SAFETY FIRST !  Check to see that the "third wire" of your 300C is grounded at all times. Never  use  a  ground-isolating  plug  with  this instrument. Proper grounding is necessary not only for safety, but insures compliance with FCC Rules on EMI and RFI. 

NEVER CHANGE POWER SETTINGS DURING OPERATION. Never change power settings   when   the   red   ZAP light is lit. As an extra precaution, you might turn the main POWER switch off before switching power settings.

KEEP YOUR TRANSDUCER COOL..   We   strongly recommend that your transducer be maintained   in   an   ice-bath   whenever   operating.   This will assure many, many hours of transducer   life.   How   many? We have never had a single documented case of transducer failure when the transducer face was maintained at 10 degrees C or lower. We would much prefer you return your instrument, for full credit, rather than attempt to run your transducer at higher temperature !

Frequency of Operation (acoustic)......660 kilohertz

Power Output (acoustic)..50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 watts

Power Input to Transducer (electric, max.)...300 watts

Mains Power Requirements..120VAC, 10 amp breaker suggested

Warranty......One Year, Parts and Labor

Congratulations on your purchase of the Ultrasonic Energy Systems 300C Sonochemist. Your instrument represents the state-of-the-art in high frequency, high intensity ultrasonic sonication equipment. First, a word about the origin of the 300C.

The   UES   300C   was   actually   derived from much larger, five and ten kilowatt ultrasonic equipment. These higher power systems typically use a modular design approach, wherein up to   twenty   separate   modules,   each with its own power supply and transducer, are joined at the reactor vessel.   The 300C is but one such module, housed and packaged for individual sales.   The   thing   to   remember   is that, if you develop a process requiring more ultrasonic power,   it   will   not   be   a   big,   unknown   jump. It will likely be several modules, similar to the 300C you have been using, which will make the required transition

OPERATING the SONOCHEMIST Your 300C comes with a focusing 450 ml sonochemical vessel attached.   We   suggest, however, that you remove the vessel, and the .003 inch thick poly-ethelene acoustic window from the transducer extension tube for the first familiarization tests.   [You   also   might   want,   later,   to   remove   the aluminum extension tube from the transducer. If you do, it is attached by silicon rubber cement, and can be separated from the transducer   with an Exacto knife or razor blade.] The poly window is cut from zip-lock poly baggie   material.   If you should want a chemically hardier material, we have also used FEP Teflon material. This window separates the cooling water surrounding the trans- ducer from the solution under treatment internal to the vessel.

With the vessel removed, place the transducer in a ten-gallon aquarium, filled to within four inches   of the top. Clamp the transducer cable to the aquarium side, so that it is pointed up towards the water's surface. The "front" of the transducer is the side with the screws. Attach the transducer   cable   to   the   RF connector on the back of the 300C. Be careful that this connector   is   tight, about 3 1/2 full turns. Plug the power cord of the 300C into a properly grounded 110 VAC socket.

You are now ready for operation.First, set the power level, using the rotary switch located on top   of   the   instrument. You have the choice of five power settings: 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250 watts ( acoustic power ). These power settings are only approximate, and depend on the actual   120VAC mains voltage at your location. Next, turn the power switch, located on the left rear top of the instrument, to its ON position (the power LED will light). If the zap button is   pressed,   the   device   will   begin   operation. Another press of the zap button will cease operation.   During operation, a plume of ultrasound will appear on the water's surface, and a cloud of atomized water will become apparent.   The existence of this plume indicates proper operation of your unit.

Such plume tests are not intended to be run for more than a few minutes. For actual use of your   300C,   it is required that ice be added to the aquarium so that the temperature of the transducer be kept low.

In actual sonochemical experiments, the vessel is attached to the transducer and the window is used to separate the solution under test from the cooling aquarium water. When assembling the   vessel   to   the   transducer   extension tube, be sure that the neoprene gasket is on the transducer side of the window. This is to assure that the neoprene does not come into contact with   the solution under test. At the factory we use a thin layer of silicon grease on the vessel side of the window, to assure that aluminum on the window end of the vessel does not come into contact with the   solution   under   test.   PLEASE MAINTAIN THE AQUARIUM WITH ABOUT FOUR INCHES OF ICE FLOATING:   this   will require periodic removal of cooling water and addition of ice.   The vessel   is situated so that the open slot is above the aquarium water level. The ultrasound produced by the transducer passes through the window as plane waves   which   are   concentrated   by a concave mirror, which forms the closed end of the vessel.   These   concentrated   waves typically produce a focus zone of tiny white cavitation bubbles, which are approximately 7 microns in radius. Chemicals in the vessel are exposed to intensities   from   about   25   watts/square   centimeter just inside the window, up to several hundred   watts/square   centimeter   near the focus zone. There is considerable mixing in the vessel,   and   during operation each ml of solution will pass through this zone many times per hour of operation.

In   order   to   maintain   the   focus   zone of cavitation, some solutions require that gases be replenished   in   the solution. Several workers have found that this is best accomplished with external sparging.   This   means drawing the fluid out of the vessel and passing it through an external   tank equipped with bubblers supplying the desired gas. The fluid is then returned to the sonochemistry vessel continuously.

