Introduction

For almost 30 years, Spectro Scientific has specialised in the development of instruments for machine condition monitoring based on oil and fuel analysis. Spectro’s sole focus has been to design and market instruments optimised for one application, rather than general purpose instruments that can be used for a variety of applications. All SpectrOils are user-friendly and reliable; they are the workhorses of commercial and military oil analysis laboratories that require the rapid analysis of wear metals, contaminants and additives in lubricants.

SpectrOils measure trace quantities of elements dissolved or suspended as fine particles in natural or synthetic petroleum-based products using the time-tested and reliable rotating disc electrode (RDE) technique. Spectro continually innovates both by inventing new products and by enhancing existing ones in response to customers’ needs for more capabilities or automation. The new SpectrOil Q100 maintains this tradition and was designed from the ground up with the user, the application, and the in-service oil analysis laboratory in mind.

Features
The SpectrOil Q100 uses the same technology and design concepts that Spectro has successfully applied over the years to the SpectrOil M family of spectrometers. It is the next step in design and performance utilising the most up-to-date solid-state electronics and optical systems.

SpectrOil Q100 also fulfils the requirements of ASTM D6595 Standard Method for Determination of Wear Metals and Contaminants in Used Lubricating Oils or Hydraulic Fluids by Rotating Disc Electrode Atomic Emission Spectrometry.

Highlights

• The SpectrOil Q100 has a standard configuration that includes 22 elements:
o Wear Metals: Al, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, Ag, Sn, Ti, V, Zn
o Contaminants: B, Ca, K, Si, Na
o Additives: Ba, B, Ca, Cr, Cu, Mg, Mo, P, Si, Z

• An additional 13 elements (Sb, Bi, As, In, Co, Zr, W, Sr, Li, Ce, Nb and Rh) can be added at any time without the need for hardware upgrades.
• The SpectrOil Q100 is customised for laboratory environments.
• The easy addition of a coolant program is possible without the need to make modifications to the existing unit.
• It has the smallest rotating disc spectrometer in the world: Size (L x W x H): 26 in. x 16 in. x 29 in. Weight: 165 lbs
• The SpectrOil Q100 has overall better limits of detection than previous photomultiplier systems. The latest • • • • SpectrOil Q100 instrument uses a unique double layer optic with multiple CCD detectors. A total of 15 CCD detectors are mounted on the Rowland Circle in order to cover the wave-length range from 200 to 800 nm of the elements of interest. The new CCD optical system version has the following advantages over old photomultiplier tubes systems.

The Optic
The heart of the new SpectrOil Q100 is an innovative and state-of-the art charge coupled device (CCD) optical system. The Paschen-Runge design of the optical system provides the necessary resolution and light throughput to process the spectra of all configured elements in less than 30 seconds.

The SpectrOil Q100 optic contains a dual layer of CCD detectors making it a compact, yet extremely capable system. The design eliminates the need for photomultiplier tubes with their inherent instability and limited analytical expansion capabilities.

Product Information and Application
• SpectrOil Q100 Data Sheet
• Overview of Rotating Disc Electrode (RDE) Optical Emission Spectroscopy for in-service oil analysis

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