Constructed with the financial support of SNSF, Société Académique de Genève, Fondation Ernst et Lucie Schmidheiny, Fondation Ernest Boninchi and the University of Geneva.
These pressure vessels are equipped with a custom-developed semi-permeable hydrogen membrane (Shaw membrane). They have a water-cooled cold seal on both ends, the Shaw membrane is introduced from one end, whereas the high-pressure argon connection is on the other end. The vessel is placed in split furnaces and the furnace-vessel assembly can be rotated all together to facilitate rapid quenching or heating, and the in situ fracturing of quartz.
Performance Highlights:
- Achievable pressure and temperature up to 200 MPa and 1100 oC, argon pressure medium
- Rapid quench and instant heating capability by dropping the capsule between the hot-zone and water-cooled ends
- Pressure monitoring by digital pressure transducers, the calibration of which is regularly checked against an analogue Heise gauge on the main line
- 5 cm long hot zone with temperature uniformity better than 15 oC measured 1000 oC nominal temperature (inside the vessel under argon pressure with water cooling on, 5 degrees tilted position)
- Redox control via semi-permeable hydrogen membrane
- Attainable fO2 in water-saturated phase assemblages between FMQ-0.5 to FMQ+5, fO2 accuracy better than 0.3 log units, precision better than 0.1 log units.
- Robust, pressure leak-free design
- Heavy-duty transparent polycarbonate safety shielding