Fluke 2031A User Manual

2031A

Hart Scientific

Quick Stick

User’s Guide

Rev. 841501

Fluke Corporation, Hart Scientific Division

799 E. Utah Valley Drive • American Fork, UT 84003-9775 • USA
Phone: [phone] • Telefax: +1.801.763.1010
E-mail: [e-mail]

www.hartscientific.com

Subject to change without notice. • Copyright © 2005 • Printed in USA

Rev. 841501

Table of Contents

1 Before You Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.1 Symbols Used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1.2 Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.2.1 Warnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

1.2.2 Cautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

1.3 Authorized Service Centers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3 Parts and Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

4 Freezing Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5 Troubleshooting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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1 Before You Start

1.1 Symbols Used

Table 1 lists the International Electrical Symbols. Some or all of these symbols
may be used on the instrument or in this manual.

Tabl e 1 International Electrical Symbols

Symbol Description

AC (Alternating Current)

AC-DC

Battery

CE Complies with European Union Directives

1 Before You Start

Symbols Used

DC

Double Insulated

Electric Shock

Fuse

PE Ground

Hot Surface (Burn Hazard)

Read the User’s Manual (Important Information)

Off

On

1

2031A Quick Stick

User’s Guide

Symbol Description

Canadian Standards Association

OVERVOLTAGE (Installation) CATEGORY II, Pollution Degree 2 per IEC1010-1 re
fers to the level of Impulse Withstand Voltage protection provided. Equipment of
OVERVOLTAGE CATEGORY II is energy-consuming equipment to be supplied from
the fixed installation. Examples include household, office, and laboratory appliances.

C-TIC Australian EMC Mark

The European Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive
(2002/96/EC) mark.

1.2 Safety Information

Use this instrument only as specified in this manual. Otherwise, the protection
provided by the instrument may be impaired.

The following definitions apply to the terms “Warning” and “Caution”.

• “Warning” identifies conditions and actions that may pose hazards to the
user.

• “Caution” identifies conditions and actions that may damage the instru­ment being used.

1.2.1

Warnings

To avoid personal injury, follow these guidelines.

•

EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES PRESENT in this equip
ment.

•

FREEZER BURNS AND FROSTBITE may result if personnel fail to
observe safety precautions.

•

The dry ice is extremely cold. Wear gloves to protect against freezer burn
or frostbite when handling the dry ice.

•

The dry ice does produce carbon dioxide gas. Only use the dry ice in a
well ventilated area.

•

DO NOT use this unit for any application other than freezing the mantle
of a triple point of water cell.

•

Always wear protective eyewear when crushing the dry ice.

•

Use caution when adding the dry ice to the cup containing alcohol to pre
vent splashing of the alcohol.

•

Always build the mantle in a prechilled cell.

•

Follow the directions concerning building the ice ball on the end of the
tube before inserting it in the cell. If this process is not followed, the wa

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1 Before You Start

Authorized Service Centers

ter can become super cooled without forming a mantle. Any movement of
the super cooled water will cause a chain reaction within the cell forming
an icy slush rather than building a mantle. If this occurs, the cell must be
melted and re-chilled before building a new mantle.

Follow all safety guidelines listed in the user’s manual.

•

Only trained personnel should use calibration equipment.

•

1.2.2

Cautions

To avoid possible damage to the instrument, follow these guidelines.

The 2031A Quick Stick is a precision instrument. Although it has been

•

designed for optimum durability and trouble free operation, it must be
handled with care. After use, the plastic outer covering is very brittle.
Keep the Quick Stick in an upright supported position until it warms up to
prevent fracture from impact.

DO NOT drop the Quick Stick. The stem could bend and may result in re

•

frigerant loss.

• The Quick Stick is a relatively heavy instrument. Use the Hart model

2031-STND or other support system to prevent accidental tipping and
damage of the Quick Stick and the TPW cell. The cell and Quick Stick
must be supported separately.

