Applications

• Monitoringtracecontaminantsinprocessgases

• GaspurityandmanufacturingQC

• Catalyststudies–Chemisorption

• Thermalanalysis–TGA,DTA,DSC

• Fuelcellmonitoringanddevelopment

• Fermentationandexhaustmonitoring

• Heattreatment/furnacemonitoring

• Membranestudies

• Gloveboxgasmonitoring

• Lampmanufacturing

• Freondetectionandidentification

Introduction

Cirrus systems are based on Quadrupole Mass

Spectrometry, widely acknowledged as a preferred platform

technology for many atmospheric pressure gas analysis

applications. The Cirrus 3 system, with its improved

temperature control and compact design, provides high

levels of performance and robustness in space-efficient

and flexible configurations that are ideal for a wide range

of analytical applications.

Precision engineered to provide fast and reproducible data,

Cirrus 3 can accurately detect and quantify gases and

gas mixtures, from one or more sampling locations with a

single instrument. Gas composition can be monitored over

a wide dynamic range, from percentage levels down to the

sub ppm range.

Cirrus 3 is an ideal choice for atmospheric gas analysis

whether you work in a research setting or a manufacturing

environment. By combining Process Eye Professional

software with MKS technical support, Cirrus can be

integrated, optimized, and automated to your precise

specifications. Ultimately, users across your organization

realize greater benefits of the power of quadrupole mass

spectrometry.

Quadrupole Analyzer

At the heart of every Cirrus 3 system is a precision-built

quadrupole analyzer incorporating a closed ion source,

a triple mass filter, and a dual (Faraday and Secondary

Electron Multiplier) detector system. This analyzer

configuration is selected to optimize sensitivity and long-

term performance stability.

Heating and Vacuum System

The Cirrus 3 features a number of advancements in design

that aid stability and reproducibility of results. The vacuum

chamber (with quadrupole analyzer) and inlet interface

assembly is housed within a precision engineered stainless

steel oven, providing low heat sink characteristics. This

offers high temperature uniformity and eliminates potential

cold spots that could otherwise cause undesirable sample

condensation and variance in analyses. The oven design

enables user-defined temperature control of the oven and

capillary, allowing for finer analytical control.

The quadrupole analyzer itself is contained within a

stainless steel vacuum chamber which is pumped by

a high compression turbo molecular/diaphragm pump

combination. The vacuum system is backed by an internal

4-stage diaphragm pump to maintain the integrity of the

compact design. The entire Cirrus 3 vacuum chamber can

also be baked to reduce residual gas background species

and to minimize any memory effects.

Gas Inlet

An essential feature of any gas analyzer is the ability to

not contaminate or alter the gas sample in any way. The

Cirrus 3 inlet assembly incorporates either fused silica or

stainless steel capillaries that can be heated to a stable

user-defined temperature. The inlet assembly allows

for easy replacement of capillaries, while the optimized

insulation maximizes stability and reduces heat radiation.

The low volume and surface area of the assembly serves

to maximize response speed while minimizing memory

effects. Cirrus 3 systems can also be configured with

inlets for multi-stream sampling, stainless steel capillaries

for resistance to fluorine-based compounds, and a

pressure controller inlet (incorporating a gas independent

capacitance manometer) to allow sampling from sources

that vary from the nominal 1 bar inlet requirement. The

Cirrus 3 vacuum system utilizes a high compression

turbo molecular pump, so light gases such as hydrogen

and helium can be sampled with no additional expensive

pumping requirements.

Maintenance and Access

The Cirrus 3 internal oven has a removable cover allowing

easy access to the inlet interface, vacuum chamber,

and analyzer ion source. This is particularly helpful for

routine maintenance, such as filament and capillary

replacement. A hot cathode (ion) gauge is incorporated

for independent vacuum pressure measurement and

to provide an interlock signal for protection of the mass

spectrometer. A temperature sensor also ensures that the

electron multiplier detector cannot be switched on at high

temperatures, preserving its life. The Cirrus 3 is designed

with a lubricant-free pumping system. No elastomer seals

are used in the sample inlet system or in the high vacuum

region of the system.