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The minAV® from CANNON Instrument Company offers every laboratory exciting new tools for convenient and highly accurate kinematic viscosity (Kin Vis) measurement. Occupying roughly the same footprint as a tabletop rotational viscometer, the minAV® automates the time-consuming sample measurement and viscometer tube wash/dry procedures associated with the ASTM D445 method, freeing the laboratory technician for other duties. The minAV® has been designed as an affordable alternative to traditional labor-intensive manual Kin Vis measurement methods, and provides a first step toward full laboratory automation. The minAV® performs in tandem with the proven VISCPRO® II software for Windows® XP, providing convenient sample ID data entry, database maintenance, and powerful reporting and LIMS connectivity capabilities. Two minAV® instruments can be connected to a single PC to easily determine Viscosity Index for a sample. Operation Operation of the minAV® is simple. The user fills the sample vial, places it in the vial holder beneath the viscometer, and raises it into position. Sample ID information is entered via the computer. The user initiates the test with a single mouse click. Without further operator intervention, the sample is drawn up into the viscometer tube, held for temperature equilibration, and then measured. Data is automatically transferred to the computer database via the RS-232 serial connection. The sample is then ejected as waste, and the sample vial becomes a wash station as solvent is automatically metered into the viscometer tube and then evacuated to complete the cleaning cycle. Following tube drying, the vial holder is lowered to its original position, ready to receive the next sample. Total cycle time for a test is 3 to 5 minutes depending on the viscosity. Accuracy The minAV® provides automatic Kin Vis testing within parameters specified by ASTM D445/446 and ISO 3104/3105. The minAV® measures flow rates within ±0.001 second by electronically timing the liquid meniscus as it moves between thermistor timing sensors. Bath temperature is controlled with accuracy better than ±0.02°C between 20° and 100°, as required by ASTM D445/446. Dark or opaque liquids may be measured with the same precision as transparent fluids without the need to change tubes. Unlike non-traditional bench-top instruments which claim D445 correlation, the minAV® is truly a KinVis instrument. Using a capillary viscometer defined in D446, the minAV® performs equally well on Newtonian materials and fully formulated end products. Features The minAV® bath unit housing is only 10 inches wide, and the unit is less than 21 inches in height. Modular side panels swivel out for convenient maintenance/ service. The modified Ubbelohde compound viscometer tube offers a 100-fold viscosity range (easily covering the range of 5 separate manual glass viscometers), and requires only 5 mL of sample (3 mL with Fast-Run tubes). The tube rests in a 1-liter temperature bath that also contains temperature and fluid level sensors, optional TE cooling device (required for testing below 40°C), heating element, and impellers that circulate bath fluid to ensure high temperature uniformity. Like its fully-automatic cousins in the CAV 2000 Series, the minAV® offers selectable temperatures between 20° and 100°C. Data is transmitted to and from the controlling computer via an RS-232 or RS-485 serial interface. The instrument is shipped with the VISCPRO II controlling software, external power supply, and waste receiver assembly. Convenient chromatography-type container lids may be used for connecting cap thread #38 reagent bottles to the minAV®. Required Accessories The user must provide a suitable non-pressurized solvent container for each solvent. For test temperatures below 40°C or for operation in high-ambient environments, a thermoelectric cooler (available from CANNON) is required. minAV®® Thermometers Digital thermometer kits are available for the minAV® instrument. These universally applicable process-controlled instruments are ideal for measuring operations in which high accuracy counts or the possibility of online documentation via PC. See below for thermometer catalog numbers. |
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minAV® Order Information
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