Transfer atmospheric product loading

Small loads are commonly processed in a box furnace. The product is placed on the furnace hearth through a door. Box furnaces may be single-ended or double-ended. A single-ended box furnace is usually used in an air atmosphere appHcation where the product can be removed hot from the furnace for cooling. A double-ended box furnace is usually used in a controlled atmosphere appHcation. In this case a water cooler is attached to one end. The product can be placed on the hearth (in the heat chamber) through the front door, then after the product reaches temperature, it is manually transferred into the water cooler for cooling before it is manually removed out the exit door on the other end of the water cooler. 

A 1.911-g quantity (0.008 mole) of 2H(a)-TaS2 powder (or an appropriate mixture of the elements see Sec. A) is loaded into a quartz ampule such as the one described in Fig. 2a. The ampule is then transferred to a dry box with an argon or nitrogen atmosphere, and 74-129 mg (0.0032-0.0056 mole) of freshly cut sodium metal is added. Very low moisture and oxygen concentrations must be maintained in the dry box to prevent attack of the sodium. The techniques for maintaining pure inert atmospheres are described elsewhere.17 The specified amount of sodium produces a product within the range of 0.4 <0.77 over... 

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