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Q-SUN Xenon Arc TestersOperation and Maintenance
Andy Francis – Marketing Director
Bill Tobin – Senior Technical Marketing Specialist
Dave Duecker – Technical Marketing Specialist
Sean Fowler – Senior Technical Director
Q-Lab CorporationClick here to view the morning presentation.
Click here to view the afternoon presentation.
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HousekeepingYou’ll receive a follow-up email from [email protected] with links to a survey, registration for future webinars, and to download the slides
• Our ongoing webinar series can be found at: q-lab.com/webinarseries
• Our archived webinars are hosted at:q-lab.com/webinars
• Use the Q&A feature in Zoom to ask us questions today!
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Q-SUN Xenon Test Chambers
• Simulate light (outdoor direct sunlight, indoor filtered light); heat (elevated temperature), and water (humidity and water spray)
• Used to Evaluate durability and lightfastnessof a range of materials
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Q-SUN Xenon Arc Models
Xe-3
Xe-1
Xe-2
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• Safety
• Features and Functions
• Running a Test
• Calibration
• Maintenance
Q-SUN Topics
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Safety InformationXenon Lamps
• Xenon Lamps give off UV light and should not be viewed directly
• Interlocks stop tester when door opened
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Safety InformationInterlock Switches
Xe-1 Xe-2(overhead view)
Xe-3
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Q-SUN Safety Hazards
Electrical Shock Hot Surface
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• Safety
• Features and Functions
• Running a Test
• Calibration
• Maintenance
Topics
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Q-SUN Overview1) Simple user interface
2) USB port for data transfer
3) Xenon lamps with irradiance control
4) Optical filters
5) Water spray
6) Onboard irradiance sensors
7) Black Panel Temp sensor
8) Specimen holders
9) Relative Humidity/CAT sensor
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Q-SUN Optional Features
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Q-SUN light delivery
Xenon arc lamps
Optical filters
Xe-2 lantern Xe-1 / Xe-3 flat filter
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Optical Filters and Lamps
Xe-1 and Xe-3
Lamp Holder
Xenon Lamp
Filter Lantern
Xe-2
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Xenon Arc Spectrum
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800
Spectral Irradiance
(W/m2/nm)
Wavelength (nm)
Peak Sunlight (G177)
Q-SUN Daylight-Q
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SOLAR EYE Irradiance Control System
• SOLAR EYE Irradiance Control maintains the same light output at all times
• Ballasts control lamp output
• Allows for excellent repeatability and reproducibility
Sensor
Lamp
Ballast
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Irradiance Control SystemOnboard Sensors
Xe-1Xe-2
(overhead)
Xe-3
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Temperature Control SystemBlack Panel (BP or IBP) Thermometer
Xe-1Xe-3
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Temperature Control SystemBlack Panel Thermometer and CAT/RH Sensor
Black Panel Thermometer(IBP shown)
Chamber Air Temperature / Relative Humidity Sensor
Xe-2
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Temperature SystemChamber Air Thermometer
• Optional in Xe-1
• Tester can control temperature by BP or CAT; the other is simply monitored
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RH/Temperature Control SystemChamber Air Thermometer / RH Sensor
• One sensor monitors chamber temperature and RH in Xe-2 and Xe-3
• Disposable; replace annually
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Chiller (Optional, Xe-1 / Xe-3)
Reduces minimum BPT by:
~10 °C (Xe-3)
~20 °C (Xe-1)
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Q-SUN Water Delivery
• Water Spray
– Front
– Back
– Dual (Auxiliary)
– Immersion
• Relative Humidity control (Xe-2 and Xe-3)
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Q-SUN Water Quality
• Purified (RO/DI) water is required
• Spray water requires even higher purity and also low silica
• Q-Lab follows ASTM G151 recommendations
Water Delivery
Resistivity (Ω·cm)
Conductivity(μS/cm)
Silica(ppm)
Total Dissolved Solids (ppm)
pH
Spray > 5 M < 0.2 < 0.1 < 0.1 6-8
Humidity > 200 k < 5.0 No requirement < 2.5 6-8
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Spray Systems (Optional)
Front
Back
Dual
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Water Spray System
• Two nozzles, used for:
– Mist
– Thermal Shock
– Erosion
Xe-1 Xe-3
• Features
– Pulse Rate Control
– Automatic Fault Detector
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Water Spray System
• One nozzle, used for:
– Mist
– Thermal Shock
• Features
– Pulse Rate Control
– Automatic Fault Detector
• Second Nozzle for optional Back Spray
Xe-2
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Relative Humidity Control System
• Feedback Loop System
• RH/CAT Sensor
• Main Controller
• Humidity Generator
– Nebulizer in Xe-2
– Boiler in Xe-3
Heater
Chamber
Recirc. Air Blower
Fresh Air blower