The sonochemistry vessel supplied with your Sonochemist is the vessel which was tested and found   to   be   efficient, as reported in Ultrasonics Sonochemistry, 4 (1997) 289-293. But there   may   be   better   vessels   for your particular application. Ultrasonic Energy Systems supplies   other   vessels , and also recommends that you experiment with your own designs. Yadda Yadda Yadda

Many   sonochemical   reactions   are known to run at accelerated rates at temperatures near zero   Centigrade.   But,   if   you   desire   to   experiment with temperature as a variable, we recommend mounting the vessel external to the aquarium . At the factory this is accomplished by   an   aquarium   having one end replaced with a ½ inch thick aluminum plate. A three inch diameter   hole   has been cut in this plate, and mounting holes for the vessel have been drilled and tapped on the outside of this plate, with similar holes (offset) on the inside of the plate for mounting   the   transducer . The 250 watts (acoustic power) from the transducer will quickly warm   the   fluid   to 60 degrees Centigrade. In order to maintain a lower temperature in the fluid, external cooling (similar to external sparging) may be employed.

FAULT INDICATOR

The   Sonochemist   is equipped with an electronic fault indicator which will shut the unit off if the   transducer "sees" an improper load impedance. This circuit is intended to save the driver electronics   or transducer (or both) from unintended voltage or current surges. If your 300C stops   working, check the fault LED. If it is lit, a fault has indeed occurred. Turn the unit off, using the main power switch located at the left rear of the cabinet top.   Count to ten and turn the unit back on. Press the Zap button and continue operation. If the problem persists, check to see if there is anything blocking the ultrasonic path from the transducer to the focus zone. If this   does not cure the problem, replace the fluid under treatment with water. If this does not cure   the problem, check your plume as you did when the device was new (be sure to fill the aquarium   with   fresh,   aerated tap water for this test). Reduced transducer output indicates factory maintenance is required. Expect a two day turn-around at the factory for repairs.

CALORIMETRIC CALIBRATION

All ultrasonic transducers operate at something less than 100% efficiency.   Of   the electrical energy   delivered to a transducer, some fraction is converted directly into acoustical energy. This   fraction defines the efficiency of the transducer, and the ultimate fate of this energy is to be absorbed as heat because all materials absorb ultrasonic wave energy.   The other fraction of the electrical energy never produces acoustic energy: it is converted directly into heat in the process   of   providing   the   ultrasonic output. Thus all the electrical energy delivered to the transducer ultimately becomes heat energy. Some of it goes directly into heat, and some of it goes through a phase as acoustic energy before being converted into heat.   It is the energy in this acoustic phase which the sonochemist wants to measure and utilize.

The desire of the sonochemist is to know how much ultrasonic energy is being provided and absorbed in the acoustic phase, and not to be confused by the waste heat associated with the transducer's inefficiency.

In   many   calorimetric   calibration configurations, these two sources of heat are not suitably separated.   Consider, for instance, a transducer lowered into a waterbath of known volume, run for a known time at a known electrical power input, and the temperature rise noted. Such a calibration cannot distinguish between the waste heat and the acoustic-phase heat.   Indeed, if   the   transducer were replaced by an electrical heater, with no ultrasonic output, the results would be the same as for the transducer !

Consider the configuration recommended by UES. Here the sonochemical vessel is immersed in a tank packed in ice.   The   transducer is mounted several inches from the open end of the vessel,   which is covered by the acoustic window. This window allows the ultrasonic energy to   enter the vessel, while preventing mixing of the tank water (which contains the waste heat of   the transducer) with the solution under test. Thus the transducer waste heat is confined to the   tank   water, and has no opportunity to enter the treatment vessel. As a practical matter, only   energy   in the acoustic phase will make the transit across the several inch space of cold water.

Calibration of such a configuration is fairly simple. With the cooling ice in place, put a charge of degassed   water   into the vessel. Run the Sonochemist until the temperature of the vessel stabilizes,   and   note   this   temperature.   Now   turn   off the Sonochemist and put a small immersion   heater   into the vessel, and experiment with the power delivered to the heater to determine   how   much power is required to stabilize the vessel at this same temperature.[ A power Variac, a variable-power transformer, is helpful for such calibrations.]   The electrical power   supplied by the heater is now equal to the acoustic power previously supplied by the transducer, and your calibration is complete.

Note   that   such a calibration only measures the ultrasonic energy which actually enters the vessel and while in the vessel is converted into heat.   Thus, any ultrasonic energy lost in the transit from the transducer to the window is not measured.   Neither   is any energy reflected back into the cooling water from the window measured.

Care should be taken during such calibrations that a change of state not occur in the water in the vessel, as this will introduce errors.   There   are   two   times in such a calibration when a change of state can occur, first during the running of the Sonochemist, and second during the running of the immersion heater. In both cases, the thing to watch out for is bubble formation in the vessel.   This   can be prevented while running the Sonochemist by using only degassed water.   Any   water will degas to some extent during the ultrasonic stimulation, and degassing can only be greatly reduced, never completely eliminated. By running the ultrasonic portion of the calibration several times in succession, one can become assured that the water is,   finally, as degassed as is reasonably possible.

While   running the immersion heater, it's surface can be directly observed through the vessel, and any bubble formation seen. If the heater boils the water on its surface, more stirring might be sufficient, or a larger heater (one with more surface area) might be substituted.