DC Arc

Fast, quantitative, elemental analyses of difficult samples are hallmarks of the DC Arc approach. Few other techniques can challenge the ease-of-use or productivity of DC Arc when it comes to samples that are difficult or impossible to digest. Prodigy DC Arc performs elemental analysis of samples in their native form without sample digestion. Samples such as:

  • Ceramics and Glass
  • Metal Oxides, Carbides, Borides, Nitrides
  • Refractory powders such as SiC
  • Graphite Powder
  • Precious Metals & Traces in the Metals
  • Geological Materials
  • Nuclear Materials: Uranium Oxide, Plutonium Oxide
  • Soils, Sludge, Ashes
  • Paints​
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Description

Overview

The DC Arc technique has been relied upon for decades as a tool for the direct analysis of a wide range of solid materials. The earliest systems, many of which are still in use today, were photographic plate spectrographs. These systems offered the advantage of providing a permanent photographic record of ​a samples spectrum, but also carried with it the cumbersome need to view and interpret photographic plates. These early generation instruments were replaced, first by PMT-based simultaneous spectrometers and then CID based DC Arc spectrometers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

The Prodigy DC Arc is state-of-the-art DC Arc spectrometer that offers many advantages over all of its predecessors.

DC Arc Source
The Prodigy DC Arc stand is a significant improvement over the original “Spex” stand that was used in earlier DC Arc instruments. This user-friendly arc stand incorporates a counter electrode that simply rotates out of the way to facilitate installation of new sample electrodes and then rotates back into position for the next sample.

This arc stand also features a current-stabilized power supply for enhanced stability. A Stallwood Jet is available for reduction of CN band emission when needed.

The Echelle Optical System
The polychromator used in Prodigy DC Arc is the same long focal-length Echelle spectrometer used in the Prodigy ICP product line. This spectrometer provides the DC Arc user with analytical capabilities which have never before been available to this community. To see capabilities of this Echelle Optical System, please click on the Key Features Tab.

The Prodigy DC Arc will enhance materials testing capabilities for many labs by providing low detection limits and fast turn-around times for a virtually unlimited number of elements in even the most challenging sample matrices.

​Applications and Industries

The DC Arc technique is used for a wide range of applications in the following industries: ​

  • Nuclear
  • Mining​​

Key Features

The Echelle Optical System
The polychromator used in Prodigy DC Arc is the same long focal-length Echelle spectrometer used in the Prodigy ICP product line. This spectrometer provides the DC Arc user with analytical capabilities which have never before been available to this community. Capabilities such as:

Speed of analysis

  • Measure all elements in 1 burn in under 60 seconds

Full wavelength coverage with no interorder overlaps

  • Measure wavelengths from 175 nm to 900 nm

Fewer spectral interferences

  • State-of-the-art L-PAD detection system is 4 times larger than earlier detectors eliminating interorder overlap

True simultaneous integration for every wavelength

  • Simultaneous background correction
  • Superior internal standardization capability
  • Analytical line averaging capability for superior accuracy
  • Simultaneous measurement of strong and weak emission lines with no need to alter resolution
  • Availability of a user selectable resolution optio