PANalytical introduces slick approach to oil analysis
to enables X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analysis of fuel, oil and oil
derivatives. The package attempts to overcome the traditional
challenges associated with XRF analysis of oils while keeping costs
low.
The package brings XRF analysis to the forefront of laboratory techniques, highlighting a method is used in a wide variety of industries to determine the elemental composition of various materials.
In oil analysis especially, XRF techniques have gained wide acceptance. Among other applications, XRF is used to determine sulphur in petroleum products and residual catalysts, monitor additives in lubricating oils, analyse regular wear metal in lubricants and analyse wear debris.
Running under PANalytical's established SuperQ analysis software, Oil-Trace overcomes XRF analysis challenges by automatically correcting for dark-matrix composition as well as variations in sample density and volume,
This feature reduces the number of calibrations normally needed for different sample types. Analysis is accurate and reliable over a wide concentration range (0-100 per cent).
Oil-Trace is designed for use with PANalytical's range of high power wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) systems.
It is a standard feature of the new Axios-Petro, and its predecessors - MagiX, PW2404 and PW2400 series- can be upgraded with Oil-Trace as required.
Oil-Trace is supplied with liquid standards for the characterisation of the sample matrix in terms of C, H and O, analysis templates and tools required for successful testing. Data generated is transferable to any of the other Super Q modules for further analysis.
The easy and time-efficient analysis, often at-line, offered by Oil-Trace is set to prove particularly valuable for the analysis of: bio-fuels and fuel mixtures; restricted elements and wear metals in oils; chlorine in compressor oils; metals in catalysts; and catalyst poisons.
XRF is a powerful analytical tool that is complementary to more commonly used methods such as ICP and RDE spectrometry.
Deployed either as a root cause analysis tool, or in conjunction with other techniques to characterise abnormal wear patterns, XRF and in particular EDXRF offers a new tool in the arsenal of weapons available to oil analysis labs and end-users alike.
