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Raddec International Pyrolyser-6 Trio (Gen IV)
Furnace system
Application
Raddec Pyrolyser furnaces are designed for the preparation of samples containing tritium H-3, C-14, Cl-36, and I-129 prior to Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC). During the thermal extraction process, radionuclides are converted into stable chemical forms suitable for subsequent measurement, including tritiated water (HTO) and carbon dioxide (¹⁴CO₂).
The Raddec Pyrolyser-6 Trio Gen IV is the latest generation of the Pyrolyser series. The system combines a multi-channel three-zone furnace with an advanced HMI-PLC control platform, providing flexible control of temperature profiles and gas flows for a wide range of sample matrices.
Pyrolyser Trio furnaces provide quantitative recovery of volatile radionuclides, including tritium, C-14, Cl-36 and I-129, from both solid and liquid samples.
The system supports thermal extraction from organic samples up to 10 g and inorganic samples up to 40 g, allowing the analysis of a wide range of materials, including biological samples, soils, sediments, food products, construction materials, metals, fuels, and other environmental or industrial matrices.
Typical applications include:
• Determination of tritium and carbon-14 in environmental samples;
• Analysis of soils, sediments, vegetation, and biological materials;
• Measurement of carbon-14 in fuels, biofuels, and petroleum-derived products;
• Environmental radioactivity monitoring and contamination assessment;
• Characterisation of radioactive waste and decommissioning materials;
• Research activities in radiochemistry, environmental sciences, and radioecology;
• Sample preparation for laboratories involved in nuclear industry monitoring and regulatory compliance.
Special Features
• Six independent work tubes for simultaneous processing of up to six samples.
• Unique three-zone furnace design for efficient thermal extraction and complete oxidation.
• Advanced HMI-PLC control system with 10" touchscreen interface.
• Up to 20 user-defined programs with 15 programmable segments each.
• Independent control of all three furnace zones up to 950 °C.
• Automatic gas switching during the extraction cycle.
• Rapid cooling system for increased sample throughput.
• Combined work-tube operation for larger sample masses and improved sensitivity.
• >95% trapping efficiency for both H-3 and C-14.
• Reduced memory effects through three-zone design, efficient purging, and rapid cooling.
Technical characteristics
Number of independent furnace zones
3
Number of independent sample work-tubes
6
Minimum sample throughput
6 samples per 4-6 hour for normal heating cycle, faster cycles possible
Maximum sample size per tube
10/40g
Typical catalyst lifetime per worktube
10g for 20 determinations
Typical lifetime of silica liners and worktubes
2 years
Time for thermally cleaning silica worktube
3 hours or overnight
Weight
~120kg
Instrument dimensions
1000 x 600 x 800 mm
Example bench footprint needed
2300 x 700 x 1000 mm
Power requirements
7kW, 220-240V, 32A
Controller
HMI-PLC system (Siemens and Eurotherm)
Over-temperature protection
Siemens safety PLC
Number of user programs
20 (each with 15 segment programming)
Data logging
Yes
Bubbler trapping efficiencies
>95% for H-3 and 95% C-14
Integrated automatic gas switching
Yes - controlled by the PLC system
Gas supplies required
Oxygen and Air at 1 BarG (Nitrogen option also available)
Description
Raddec Pyrolyser Systems are used for the quantitative extraction of volatile components (including radionuclides) from any sample type. The success of the uniquely designed Pyrolysers is evidenced through numerous scientific publications and the sales of over 200 systems internationally.
Thermal extraction is performed in a controlled atmosphere of air, oxygen, or their mixture, followed by catalytic oxidation of the released compounds. As a result, tritium-containing species are converted into tritiated water (HTO), while C-14 compounds are converted into carbon dioxide (¹⁴CO₂), which are subsequently collected in dedicated trapping media for activity measurement.
The furnace incorporates three independently controlled heating zones: a sample zone, an intermediate zone, and a catalyst zone. This configuration promotes complete oxidation of decomposition products, reduces condensation within the system, and contributes to high radionuclide recovery efficiency.
The Pyrolyser-6 Trio Gen IV is equipped with a Siemens SIMATIC HMI-PLC control system featuring a colour touch-screen interface. Users can create, edit, and store up to 20 heating programs with up to 15 programmable segments per program. Multi-level access control allows separate permissions for operators, supervisors, and service personnel.
To increase throughput, the system incorporates rapid cooling of the heating zones, reducing the time between consecutive analytical runs. Automated control of air, oxygen, and nitrogen supplies ensures reproducible operating conditions and minimizes operator intervention.
The system supports process data logging, temperature trend monitoring, and event recording. Owing to its modular design and ability to process a wide variety of sample types, the Pyrolyser is suitable for environmental monitoring, radiochemical analysis, nuclear decommissioning projects, and scientific research applications.
Available models
The Raddec Pyrolyser product family is available in several configurations to accommodate different sample throughput requirements and laboratory workflows.
Model Number of work tubes Control system
Pyrolyser-2 Trio GenIII 2 Eurotherm controllers
Pyrolyser-4 Trio GenIII 4 Eurotherm controllers
Pyrolyser-6 Trio GenIII 6 Eurotherm controllers
Pyrolyser-6 Trio GenIV 6 Siemens SIMATIC HMI-PLC
Integrated analytical solutions
The Pyrolyser-6 Trio furnace can be supplied together with the TRIEL Liquid Scintillation Spectrometer as a complete analytical solution for the determination of H-3 and C-14 in a wide range of sample types. The integrated system covers the entire analytical workflow, from sample preparation and quantitative radionuclide recovery to activity measurement, data processing, report generation, and export of results to Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS).
All required consumables and accessories can also be supplied upon request, including absorption substances, scintillation cocktails, measurement vials, calibration and quality control sources, as well as other components necessary for establishing a complete analytical workflow.
Supplying the entire equipment through a single supplier ensures full compatibility of all system components, simple procurement, unified technical support, and methodological assistance throughout the operational lifetime of the system.
