The Ceramic Industry
PMI provides the ceramic industry with testing equipment and analytical services for a wide variety of applications in measuring porous ceramics. These applications utilize the instruments in all PMI product lines -- Porometer, Permeameter, Porosimeter, BET Sorptometer, and Windows-based External Surface Analyzer (ESA) lines.
A common application in this industry is porosity testing using instruments in the Porometer line. Ceramic separators used in catalytic converters in automobiles are tested using this method. Here it is crucial to know the physical properties of the materials, as the components of the gas will only react with porous ceramics which have a particular pore size range. Other common ceramic applications requiring porosity information include ceramic diffusers and ceramic filter media. As in other areas of filtration, it is critical to know the porosity characteristics of ceramic filter media to ensure that the correct particle sizes pass through the filter. The Porometers provide this bubble point (largest pore size) information, as well as detailed information on the mean pore size and pore size distribution. Additionally, the Porometer helps assess the porosity of ceramics utilized as sensor materials for pressure transducers and pressure sensors.
Ceramic products like components of solid oxide fuel cells, micro-SOFC, hot-gas filters, silicon discs, sanitary products, ceramic powders, and cartridges are widely used for testing of their porosity.
In addition to the Porometer, PMI's BET Sorptometer can be utilized in the ceramic industry in the manufacture of diffuser disks. The diffuser disks are quite porous so it is important to know their physical properties. The BET Sorptometer's extended pore range accommodates samples the Porometer cannot handle.