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Q-SUN Specimen Exposure Areas
Xe-1Xe-2
Xe-3
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• Safety
• Functions of the Tester
• Running a Test
• Calibration
• Maintenance
Q-SUN Topics
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Step 1: Select an Optical Filter
• Check your test method
– Almost all test methods describe the filter type
• If you don’t test to a specific method:
– Outdoor applications: Daylight - Q
– Indoor applications: Window - Q
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Q-SUN Optical Filters
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
250 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650 700 750 800
Spectral Irradiance
(W/m2/nm)
Wavelength (nm)
ASTM G177 Daylight
Daylight - Q
Extended UV - Q/B
Window - Q
ExtendedUV
Window filter
Natural sunlight
Daylight filter
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Step 2: Select Irradiance Settings
• 340 nm Control Point
– For outdoor service environments
• 420 nm Control Point
– For indoor service environments
• TUV Control Point
– 300-400 nm (wideband, general service environments)
– Typically used for European standards
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Select Irradiance Values
Achievable irradiance values vary by optical filter, tester type, and control point
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Step 3: Select Black Panel Type
Panel ConstructionASTM Designation
ISO Designation
Temp Range (°C)
Black painted stainless steel
Uninsulated Black Panel
Black Panel 45-110
Black painted stainless steel mounted on0.6 cm white PVDF
InsulatedBlack Panel
Black Standard 50-120
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Black Panel Temperature Control
• BP/IBP is typically mounted in holder (sometimes directly on tray)
• Irradiance, color, and thickness all affect specimen temperature
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Step 4: Programming
• Light
• Dark
• Light + Spray
• Dark + Spray
• Dark + Spray Front and Back
• Dual Spray
• Light + Dual Spray
• Light + Immersion
• Dark + Immersion
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Programming TestsLegacy Controller
Xe-3
Xe-1
Xe-2
Program key
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Programming TestsNew Gen 4 Main Controller
Xe-3
Xe-1
Xe-2
USB/LED
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Status and Menu Screens
Status screenSetpoint and actual controls
Test timers
Menu screenCycle management
CalibrationSettings
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Status and Menu Screens
Status screenSetpoint and actual controls
Test timers
Menu screenCycle management
CalibrationSettings
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Programming Tests
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Step 5: Calibration
More on this later!
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Step 6: Specimen Mounting
• Specimen Capacity– Xe-1: 17 (51 × 102 mm)
– Xe-2: 31 (45 × 132 mm)
– Xe-3: 55 (51 × 102 mm)
• Type of holder– Open-Backed (thick, rigid specimens)
– Solid-Backed (flexible specimens)
– Three-dimensional
• Specimen Tray– Solid
– Mesh (open)
• Masking– Commonly used in textile testing
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Specimen Holders (Xe-1, Xe-3)
3D Specimen HoldersPanel Holders
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Specimen Mounting Trays (Xe-1, Xe-3)
Solid Tray Open Mesh Tray
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Q-SUN Xe-2 Specimen Holders (Xe-2)
Open-backed Close-backed Textile masks
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Mounting Flexible Specimens
Textiles Thin Films
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Step 7: Running the Test
• Specimen Repositioning
• Tester status and monitoring
• Data Logging via VIRTUAL STRIPCHART (optional)
• Calibration
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Specimen Repositioning• Ensures best repeatability and reproducibility
• Perform at least 4 times per test
• Important for both rotating rack and flat array testers
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LED Status Indicator
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Tester Status
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Monitoring the Test
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• Safety
• Functions of the Tester
• Running a Test
• Calibration
• Maintenance
Q-SUN Topics
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Q-SUN Calibration
• Irradiance sensor
– Every 500 light hours
• Black Panel temp sensor
– Every 6 months
• Chamber air temp sensor
– Every 12 months
• Calibration best practices
– Calibrate whenever test conditions are changed
– Calibrate at operating conditions
– Always calibrate the lamps before calibrating the Black Panel
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Irradiance Calibration Devices
CR20 UC1 + UC20
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Irradiance calibration ports
Xe-1Xe-2
Xe-3
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Irradiance CalibrationNew Q-SUN Testers
Plug UC20 Smart Sensor directly into tester USB port
Select optical filter and calibrate
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Black Panel Calibration Devices
CT202 UC1 + UC202
