This heated cell can be configured as a gas cell (Fig. 2) or for vaporizing samples that are normally solids or liquids at room temperature. Configured for gas sampling, the cell incorporates 2 valves, an inlet and an outlet, that enable flowing gas samples through the cell.

In its solid and liquid vaporization configuration, the cell has an outlet needle valve from which a vacuum can be pulled and two (2) sample inlets. One inlet is a needle septa injection port on the top of the cell which is similar to the type used in gas chromatography. There is a second inlet in the form of a side port for inserting solid samples, which also doubles as the thermocouple port. Using the side port eliminates the need to recheck vacuum seals whenever the cell is opened to insert solid samples. The 250w heating jacket extends over the end of the cell so that both the cell body and the optics are heated, and allows operation at temperatures up to 200°C. Condensation on the optics is minimized by heating them to the same temperature as the sample chamber. A type J iron constantan thermocouple is provided with plugs which are compatible with the optional temperature controller. The cell body is type 304 stainless steel and an assortment of seals is provided – silicon rubber, viton and PTFE.

Cells are factory pretested for vacuum leaks using dummy windows and then new windows are shipped with the cell. The cell comes standard with 47 x 6mm KCl windows. The clear aperture is 39mm. Other window materials are available. An optional high stability temperature controller with RS-232 computer interface and Windows® compatible software is available. The temperature controller (see description) has ramp and soak cycles that can be programmed either on the keypad or from a PC using the provided software and the RS232 interface.