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AQUATRAN Model 3/40 Operator's Manual
Conditioning the Sample
Sample Conditioning is a test state that allows the sample barrier to acclimate to the specified test
conditions. When you condition a sample, it is exposed to carrier gas and test gas in the same manner as
during normal testing. However, the carrier gas is not routed to the Permeant Sensor.
It is common for many types of packages and Very Good barrier materials to take a long time to reach
equilibrium. A Conditioning state offers two advantages when testing samples that take a long time to reach
equilibrium:
It prevents unnecessary exposure of the water vapor sensor to water vapor, thus extending
•
the life of the sensor.
It limits the number of transmission rate values that appear on a printed report.
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Note: When you use Individual Zero processing, the Conditioning state will only occur during the Test
Phase.
Whenever you use an Advanced Test method to test a sample that takes a long time to reach equilibrium,
consider using a Conditioning state. The settings for the Conditioning mode fields are explained below.
Off
Auto
Manual
Note: When a permeation test is performed using an Auto Test Method the Auto Conditioning mode is
always used.
For more information on how the Automatic Conditioning mode works see Appendix D "Theory of
Operation". For more information on using the Automatic Conditioning function see the Instrument Help
system.
MOCON, Inc.
When the Conditioning mode field is set to "Off", a Conditioning state will not be used.
The default mode is "Off".
When the Conditioning mode field is set to "Auto", the Carrier Gas exhaust of the cell
is monitored during the Conditioning State using the Purge Down water vapor sensor.
The time required to reduce the water vapor level (at the exhaust of the cell) to a
defined threshold is used to determine an appropriate Conditioning time. If the water
vapor level does not reach the threshold within the specified "Conditioning Failure
Time" the test will be set to the "Failed" state. After the Conditioning State completes
the system will automatically begin testing.
When the Conditioning mode is set to "Manual", the amount of time in hours that the
sample will be conditioned is specified using the "Conditioning Time" field. After the
specified conditioning period the system will automatically begin testing.
Revision D
Preparing for a Test
3-5
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