adequate to take the resulting Portland cement to optimum S03 level.
Cement Hydration – Admix Ampoule
Hydration of calcium sulfate hemihydrate with Admix Ampoule involves hydrating 2 g of calcium sulfate hemihydrate samples with distilled water (blue) or hydrating with a 5% sodium chloride solution (red). When NaCl is incorporated into the hydration solution, the time taken for the calcium sulfate hemihydrates to finish the hydration reaction is decreased by over one-half.
TAM Air Isothermal Calorimeter from TA Instruments
125 mL Ampoule – Concrete
TAM Air 20 mL Glass Sealed Ampoule