BP IBP
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Black Panel temperature sensor calibrationTester black panels and calibrated black panel are placed
adjacent to each other in the chamber
Tester Black Panel
Calibration black panel
Calibrationdevice
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Black Panel Temp Sensor Calibration
In holders On tray
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Black Panel Thermometer Calibration
New Q-SUN:Let temperature stabilize
and press Calibrate
Legacy Q-SUN; enter value from UC202 or CT202
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RH/CAT Sensor ReplacementYearly (Xe-2 and Xe-3)
Xe-3Xe-2
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Chamber Air Temp Sensor Calibration
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Yearly Reference Device Calibration
Replace/return reference calibration devices to Q-Lab or local representative for recalibration/replacement
– UC20 Irradiance Smart Sensors (replace/recalibrate)
– UC202 Temperature Smart Sensors (replace/recalibrate)
– Chamber Air Temp / RH sensor (replace)
– CR20 (recalibrate)
– CT202 (recalibrate)
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• Safety
• Functions of the Tester
• Running a Test
• Calibration
• Maintenance
Q-SUN Topics
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Xenon Lamp Replacement Schedule
Q-SUN tester IrradianceWarrantedLamp Life (hrs)
Legacy Typical 1500
NEW “E” Model Typical 3000
NEW “E” Model Maximum 1000
• Xenon lamps need to be replaced because they “age” (spectral shift to less UV)
• Q-SUN Optical Filters do not age
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Q-SUN Xe-1, Xe-3 Lamp Replacement
(2) Remove lamp and clean housing
(1) Remove lamp housing from tester
(3) Clean UV filters
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Q-SUN Xe-1, Xe-3 Lamp Replacement
(4) Replace lamp
(7) Install replacement lamp
(6) Final lamp check
(5) Verify trigger finger contact
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Q-SUN Xe-2 Lamp Replacement
(1) Remove old lamp
(2) Remove and clean filter lantern with ammonia
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Q-SUN Xe-2 Lamp Replacement
(4) Verify trigger finger contact
(3) Install replacement lamp
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Routine Maintenance
• Clean / Replace Air Filters (Monthly)
• Clean humidifier
• Inspect Water Filter
• Clean Spray Nozzles
• Inspect Chamber Wall Reflectors
• Clean slip ring track (Xe-2)
Every 6 months
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Clean or Replace Air Filters
Disposable Washable
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Clean or Replace Air Filters
Xe-3 chamber air filter
Xe-3 Ballast Blower air filter
Xe-1 air filter
Chiller air filter
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Clean or Replace Air Filters
Xe-2 Chamber Air Filter
Xe-2 LampCoolingAir Filter
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Clean humidifier
Water pan Reservoir
• Disassemble humidifier water pan and reservoir
• Clean with alcohol or mild detergent
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Inspect Water Filter
Xe-3Xe-2
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Clean Spray Nozzles
• Remove and disassemble for cleaning
• Clean in ultra-sonic cleaner or …
• Clean with anti-scaling cleaner (to remove calcium and magnesium deposits) or…
• Thorough washing and rinsing in detergent
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Inspect Chamber Reflectors
Clean - OK Cloudy - Replace
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Clean slip ring track (Xe-2)
• Wipe down with scouring pads
• Clean with isopropyl alcoholNew contactless system
for BP Temp Sensor!
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Q-Lab Tester Education Program• This presentation is a condensed version of our full
Q-SUN operator training program
• Q-Lab offers on-site and virtual training, including hands-on sessions and more in-depth review of tester construction and operation!
• Q-Lab offers customized training plans including:– Hands-on operator training for your existing tester.
– Lecture-style presentations
– Customizable subject matter
– Content for all experience levels
– Affordable, full day sessions with all-in-one pricing
– Private or group sessions at your site or a shared site
• Contact [email protected] for more info
Smrithi KumarCustomer Education Specialist
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Q-Lab Repair and Tester Support• Free email/phone support for North America and remote offices worldwide
– Call +1 440 835 8700 (Mon-Fri 8-5 EST)
– Email [email protected]
• On-site emergency repair
• ISO 17025 Accredited on-site calibration audits for all models (current and legacy)– Includes a comprehensive tester calibration
– Thorough inspection / data collection for functionality and on-site training
– Endorsed by A2LA/ILAC for temperature, humidity, irradiance, pressure and orifice (MTG)
• New tester commissioning and re-commissioning
• Accessory installation– Add Water Repur, Chiller, or Space Saver; verify commissioning of relocated tester
• Call Q-Lab Repair or email [email protected] for a quote today!
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Questions?
[email protected]