Published In
Hardwarex
Document Type
Pre-Print
Publication Date
5-19-2026
Subjects
Smoldering, flaming, combustion emission research, biomass burning, WUI fires, air quality
Abstract
The Linear Actuated Quartz Tube Furnace (LA-QTF) is an instrument engineered to heat and combust materials under controlled conditions, capable of achieving flaming and smoldering states. A ceramic ring furnace is linearly actuated parallel to the length of a quartz tube. The mode of combustion depends on temperature, fuel composition, and oxygen availability; the LA-QTF regulates combustion by controlling the temperature and position of the ring furnace, and airflow within the tube. The LA-QTF can maintain temperatures between 23 °C and 530 °C for extended time periods, with stable temperatures over long-duration (∼120 min) experiments. Flow rate is dependent on the chosen pump; we designed for an upper limit of 3.5 LPM, though the tube furnace can accommodate lower or higher flows. To quantify CO2 emissions from combustion processes, the design incorporates lower-cost CO2 sensors at the inlet and outlet of the quartz tube. Real-time furnace temperature and CO2 data are printed to the Arduino serial monitor, providing users with live feedback and data logging capabilities. We aim to enable users to safely and consistently heat and combust different materials under smoldering and flaming conditions. All design and software files are open source, facilitating replication and customization to suit users’ specific needs.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
DOI
10.1016/j.ohx.2026.e00790
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44716
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Citation Details
Published as: Coffland, C., Bixler, R., & Gall, E. (2026). An open-source linear actuated-quartz tube furnace with programmable ceramic heater movement for laboratory-scale studies of combustion and emission. HardwareX, 26, e00790.
Description
This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published as: (2026). An open-source linear actuated-quartz tube furnace with programmable ceramic heater movement for laboratory-scale studies of combustion and emission. HardwareX, 26, e00790.