Principles Of Operation And Construction - Merck RCS Plus Bedienungsanleitung

2

Principles of Operation and Construction

The microbial air sampler of the RCS
series employ the impaction principle according
to Reuter (Reuter Centrifugal Sampler, RCS
facilitates the quantitative separation of air-
borne microorganisms from sample volumes
ranging from 10 to 1000 liters (1 m
The air stream enters the rotor at the front of
the instrument, is set into rotation by the
movement of the rotor, and separates microbes
contained in the air onto the agar strip through
centrifugal force. To prevent the occurrence of
turbulence in the air inlet channel, the air out-
let passage is directed to the rear, parallel with
the instrument. The air flows at a constant rate
which is approximately 50 L/min at a rotor
speed of 6100 rpm. The instrument can be cali-
brated to ensure that the sampling volume
remains exact.
The instrument is constructed with special
attention to ergonomics. It operates indepen-
dently of a main power supply using a 7.2 volt
rechargeable nickel cadmium battery. The bat-
tery is easy to change through a door on the
battery compartment at the rear of the unit.
Built-in electronic circuitry controls the speed
and the running time of the motor and simulta-
neously monitors the battery voltage. Sampling
volumes of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and
1000 liters have been permanently programmed
into the instrument. In addition, it is possible
to enter 3 individually chosen sampling volumes
of up to a maximum of 1999 liters. Operation
of the instrument is via a keyboard with inte-
grated display which is situated within easy
reach directly in front of the carrying handle,
allowing it to be operated with one hand. An
infra-red sensor is incorporated into the elec-
tronics which permits remote control of the
instrument. The instrument provides various
28
®
Plus
memory functions, giving the user a wide vari-
ety of important control and security functions.
®
). It
The rotor, which contains the agar strip, is
driven via a magnetic coupling flange. This
enables it to be simply removed from the
3
).
instrument. For safety reasons, a stainless steel
protection cap is situated over the rotor, with-
out which the instrument cannot function.
The instrument can be operated in a vertical or
a horizontal position. For sampling in areas dif-
ficult to access, the instrument can be attached
to a tripod by means of a threaded attachment
in the base of the housing.