1.3 Authorized Service Centers

Please contact one of the following authorized Service Centers to coordinate
service on your Hart product:

Fluke Corporation, Hart Scientific Division

799 E. Utah Valley Drive

American Fork, UT 84003-9775

USA

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Phone: [phone]

Telefax: +1.801.763.1010

E-mail: [e-mail]

Fluke Nederland B.V.

Customer Support Services

Science Park Eindhoven 5108

5692 EC Son

NETHERLANDS

3

2031A Quick Stick

User’s Guide

Phone: [phone]

Telefax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Fluke Int'l Corporation

Service Center - Instrimpex

Room 2301 Sciteck Tower

22 Jianguomenwai Dajie

Chao Yang District

Beijing 100004, PRC

CHINA

Phone: [phone]

Telefax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

Fluke South East Asia Pte Ltd.

Fluke ASEAN Regional Office

Service Center

60 Alexandra Terrace #03-16

The Comtech (Lobby D)

118502

SINGAPORE

Phone: [phone]

Telefax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

When contacting these Service Centers for support, please have the following

information available:

•

Model Number

•

Serial Number

•

Complete description of the problem

4

2 Introduction

The 2031A Quick Stick heat pipe operates on a continuous, closed loop
two-phase cycle. The heat from TPW cell boils the refrigerant, causing a cool
ing effect within the evaporator portion of the tubing. The refrigerant travels
upward to the condenser as a vapor. The dry ice/alcohol mixture cools the va
por and condenses it back to a liquid. The refrigerant travels back down the
walls of the tube to the bottom where cycle begins again. In this way, the Quick
Stick draws the heat out of the water in the TPW cell until an ice mantle is
frozen around the reentrant tube.

2 Introduction

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3 Parts and Features

The Quick Stick includes all necessary items needed for forming a mantle in a
TPW cell.

The double wall insulated stainless steel cup holds enough dry ice for

•

freezing a good mantle. A plastic cap and plastic insulating outer cover
enclose the cup.

The Quick Stick is of adequate length for generally available cells.

•

The large diameter evaporator allows for faster freezing.

•

The centering bushing centers the evaporator inside the reentrant well.

•

A copper end plug provides heat transfer to the bottom of the Quick Stick.

•

The removable heat pipe, from the cup, provides for ease of cleaning.

•

The heat sink helps to prevent ice bridging.

•

The stand, Hart model 2031-STND is used to support the Quick Stick and

•

TPW cell during the mantle creation process.

If all items are not present, contact a Hart Scientific Authorized Service Center
(see Section 1.3).

The Quick Stick (Figure 1 on page 8) consists of an insulated cup at the top for
containing the coolant and the heat pipe itself. The heat pipe has a condenser at
the top (the larger diameter portion) and an evaporator that is the bottom por­tion that inserts into the cell. A thin wall stainless steel (5/16 inch) diameter
tube forms the evaporator, which is capped at the bottom with a copper plug to
facilitate heat transfer to the bottom of the cell. A wick located inside the tub­ing facilitates the flow of refrigerant. The refrigerant inside the heat pipe is a
non-CFC. A centering bushing can be used to center the evaporator portion
within the reentrant well of the TPW cell. A stem insulator below the cup insu
lates the portion of the evaporator that is not inside the cell. The stem insulator
may be adjusted to fit a particular cell by cutting it to a new length. For some
cells, you may need to remove it entirely.

3 Parts and Features

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2031A Quick Stick

Cap

Cup Insulator

Double Wall Cup

Fitting

Stem Insulator

Evaporator

Copper Tip

Condenser

User’s Guide

Figure 1 Quick Stick Features

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4 Freezing Process

The freezing process is described in the steps below. The TPW cell and Quick
Stick need to be supported separately during this process. Care must be taken
not to break the entrant tube during this process or the cell is ruined. Use the
Hart model 2031-STND to support the cell and Quick Stick during this
operation.

