A periodic expense encountered in high-pressure
experimentation is replacement of the tungsten carbide core in
the pressure cylinder. In a poorly-understood, non-linear way,
core life is inversely proportional to pressure. Core life is
often very long at 10-15 kbar, but relatively short (20 to 50 runs),
at 40 kbar. However, cores have retained coherency for more than
100 runs at 25 kbar. Repair and reconditioning of pressure-plate
cores is possible.
Routine experimentation costs include the material costs of furnace
assembly parts per experiment, exclusive of sample and container,
which typically ranges from $25 to $75, depending in the type of
thermocouple employed.
