Cost-Effective Analysis Of Wear Metals In Oils

SPECTRO Analytical Instruments GmbH (Kleve, Germany) has introduced a condition monitoring system based on its SPECTRO GENESIS inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES). The system sets new price, performance and productivity standards for condition monitoring laboratories and oil blenders.

Using the latest detector technology, the system’s full-spectrum analysis covers the entire elemental range needed for additive, wear, and trace analysis of lubricating oils. In particular, it offers excellent sensitivity for critical light elements such as Na, Mg, Al, and Si, while offering high sensitivity for wear and trace elements.
It also provides the speed of fully simultaneous analysis, achieving rapid sample cycle times of 90 seconds or less — independent of how many elements must be analyzed.

An overview of SPECTRO GENESIS Petrochem for condition monitoring and elemental analysis of wear metals and additives in lube oil.

“Many laboratories still depend on flame atomic absorption spectroscopy for used oil analysis, but they’re increasingly finding that FAAS systems can’t deliver the productivity they need,” says Olaf Schulz, the SPECTRO product manager for ICP-OES. “For most condition monitoring labs running more than 50 samples per day with 10 or more elements, this package is ideal.”

While providing the ultimate in productivity, GENESIS also is highly affordable, with competitively low costs for operation, consumables, and investment. For example, a typical FAAS instrument analyzing 16 elements might sequentially handle 180 samples in 8 hours. Independent of the number of elements present, the system can analyze up to 320 samples in the same eight-hour time frame.

With a total condition monitoring package designed to ASTM and EN standards, this system offers a full complement of factory-installed methods and procedures, set up and ready for instant use. The package features high accuracy; excellent long-term stability; and easy, straightforward design and operation. Finally, with sturdy but lightweight (150 kg/330 lb) aluminum construction, the system fits standard laboratory benchtops.

The GENESIS condition monitoring system is now available from SPECTRO dealers worldwide. SPECTRO is one of the worldwide leading suppliers of analytical instruments for optical emission and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. As a member of the AMETEK Materials Analysis Division, the company manufactures advanced instruments, develops the best solutions for strongly varying applications, and provides exemplary customer service. Their products are known as unique technical capabilities that deliver measureable benefits to the customer. From its foundation in 1979 until today, more than 30,000 analytical instruments have been delivered to customers around the world.

AMETEK, Inc. is a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical products with over 14,000 colleagues at more than 120 manufacturing and sales and service operations in the U.S. and nearly 30 other countries around the world. The company consists of two operative units: Electronic instruments and Electromechanical.

The Electronic Instruments Group manufactures advanced instruments for the process, aerospace, power and other industries. The Electromechanical Group is a differentiated supplier of electrical interconnects, precision motion control solutions, specialty metals, thermal management systems, and floor care and specialty motors.

SPECTRO Analytical Instruments GmbH, Boschstrasse 10 47533, Kleve, Germany, +49-2821-8920, Fax: +49-2821-8922-200, spectro.info@ametek.com, www.spectro.com.