Total Cenosphere Crush-Strength Distribution Now Possible

Quantachrome Instruments' PoreMaster high-pressure intrusion porosimeter has been successfully used for the determination of a complete crush-strength distribution of cenospheres and other hollow glass microspheres.

Until now, cumbersome hydraulic tests have been the standard method to determine the number of surviving (intact) spheres, or "floaters", after pressurizing in a hydraulic chamber, producing but a single datum point. The new capability of the PoreMaster not only automates the analysis, but yields hundreds of data points which describe a detailed distribution of crush strengths. The measurement, up to an applied pressure of 4000 atmospheres (60,000 psi) if necessary, is complete in a matter of minutes. The test is also available as a sample analysis service in Quantachrome's own application laboratory.

Cenospheres are hollow glass microspheres which are the "value-added' component recovered from fly-ash - itself a valuable byproduct of coal-burning power plants. Cenospheres are used in lighweight cement- and gypsum-based construction materials. Synthetic or engineered hollow glass microspheres (glass bubbles) are used in reflective materials for their optical properties, to reduce density in polymers for greater strength-to-weight ratio, in explosives for improved detonation propogation and to lower the density of drilling muds.