Hiden Analytical introduce CATLAB, a new integrated microreactor and mass spectrometer gas analyser for the characterisation and evaluation of catalysts and for diverse thermal sorption and reaction studies. The compact, modular system is bench-top mounted with fully pre-programmable PC control of temperature ramp rate and setpoint, and of flow rates of up to 8 gas streams.

The microreactor module incorporates an air-cooled fast response low thermal mass furnace with novel cartridge loading system for simple reproducible sample placement, the in-bed thermocouple directly measuring catalyst temperature and reaction exotherms. Close-coupled sampling direct from the specimen environment minimises dead volume and memory effects for fast real-time analysis of reaction products with optimum species resolution.

CATLAB addresses all the needs of the catalyst investigator enabling characterisation with dynamic TPR/TPO/TPD programs, metal surface area measurement by N2O decomposition, acidic/basic site quantification and evaluation, and rapid reproducible screening of catalyst activity – under identical conditions without sample transfer.