06.05.2022 by Aileen Sammler

Who has the Oldest Coupling System still in Use? Well here is the Winner!

The winner of our March raffle is CEA Cadarache in France.

As part of our 60th anniversary, we looked into the history of our coupling systems in March, and asked you: Who has the oldest instrument still in use?

The winner is CEA Cadarache in France. Congratulations! Their STA 409 has been coupled with a quadrupole mass spectrometer since 1986. The combination has been in continuous operation ever since – despite numerous relocations over the decades.

Photo: Copyright CEA

It all began in 1983, when CEA purchased an STA 409 in Fontenay-aux-Roses. The unit was the first installed base in France with a data acquisition system, which was used for the determination of clay and cement for the storage of radioactive waste. A technician was hired to operate the STA, and he still works with the analyzer today.

This technician had become an engineer in 1989 following his research on thermal analysis methods for the dosage of minerals associated with clays. Most of it was based on the results of EGA mass spectrometry.

In 1998, a move was made associated with the purchase of a low temperature furnace and the replacement of the mass spectrometer. Instead of the old steel capillaries, quartz capillaries were now used.

After various relocations to new buildings, the STA-QMS is still in operation today and reliably supports the CEA company with experiments and measurements.

Thank you for your contribution!

The raffle continues - it's all about TGA until May, 9th. Find out more here: NETZSCH - the Thermal Analysis Blog