Mastersizer 2000 Autosampler passes extreme test at Terreal Guiraud Freres

The new Autosampler for the Mastersizer 2000 laser diffraction based particle size analyzer has been subjected to an extreme measurement test in the laboratories of Terreal Guiraud Freres, a subsidiary of St Gobain, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of glass and building materials.

A key function of any autosampler for particle sizing is the ability to perform measurements with consistency, and produce results that are in absolute agreement with the best efforts of a skilled operator.

Accurate sampling of large particles is especially important and is often a very challenging task for an autosampler. The importance of meeting this challenge can be appreciated when it is realised that, in terms of volume, a single 100 micron particle is equivalent to a million one micron particles. If the largest material is sampled incorrectly, the resultant errors can have a severe impact on the measurements obtained and the decisions based on these measurements.

Tests at Terreal Guiraud Freres involved the use of a sample that contained particles with a size distribution from 0.4 microns to more than 2000 microns. To carry out these tests, samples were very carefully split using a spinning riffler to ensure that each sample was as representative of the bulk as possible.

A reference set of data was produced by loading a series of samples by hand and measuring them. A further set of measurements was then made using the Malvern Autosampler. Overplots of the two sets of measurements indicate that the Autosampler delivered these difficult samples to the sizer with exactly the same accuracy as was obtained by the experienced operator.

  Following the successful conclusion of these and other equally searching tests, the Autosampler 2000 has been retained by Terreal Guiraud Freres to help them to maintain the quality of their range of building materials.

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