Thermal Analysis
Equipment (oven) for thermal analysis (Netzsch STA 409 PC/3/H Luxx)
To perform a thermal analysis, powdered samples are heated continuously in an oven up to 1500 °C, and thermal reactions are recorded during the heating. Temperature changes within the sample and a standard (Differential Thermal Analysis, DTA), mass changes (Thermal Gravimetry, TG) and mass changes per time (Differential Thermal Gravimetry, DTG) are registered simultaneously. The method can be used for identification of compounds with characteristic thermal reactions. Moreover, a quantification of phases (e.g. for calcite, gypsum or clay minerals) is possible by registration of the mass loss due to the loss of CO2 or dehydration at higher temperatures.