silversaddle1
Well-known member
Has anybody ever scrapped one of these? I have a chance at one and have never done one before, so anything bad in them?
Scanning Electron Microscope
- Thread starter silversaddle1
- Start date
Help Support Gold Refining Forum:
Got one but I'm not going to scrap it. :mrgreen:
But I have scrapped two transmission microscopes. That's larger machines than a SEM and they weighed in at 1800 kg each.
There can be different toxic waste in them depending on the generation of microscope. Old ones (I've seen one myself) could even have vacuum pumps based on boiling mercury and then the whole interior is probably contaminated.
Newer generations uses boiling oil in some vacuum pumps and the current generation have dry turbo molecular pumps that doesn't even contain oil except for the bearings.
Some high tension aggregates uses transformer oil and could contain PCB oils in them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformer_oil#Polychlorinated_biphenyls_.28PCBs.29
Later units could contain sulfur hexafluoride as an insulator, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_hexafluoride
Except from that I think there are mostly composed of heavy iron, copper windings, brass and standard electronics.
A lot of the pumps, valves, sensors and so on can be sold as secondhand parts, I made more from the parts of the TEM I scrapped than of the metals in it.
Göran
But I have scrapped two transmission microscopes. That's larger machines than a SEM and they weighed in at 1800 kg each.
There can be different toxic waste in them depending on the generation of microscope. Old ones (I've seen one myself) could even have vacuum pumps based on boiling mercury and then the whole interior is probably contaminated.
Newer generations uses boiling oil in some vacuum pumps and the current generation have dry turbo molecular pumps that doesn't even contain oil except for the bearings.
Some high tension aggregates uses transformer oil and could contain PCB oils in them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformer_oil#Polychlorinated_biphenyls_.28PCBs.29
Later units could contain sulfur hexafluoride as an insulator, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_hexafluoride
Except from that I think there are mostly composed of heavy iron, copper windings, brass and standard electronics.
A lot of the pumps, valves, sensors and so on can be sold as secondhand parts, I made more from the parts of the TEM I scrapped than of the metals in it.
Göran
Usually no mercury backstreams from the diffusion pump because a liquid nitrogen trap is in place.
We scrapped out two small SEMs that were raster scan and they had a solid copper stage (where the samples go), mu metal chamber, and brass base, amongst a lot of stainless 316. Nickel was way higher then (3 years ago).
Depending on the age, you might have a turbo pump. Those usually sell for a couple grand if in working order and removed carefully. Otherwise, diffusion pumps are worth a couple hundred and same with the roughing pump if the oil is clear and it purrs and pulls down to a few millitorr.
We scrapped out two small SEMs that were raster scan and they had a solid copper stage (where the samples go), mu metal chamber, and brass base, amongst a lot of stainless 316. Nickel was way higher then (3 years ago).
Depending on the age, you might have a turbo pump. Those usually sell for a couple grand if in working order and removed carefully. Otherwise, diffusion pumps are worth a couple hundred and same with the roughing pump if the oil is clear and it purrs and pulls down to a few millitorr.
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2012
- Messages
- 473
Agreed about the turbo pump.... the ones I use at work are old pumps and cost about 5 grand each.... they are essentially small turbine engines.
