Measuring Permeability in the Laboratory
(Which Causes Several Billions Pounds Of Waste Every Year In The UK)

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Versaperm, a permeability technology leader, has launched a fast and increasingly more accurate way to measure the permeability of almost any material against virtually any gas - from water vapour to hydrocarbons and from solvents through to Hydrogen, Oxygen and CO₂.

Permeability is critical in most real-life applications as it substantially alters properties such as the shelf life of pharmaceuticals and foods – with wasted food alone costing the US several billion pounds a year. Permeability also controls the handle-ability, jamability and print quality of paper, the efficiency of seals, the waterproofness of textiles and the effectiveness of a lorry's airbrakes.  It has even caused missiles and aircraft to crash! 


A wide range of sensors, using different physical principals, enable the equipment to be used across an unprecedented range of applications to characterise an ever expanding range of materials, compounds, containers, products and laminates.
The sensors include: gas chromatography, pressure measurements, semiconductor, electrolytic, infrared, capacitive, impedance, thermal conductivity, flame ionization, catalytic combustion, photoionization, ZrO₂, paramagnetic, electrochemical, coulometric and mass spectrometer.

Manufacturing processes such as heating, forming and bending can easily alter permeability by a factor of x4!  This means that results simply can't usually be estimated from a material's properties but must be measured directly after production.  The Versaperm system can do this and it offers both single and multiple chamber options.

Versaperm's permeability meter is highly automated and can cope with several samples at a time.  It needs very little re-calibration and requires, at most, minimal training.  Sensitivities depend on sensors, gases and materials but are usually in the PPM range, PPB for some materials. Results are both accurate and highly repeatable.

Versaperm also offers a consultancy service for laboratories that need to measure permeability of complex new materials and assemblages.

ENDS

Please send any sales enquiries to Christopher Roberts, Versaperm Limited ,
10 Rawcliffe House, Howarth Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 1AP, UK, Tel: +44 1628 777668,
e.mail info@versaperm.co.uk Web http://www.versaperm.co.uk

For further Press Information please contact Gerry Palmer @ the Palmer & Rose Partnership. Tel 01494 637499, fax 0871 900 3898 e.mail gerry@palmer-rose.co.uk.