The DSC 5+
Power Compensation or Heat Flux Mode

Switch between power compensation mode and heat flux mode, depending on the needs of your experiment. For example, if you have very close-lying effects in your measurement curve, power compensation provides outstanding resolution, allowing better separation of these effects.
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Power Compensation Mode
Outstanding Resolution for the Separation of Close-Lying Effects

How does power compensation work?

In power compensation mode, the aim is to keep the temperature difference between the sample and reference sides as close to zero as possible. On the MMS DSC sensor, this is achieved by two local heaters on the sensor, one below the sample and one below the reference.

The temperature difference between the sample and reference (ΔT) is zero as long as there is no thermal effect in the sample. A thermal effect will cause the sample temperature to deviate from the reference temperature. For example, an exothermic effect, such as crystallization, releases energy and the temperature on the sample side increases. The heater on the reference side will then activate, increasing the reference temperature until it matches the sample temperature (ΔT = 0). When there is an endothermic effect in the sample, such as melting, the sample becomes cooler than the reference. The sample heater will then activate, increasing the sample temperature until it matches the reference temperature.

What is the benefit of power compensation mode in the new DSC 5+?

The amount of power introduced by the sensor heaters to bring ΔT to zero is very precisely measured. This results in a heat flow signal with outstanding resolution, and excellent separation of close-lying effects.

Heat Flux Mode
Outstanding Resolution for the Separation of Close-Lying Effects

How does heat flux mode work?

In a DSC experiment, both the sample and reference crucibles are surrounded by a heated chamber or furnace. The sensor, which is the heart of a DSC module, detects the heat flow from the furnace to the sample and reference. The DSC 5+ sensor has a star-shaped arrangement of thermocouples, which guarantees a flat baseline and high sensitivity for measuring weak effects. 

If a thermal effect occurs in the sample, its temperature will deviate from the reference temperature, which follows the programmed temperature. In heat flux mode, the temperature difference, or ∆T, is the difference between the sample and the reference sides of the sensor.

How is heat flow calculated in Heat Flux Mode?

The measurement curve shows a typical exothermic crystallization peak in red, and an endothermic melting peak, in blue, with heat flow plotted against temperature.

A thermal effect in the sample, such as crystallization or melting, causes the sample temperature to deviate from the reference temperature. In heat flux mode, the heat flow is calculated from the measured ∆T, the temperature difference between the sample and reference.

The Flash DSC
High-speed Characterizations with Power Compensation Technology

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For calorimetry-based thermal analysis that cannot be achieved by conventional DSC, fast scanning chip calorimetry is the ideal technique with heating and cooling rates covering a range of more than 7 orders of magnitude. Using power compensation technology, the Flash DSC is the ideal device for studying rapid crystallization and reorganization processes, and is able to operate in temperatures from -95 to 1000°C. The ultra-high cooling and heating rates have considerably progressed the study of thermally induced chemical processes and physical transitions, allowing the study of the crystallization and reorganization of a range of materials including metals and polymers like never before. Checkout the Flash DSC for yourself!

Features and Benefits

An innovative new sensor, powerful software, and a 3-axis sample robot with a gas-purged sample chamber; just some of the advantages of the new DSC 5+!

Power Compensation and Heat Flux Modes

The ground-breaking MMS 1 sensor lets you switch between power compensation and heat flux modes, depending on the needs of your experiment.

AI-Powered Evaluation

Using neural networks trained by thousands of examples, the AIWizard™ feature in the STARe software instantaneously detects, evaluates and identifies all types of DSC effects.