GERSTEL Modular Accelerated Column Heater MACH
Fast GC Module for the GC 6890 from Agilent Technologies

Improve the productivity of your 6890 GC System with a simple upgrade by just adding the GERSTEL Modular Accelerated Column Heater MACH. MACH allows you to perform your GC analysis significantly faster, achieving higher throughput and increased efficiency. Most of your GC analysis parameters can be directly transferred to the MACH system. Along with reduced GC cycle times, MACH delivers a significant reduction in energy consumption, improving your overall cost of operation and Return On Investment.

MACH: Separation of n-C5- to n-C44-compounds in less than 1.5 Minutes

The GERSTEL Modular Accelerated Column Heater MACH was developed based on Low Thermal Mass LTM technology. LTM technology offers several advantages for temperature programming and high-productivity analysis. MACH is virtually free of void volumes and insulation material, thus eliminating the long heating and cooling cycles normally found in standard GC systems. The combination of low mass and efficient heat transfer ensures that only a minimum of energy is required to heat and cool the module. Cooling is achieved using ambient air and small fans. Energy consumption can be cut by up to 98% using a MACH module.

MACH construction principle

The MACH module combines a capillary column, a temparature sensor wire and an insulated heating wire, all of approximately equal length. These three items are coiled into a low-power GC “torus”, a ring-shaped column package. The ceramic insulating layer of the heating wire eliminates any exterior electrical contact, ensuring the the heat energy is evenly distributed over the entire length of the column. On the outside, a heat conducting aluminium foil is wrapped around the torus, holding it tightly together and ensuring efficient en-ergy transfer.

MACH Highlights:

1. Rapid heating and cooling – Short cycle times - High sample throughput - increased system utilization

2. All standard GC capillary columns available - Easy transfer of existing method parameters

3. Significantly reduced energy consumption - Efficient heating and cooling due to Low Thermal Mass LTM technology

4. Multi Dimensional GC analysis with a separate oven for each column - Optimized program for each separate column

5. Simple and efficient operation by mouse click - Controlled from the Agilent ChemStation GC Method pages

6. Simple and fast upgrade - Up to 4 MACH modules per GC, upgrade installed in 30 minutes

SPECIFICATIONS

Rapid heating and cooling – Short cycle times

Following the temperature program, the capillary column is cooled by small fans, which are mounted underneath it inside the module. Similar to the MACH heating rates, cooling is a breeze. A 2 Metre, 0.1mm i.d. fused silica capillary column for GC/Time of Flight TOF MS cools from 350 °C to 50 °C in 30 seconds. A 15 Metre, 0.32 mm i.d. fused silica capillary cools from 350 °C to 50 °C in 140 Seconds. Due to their low thermal mass and very high cooling rates, fused silica capillaries are preferred for the MACH modules. If required, it is possible to use metal capillaries of up to 0.53 mm i.d.

All standard GC capillary columns available

MACH modules are available with almost any standard capillary GC column phase. The user decides, which capillary column to use in his or her MACH module. Columns are wound tightly using a special machine process and wrapped in a metal foil. The use of standard capillary columns in MACH modules ensures that you can easily upgrade your GC method to a MACH method.

Significantly reduced energy consumption

The average power consumption of the MACH module over a full GC analysis amounts to as little as one percent of the energy required for a similar standard GC analysis cycle. Heating an 18 Metre, 0.32 mm i.d. fused silica capillary from 40°C to 400°C at 60°C / min in the MACH module requires only around 23 Watt, equal to 1.3 W/m column. In spite of the low energy consumption, MACH modules are capable of heating the column much faster than standard GCs.

Multi Dimensional GC analysis with a separate oven for each column

When operating capillary columns in parallel, each can be optimized or conditioned independently using one or more MACH modules. The user is not forced to operate with only a single temperature program for all columns. This ensures that a combination of columns can be utilized, each to its full separation capacity. Equally, each GC column can be conditioned at its optimal conditioning temperature for best possible performance without risk of overheating.

Simple and efficient operation by mouse click

You use the same Software, Injectors, Detectors and EPC system after a MACH upgrade as you did before it. You can continue to operate your GC system in the same way without additional effort and training. System operation is highly transparent to the host GC: Temperature programs are easily specified in the GC method pages of the ChemStation and the MACH modules are directly linked to the GC via the „Remote-Ready“ and „Remote-Start“ signals. The complete system is operated using only one combined GC method and one sequence list.

Simple and fast upgrade

MACH modules are mounted on the outside of the GC oven door, not inside the GC oven. The advantages are clear, the GC oven can be operated isothermally at the maximum required temperature for the analysis serving only as a heated conduit for connectors and connecting lines to the MACH module(s). No extra heaters are required for the end of the injector and/or detector or for any connecting lines inside the main GC oven. Additionally, it is possible to operate a combination of columns of different polarity up to their respective maximum temperatures without damage to the other columns. The oven door is quickly replaced and upgraded. The electronic control boards are mounted inside the oven door control module, and is capable of operating up to 4 independent modules each with its own temperature program.

Recommended Accessories:
GERSTEL MASter software
Fully Integrated into Agilent MSD and GC Chemstations for one Chemstation method and sequence control of the total system.
This is software for programming methods and sequences for all GERSTEL modules and systems.

Figure 1. MACH GC Module based on Low Thermal Mass LTM technology (covers removed); Inside, the specially packaged column can be seen along with the heated transfer line connectors and high-temperature interface. The 3,5“ Floppy Disk is shown for size comparison.

Figure 2. Fast GC analysis of C5 to C44 n-alkanes using LTM-technology (Data kindly provided by Separation Systems Inc., Gulf Breeze, FL, U.S.A.).