Magee Scientific Total Carbon Analyzer TCA08

Revolutionary Real-Time Carbon Speciation Without Specialty Gases

The Total Carbon Analyzer TCA08 by Magee Scientific redefines how researchers and environmental networks measure carbonaceous aerosols. Unlike traditional analyzers that require complex mixtures of Helium and Oxygen, the TCA08 utilizes ambient air as the carrier gas to measure Total Carbon (TC) with high precision. When coupled with the Aethalometer® AE33, it forms the Carbonaceous Aerosol Speciation System (CASS), providing a complete, real-time breakdown of Total Carbon (TC), Elemental Carbon (EC), and Organic Carbon (OC) in a rugged, low-maintenance package.

Designed for operational simplicity, the TCA08 eliminates the need for glass quartz tubes and fragile components, making it the first true "plug-and-play" solution for continuous field monitoring of carbonaceous matter in PM2.5.

Key Benefits

• No Specialty Gases Required: Drastically reduces operational expenditure (OPEX) and logistical headaches by using ambient air as the analytic carrier gas. No more expensive Helium cylinders to transport to remote sites.

• Rugged, Field-Ready Design: Constructed entirely with stainless steel chambers and FeCrAl alloy heating elements. No fragile glass components means higher uptime and suitability for harsh environments.

• Comprehensive Carbon Speciation: When integrated with the Aethalometer® AE33, the system automatically calculates Organic Carbon (OC) by subtracting Black Carbon (BC) from Total Carbon (TC) in real-time ($OC = TC - BC$).

• Continuous Data Capture: Dual-chamber design ensures zero dead time. While one channel analyzes the collected sample, the other actively samples the air, ensuring 100% data coverage.

Technical Overview

The TCA08 employs a robust thermal combustion method to determine Total Carbon content. The instrument alternates between two identical stainless-steel channels controlled by industrial-grade ball valves.

1. Collection: Aerosols are deposited onto a 47-mm quartz fiber filter at a controlled flow rate of 16.7 LPM (1 m³/h).

2. Flash Combustion: The sample is flash-heated to roughly 900°C using a dual-stage heating protocol.

3. Detection: All carbonaceous compounds are converted to CO₂, which is then quantified by a sensitive NDIR detector against a dynamic ambient baseline.

The "CASS" Advantage:

Traditional EC/OC analysis relies on defining a split point between Organic and Elemental carbon using optical correction, which varies by thermal protocol (NIOSH vs. IMPROVE). The TCA08 simplifies this by measuring Total Carbon absolutely. By subtracting the Black Carbon (BC) data stream from a synchronized Aethalometer® AE33, users obtain a derived Organic Carbon (OC) value that correlates highly with standard thermal-optical methods but with a fraction of the maintenance complexity.

Typical Use Cases

• National Air Quality Networks: Scalable deployment for monitoring PM2.5 composition without the infrastructure requirements of standard chemical speciation sites.

• Source Apportionment Studies: Differentiating between primary combustion emissions and secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation.

• Climate Research: Investigating the radiative forcing properties of carbonaceous aerosols in remote background stations.

• Health Impact Assessments: Quantifying the specific carbon fractions responsible for respiratory and cardiovascular health effects in urban populations.

Why Choose This Analyzer?

The TCA08 solves the historical problem of measuring Organic Carbon in the field: complexity. By removing the need for catalytic converters, laser corrections, and inert gases, Magee Scientific has created an instrument that delivers scientific-grade data with industrial-grade reliability. It allows environmental agencies to move from expensive, labor-intensive filter sampling (offline analysis) to continuous, high-resolution online monitoring. If you need 24/7 data on the chemical composition of aerosols without the overhead of a wet-chemistry lab, the TCA08 is the industry benchmark.

Specifications

• Measured Components:

  Total Carbon (TC).

  Derived values when paired with AE33: Organic Carbon (OC), Elemental Carbon (EC) / Black Carbon (BC).

• Applications:

  PM2.5 chemical speciation, air quality monitoring networks, source apportionment (fossil fuel vs. biomass), climate change research, validation of offline filter samples.

• Certifications:

  Compliant with CEN/TS 17434 (when used in CASS configuration); excellent agreement with EUSAAR-2, NIOSH, and IMPROVE thermal protocols in inter-comparison studies.

• Measurement Principle:

  Thermal Combustion with NDIR Detection.

  Sample is collected on a quartz filter and flash-heated to ~900°C in ambient air. The evolved CO₂ is measured by Non-Dispersive Infrared (NDIR) detection.

  Methodology: Uses two parallel flow channels for simultaneous sampling and analysis (Flash-Heating Total Carbon method).