Sensor catalyst measuring station (SESAM)
The sensor and catalyst measuring station (SESAM) is specially designed to measure gas sensory and catalytic materials at temperatures of up to 1200°C against various gases (NO, NO2, O2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2) in various carrier gases (argon, syn. air and N2).
Range of services / functions
The SESAM can generate gas mixtures of up to eight individual gases and heat them in a quartz glass reactor inlay at room temperatures of up to 1200 °C before flowing into the sample chamber. This is variable in volume so that different test conditions can be created or different sample geometries can be examined and glass flow rates of 200 - 500 sccm and a maximum operating pressure of ~ 3 bar can be set. For characterization there is a Solartron 1255b impedance spectroscope, expanded by a Solartron 1286 potentiotate, a DC source meter from Keithley, an 8-channel gas analyzer (NO, NO2, O2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2, can be used alternately with carrier gases argon, syn. air and N2) and equipped with other measuring devices, e.g. a Pfeiffer mass spectroscope and UV/IR gas analyzer from ABB. SESAM can be controlled by computer, so that automated gas introduction and longer measurement campaigns are possible.
Application examples:
Functional layers for gas sensing are used to monitor combustion gases and various gas atmospheres. For this purpose, research is not only carried out on individual components, but through the integrated and intelligent structure of thin films, multifunctional sensor systems are being developed that work particularly efficiently and at high temperatures. Special areas of application are currently in the development of hydrogen sensors for leak detection as well as in the use of solar and electrochemical fuel generating systems in inert and atmospheric room temperature environments.
Memristor and resistance sensors based, among other things, on top-bottom electrodes (TBE) and interdigital electrodes (IDE) sensor configurations are used with specially developed, thin-film and mesoporous semiconducting, perovskite, spinel and mixed oxide sensor layers in the SESAM system under controlled gas concentrations and flow rates characterized by sensory properties.
Currently committed projects are the DLR-funded impulse project SHIFT and the EU-funded HE project PHOENIX (H2030,1101103702).
System characteristics
- 8-channel mass flow controller with control unit (MFC) - MKS
- Test gases: NO, NO2, O2, CO, CO2, CH4, H2
- Carrier gases: Argon, synthetic air, nitrogen
- Maximum flow rate: 200-1000 sscm/min
- Computer controlled cascade heated tube furnace – temperatures up to 1200°C (CARBOLITE)
- Custom-made quartz glass reactor inlay with sample holder and thermocouple guide
- Flexible sample geometry (max. Ø 50mm)
- Keithley Sourcemeter 6517B
- Impedance Spectroscopes - Solartron 1255b and Solartron 1286 Potentiostat - (Frequency range: 1 MHz-0.001 Hz) with ZPlot and ZView 2.0 (Scribner Inc.) software
- UV/IR Gas Analyzer Unit – FIG
Contact
Dr.-Ing. habil. Bilge Saruhan-Brings
Dr.-Ing. habil. Svitlana Krüger