The Brookhaven National Lab (BNL) Furnace is primarily a vacuum furnace; nevertheless, it can also be reconfigured to run in air or an inert gas. The main disadvantage of running the BNL Furnace in a gas atmosphere is the maximum temperature limitation imposed by its lack of cooling. This system is more robust than the other general use furnace (F-1600C), but has a lower maximum temperature.

Sample Geometry Sample Holder Multiple Copper Posts (see below) Sample Access In Plane 350o Sample Access Out of Plane +20o Maximum Sample Diameter 7.6 cm (3.0 inches) Maximum Sample Height 3.5 cm (8.9 cm)

Furnace Properties Temperature Range 200 - 600oC Temperature Sensors K type thermocouples *Click Here for Sample Mounting Info*

General Description

• Sample visibility of 350^o in scattering plane, 20^o out of plane
• Irradiative heating via a cylindrical element driven by a high voltage AC power
• Active Heating/Sample Zone : 6.5 cm diameter x 8.5 cm length
• Interlocked alarm system for pressure, and temperature
• Pressure relief valve rated to 10 psi has been installed in the system
• Sample Temperature Stability: +1^oC at 600^oC

Sample Preparation

• Sample Holders: A user designed (NIST assistance is available) sample holder compatible with our probes is required. There are two possible sample mounts: A ¾" diameter copper post with either a ¼-20 female thread or a M4-0.7 male thread; and a copper base designed to fit our single-crystal sample cans. Ventilated (i.e. non-pressure building) crucible-type holders made of niobium or platinum are ideal; however, special sample mounts can be designed. Any sealed sample holder must be tested off-line at the maximum desired temperature before loading into the furnace to ensure that an over-pressure burst will not occur on the beam line.
• Sample Geometry:
  • Note that the beam center is 152.4 cm (6 inches) above the bottom of the furnace, and the standard mounting post height is 3.5 cm (1 3/8 inches) from the center of the beam.
  • Any Cd masking MUST be done on the outside of the furnace

Experiment Planning

• Plan ahead. At a minimum it will take 2 hours for the sample to reach 600^oC.
• Leave time at the end of the experiment to allow the sample cell to cool in order to open the vessel.
• Design the experiment with proper sample mounting and ultimate sample temperature requirements in mind.

More Information:

• User Manual (Coming soon...)

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