4 Freezing Process

Figure 2 2031-STND with 2031A and triple

point of water cell

Cool the TPW cell in the bath to near the triple point temperature before

1.

freezing. Keep the cell in the bath until you are ready to start the mantle
forming process.

2. Break dry ice into small chunks (less than ¼ inch) appropriate for fitting

into the cup.

3. Dry the reentrant well of the TPW cell with alcohol (ethanol). Place ap

proximately ¼ inch into the bottom of the reentrant well. Add approxi
mately 5 ml of finely crushed dry ice to the reentrant well. This will
help start the freezing process and prevent super cooling of the water. A

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2031A Quick Stick

Heat Sink and Strap

Alcohol (1 cm below water)

TPW Cell

Dry Ice and Alcohol

Ice Mantle

Centering Bushing

User’s Guide

Figure 3 Freezing Process

10

4 Freezing Process

small ball of ice will form on the end of the well tube. This helps thicken
the ice mantle at the bottom of the reentrant well.

4. The dry ice is loaded into the cup and the spaces are filled with ethanol

(approximately 100ml). The Quick Stick must be cooling before insert
ing it into the TPW. Insert it to the bottom of the reentrant well. The ra
dius at the bottom helps center it in the well.

5. Once the Quick Stick is inserted into the TPW cell, fill the space around

the tube with alcohol (ethanol) up to within approximately 1 cm below
the water level in the cell. This helps to prevent ice from bridging across
the top of the cell during mantle formation. A special heat sink is pro

­vided that fits around the TPW cell that also helps prevent bridging.
Slide the heat sink onto the cell up to the level of the water. Adjust the
centering bushing until the heat pipe is centered in the reentrant tube.

6. It will take approximately 40 to 60 minutes to form mantle. Be sure that
there is no ice bridging at the top of the TPW cell. One fill of the Quick
Stick cup is usually sufficient to form a good mantle.

Remember that the magnification of the water makes the mantle appear
larger than it actually is. Remove the cell from the fixture and tilt so that
you can view the ice through the vapor only to see the actual size of the
ice mantle.

7. Once the mantle is formed, remove the Quick Stick from the TPW cell.
Keep the Quick Stick upright and supported until the dry ice and alcohol
is evaporated. This will end the cooling cycle and the Quick Stick will
return to room temperature.

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Caution: The plastic outer covering can become very brittle and cold dur-

ing use.

8. Place the cell into the maintenance bath. The mantle must be freed prior
to use. For highest accuracy, the cell must anneal by keeping it in the
bath for about 24 hours prior to use.

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5 Troubleshooting

In the event that the instrument appears to function abnormally, this section
may help to find and solve the problem. If a problem arises, please read this
section carefully and attempt to understand and solve the problem. If the prob
lem cannot otherwise be solved, contact a Hart Scientific Authorized Service
Center for assistance (see Section 1.3). Be sure to have the model number and
serial number of your instrument available.

Problem Possible Causes and Solutions

Instrument won’t cool

Mantel does not build in
the cell

Difficulty building small
ball of ice on the end of
the reentrant tube

Small mantle formed
when all the alcohol and
dry ice evaporated from
the cup

Dry ice and alcohol remain in the instrument. Empty the cup of the remain
ing contents of dry ice and alcohol. Let the unit return to room temperature.
Redo the process. If the unit still does not cool, call a Hart Scientific Authorized
Service Center.

Quick Stick may not be cooling. Check to see that the Quick Stick is cooling.
Check to see if the small ball of ice was formed on the end of the reentrant
tube initially before inserting the heat pipe into the well. Check to see if the cell
is super cooled as described in the safety section. If so, melt the cell and start
over.

Cell may not be pre-chilled correctly. Pre-chill the cell in an appropriate bath
at 0°C.

Cell may not be pre-chilled correctly. Pre-chill the cell in an appropriate bath
at 0°C.

5 Troubleshooting

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