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Output stability

In general gases mix rather well, but in some cases and applications it is necessary to take extra steps to ensure good mixing.

Simplest solution is to add more distance between source and experiment to ensure the gases have more time to mix. Another good solution is to add something that causes turbulence in the flow, choke points so to say. Another solution is a buffer volume, shape and volume are subject to used gases, used flows, required temperature and pressure. It is always a tradeoff between the mixture stability and speed of reaching a new setpoint/partial pressure. Quick change in pH2O pr pO2 in for a high temperature experiment has completely different needs than a feeding stable CO2 to a bioreactor or CO2+pH2O to a corrosion test.

The FSF uses corrugated gas line with (PID controlled) heating to evaporate fluids into the gas mix. This heated gas line acts as extra volume providing more time for mixing, has uneven internal shape to promote turbulence, and the heating itself increases entropy in the mixture. The heating is optional and adjustable between ambient and by default up to 150ºC (custom models can go much higher in temperature when needed).

Another easy way is to keep the mixture input ratios the same, but to increase or decrease the total flow. Increasing the flow increases entropy but reduces the time the gas has to mix, while reducing the total flow does the opposite. Best practice depends on the experiment volume and other characteristics. The accompanying software allows easily altering the total flow in steps and ramps while maintaining the partial pressures, or maintaining the total flow while altering the partial presures. Or pulsing the flow while keeping the average total flow the same. These features allow to easily find the approach best suited for a particular challenge.

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