Patent ID: 7172729

Claim:
Apparatus for moisture or ash analysis comprising: a furnace comprising an enclosure with entrance means and a top surface, said top surface having a hole; a balance having a weighing platform positioned within said furnace enclosure; internal rotatable support means located within said furnace enclosure, at a level above said weighing platform, having a plurality of positions arranged in a generally horizontal circular configuration, each of said positions adapted to support a crucible, each of said crucibles holding a sample of the material to be analyzed, wherein one of said positions is aligned with said weighing platform and a different one of said positions is aligned with said hole; external means located outside said furnace enclosure for supporting one or more crucibles; automatic means for transporting crucibles between said external supporting means and said internal rotatable support means through said hole in said top surface of said furnace enclosure; means for rotating said internal rotatable support means; elevation means for vertically shifting said internal rotatable support means to deposit and remove the aligned crucibles on and off said weighing platform; and means for controlling said automatic means for transporting crucibles, said means for rotating said internal rotatable support means and said elevation means to transport crucibles into said furnace enclosure through said hole without having to open said furnace enclosure.