...
A common program is an increase in temperature of 3°C/min to a target temperature of 900°C and a hold of one hour. Then ramp up at a rate of 3°C/min to a target temperature of 1025°C and hold for four hours. This ramp cycle is already programmed into the furnace and corresponds to 'Program 1'. To check or edit a program see additional guides attached to the furnace itself. It is also possible to run the furnace manually without a ramp up cycle. Discuss with scientists their preference
Either enter the desired temperature manually or select your program. If you are running the furnace manually, enter the desired temperature; no other buttons or steps are needed. If selecting a program, press and hold 'Run' (Fig. 46).
Figure 46 Figure 41. Control Panel on Thermolyne Muffle Furnace. A. Actual temperature. B. Desired/ Set temperature. C. Run/ stop button. D. Auto run button. E. Page button. F. Scroll button. G. Down button. H. Up button.
Either enter the desired temperature manually or select your program. If you are running the furnace manually, enter the desired temperature; no other buttons or steps are needed. If selecting a program, press and hold 'Run' (Fig. 41).
When the furnace finishes it's cycle and cools down to ~50°–200°C, remove the crucibles with tongs. Put samples onto a tray and store tray in the desiccator. Keep samples in the desiccator and remove one at a time while weighing. It is very important for the samples to not reabsorb moisture so begin weighing as soon as possible.
...
Post-Ignition Weighing
Post-ignition measurements should be taken immediately after removing crucibles from the furnace. Failure to do so will disrupt the LOI values. Reweigh the crucible plus the ignited sample to determine how much weight was gained or lost. Follow the same weighing procedure as in Pre-ignition Weighing.
...
%LOI = 100 x (weight change during ignition)/ (fresh sample weight).
Note: By convention, weight lost during ignition is recorded as a positive LOI value; whereas weight gained is recorded as a negative LOI value. Report the results to 2 decimal places.
...
...
Uploading LOI Data To LIMS
Open the Excel File 'LOI Spreadsheet Upload Template' in Local Disk > DATA (Fig. 4247). Put your LOI information into the spreadsheet following the example format. Fill in the Text ID, Analysis, Replicate, Crucible number, and all weights and units including the %LOI. 
Figure 4247. LOI Spreadsheet Upload Template. 
Open up the program 'Spreadsheet Uploader' ‘Spreadsheet Uploader’ Pinned to the Taskbar (Fig. 4348).
Figure. 4348. Spreadsheet Uploader Icon.
Copy and paste your spreadsheet into that uploader. Click the 'Edit' button and 'Validate Sheet'. This checks and highlights any errors that need to be fixed. When the spreadsheet comes up clean, click 'Lims' and 'Upload'. The sheet will turn green when the measurements are successfully uploaded. The data is now in LIMS under Chemistry > ICP-AES Solids >Expanded LOI.
...
Cleaning the Quartz Crucibles
- Wash the crucibles with DI water and a small piece of a scouring pad (no soap).
- Rinse several times with DI water.
- Place crucibles in a 10% HNO3 bath for 12 hr.
- Rinse 3 times with DI water after the acid bath.
- Dry the crucibles in the oven at a maximum temperature of 60°C.
...