CSC Scientific Blog

A blog about test equipment

Art Gatenby

Manufacturer of test equipment. The Company specialized in the measurement of Moisture, Particle Size and Surface Tension. In these areas CSC Scientific serves the Food, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Petroleum, Waste Water, Mining, Power and similar industries.
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Recent Posts

Capacitance & Moisture *** What is It? *** Why Should You Care?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jan 4, 2016 3:54:31 PM

As people who measure moisture, we at CSC Scientific work to find the best technique.

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Topics: Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Moisture, capacitance, fast moisture test

Don’t Worry - Karl Fischer is Easy

Posted by Art Gatenby on Nov 16, 2015 5:25:25 PM

When we first started measuring moisture with Karl Fischer, I was instructed in the complex chemical reactions involved. I was also was told that the process was skittish.

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Topics: Coulometric Karl Fischer, Volumetric Karl Fischer, Moisture Testing, Karl Fischer, Karl Fischer Titration, Moisture

Is Test Sieve Certification All You Need?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Oct 29, 2015 1:45:10 PM

For several years, people in the test sieving business have been grousing about the difficulty of making sure that a test sieve certification is what they need. Anyone who is working with close tolerances in the smaller particle sizes, like 300 microns and smaller, have serious issues in matching results from test sieve to test sieve.

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Topics: Mid-Point Sieves, Calibration, Sieve Calibration, Sieve Certification, Sieve Testing, Sieves, Sieve Analysis

LOD is Really Simple, or Moisture Analysis for the Newbie

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jun 12, 2015 4:51:00 PM

One quiet night, long ago I was musing over moisture analysis and how easy it is to do using Loss-on Drying (LOD). Little did I know what was in store.

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Topics: Bound Moisture, Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Loss-On-Drying

Is In-Line Moisture Measurement For You?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Feb 27, 2015 9:59:54 PM

Five years ago, we published an article on in-line vs. off-line moisture measurement. At that time we debated whether these measurement systems should be called on-line or in-line. We chose to use the term "on-line". Since then, however, the world of the internet became known as "online". So, to avoid confusion, we changed our view and now refer to direct measurement as "in-line" moisture measurement.

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Topics: Moisture Analysis, Moisture Testing, Loss-On-Drying, In-Line Moisture Measurement

What's So Special About Picking A Sieve Shaker?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jan 6, 2015 9:15:00 PM

If you take Sieve Shakers for granted, you may be surprised to know that the selection of the right shaker can have a profound effect on your sieving results.

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Topics: Sieve Shakers, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Analysis

Viscosity, Consistency and Surface Tension - What Are These Things?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Aug 27, 2014 12:56:00 PM

Nearly every day we have a question about differences between Viscosity, Consistency and Surface Tension. There is usually a second part of the question; 

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Topics: Viscometers, Viscosity, Bostwick Consistometer, Tensiometer, Surface Tension Measurement, Surface Tension, Liquid Properties

How To Fix An Abused Bostwick Consistometer

Posted by Art Gatenby on Apr 2, 2014 2:49:00 PM

 
 

Abused Bostwick Consistometer -  Before and After

 

Which looks more durable to you?

The value of a Bostwick Consistometer is that it’s easy to use, which makes it simple to do repeatable testing. The Consistometer is made of stainless steel. One would think that this means a long and useful life. However, as I regularly discover, the real world often defies theory.

A Consistometer’s value is diminished if its leveling plate and screws get bent out of alignment. The story that follows tells how people in the real world handle, or mishandle, this instrument, and what can be done to save it.  

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Topics: Abuse Protection Option (Consistometer), Bostwick Consistometer, Consistency, Liquid Properties

How Are Consistency, Surface Tension and Viscosity Different?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Feb 26, 2014 11:35:00 AM

I used to think that liquids were pretty simple things. Is that what you think too?

Not so fast. Let’s take a look at three properties of liquids and see if we change our view.

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Topics: Newtonian Fluid, Viscometers, Viscosity, Bostwick Consistometer, Consistency, duNouy Rings, Surface Tension Measurement, Surface Tension, Liquid Properties

How Do You Analyze Small, Micron-Sized Particles?

Posted by Art Gatenby on Jan 30, 2014 2:00:00 PM

Ask Art

Sieve testing, as I have stated many times, is the Cinderella of particle size analysis because it delivers more value than expected from something that’s so easy to use and relatively inexpensive. However, the problem with standard sieving techniques using wire mesh sieves is that they begin to exhibit accuracy problems in the lower micron sizes.

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Topics: Sieve Shakers, "Ask Art", Sonic Sifter, Micron-Sized Particles, Particle Size Analysis, Sieve Testing, Sieving Process

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