Online Conditioning Station (OCS)
Online Conditioning Station (OCS)
Keep sorbent tubes and extraction devices clean, conditioned, and ready for your workflow demands.
The GERSTEL Online Conditioning Station (OCS) automates conditioning and reconditioning of thermal desorption (TDU 2 and TD 3.5+) tubes, AutoTwister rods, Twister® stir bars, and thin film-SPME devices. Whether integrated directly into a thermal desorption workflow or operated standalone, OCS eliminates manual conditioning steps while protecting sampling devices from contamination.
By combining precisely controlled heating, inert gas flow, and automated cooling, OCS delivers consistent, reproducible conditioning and ensures devices are ready for use.
Why Choose OCS?
Unlike traditional offline conditioning approaches that require manual handling and expose devices to laboratory air, OCS performs the entire conditioning cycle within a controlled environment. Once conditioning is complete, devices remain protected until they are ready for sampling, minimizing contamination while improving laboratory efficiency.
Typical Applications
How OCS Works
- Individual sampling devices are placed into the OCS.
- The device is heated to a user-defined conditioning temperature with continuous inert gas flow.
- After conditioning, the system actively cools to standby temperature under controlled conditions.
- Throughout the entire process, the device remains protected from air exposure, preserving cleanliness and conditioning quality until use.
OCS supports standard 3.5” TD tubes, TDU 2 tubes, and AutoTwister probes and can be connected to GERSTEL TD systems or operated independently offline.
Key Benefits
- Fully automated conditioning and reconditioning
- Fully automated re-running of conditioned devices as blanks
- No manual handling or ambient air exposure
- Reduced turnaround time and operator effort
- Consistent and reproducible conditioning results
- Lower detection limits without upgrading the MS
- Online or offline operation
- Compatible with vendor-independent 3.5” TD tubes
- Supports conditioning of AutoTwister, Twister, and thin film-SPME devices
Expand Your Workflow
OCS can be combined with additional GERSTEL modules to create a complete TD preparation station:
- Offline operation on an 85 cm rail
- Automated tube spiking using ISDP+
- Preparation of calibration standards
- Use with MPS Robotic Pro and Calibration Wizard for multi-level calibration standard preparation
- Support for liquid and gas standards
- Tube tracking with SID 2 bar code reader
Prepared tubes can be transferred to any TD system using the standard 3.5” tube format.