Inventors:
Robert F. Scalese - Superior CO
Thomas B. Taylor - Golden CO
Tim Holzschuh - Littleton CO
Douglas E. Harbert - Denver CO
Martin L. Maple - Aurora CO
Jan Claesson - Granger IN
Assignee:
Denver Instrument Company - Arvada CO
International Classification:
F26B 334
Abstract:
A toploading weighing instrumentality which determines loss on drying by a cylindrical microwave. The cylindrical cavity of the microwave includes a power supply, a magnetron, a power module operatively coupled between said power supply and said magnetron for driving said magnetron, a wave guide communicating with the magnetron and with a microwave containment chamber for delivering energy thereto, at least one microwave energy sensor for sensing microwave energy or magnetic and/or electric field strength within the chamber for controlling, inter alia, the loss on drying process of the sample being assayed and determining when the drying process is complete. A precision electronic balance is operatively disposed within the microwave chamber for allowing a specimen being assayed to be weighed. In addition, a ventilation chamber is provided for venting moisture from the microwave chamber. A processing unit and associated memory allows means for data acquisition, processing and storage of data from the power module driving the magnetron, the microwave energy sensor(s) for sensing magnetic and/or electric fields and the electronic balance for weighing the initial and final weights of the specimen for loss on drying moisture analysis.