Industrial Samples:

An application of atomic emission spectroscopy within analysing the industrial samples can be illustrated by considering the determination of metals in lubricating oil as discussed below.

Determination of metals in lubricating oil

The determination of metals in lubricating oils used in aircraft, truck, locomotive and other engines provide an excellent indication of the mechanical wear and tear of the engine. In fact, as the concentration of certain metals increases, the wearing out parts or components of the engine can be identified resulting in a decision about their replacement or repair. This routine program of wear-metal analysis saves lot of money all around the world. The most significant wear metals which are monitored are Fe, Al, Mg, Cu and Ag along with other trace metals. Iron appears as an indicator of more than 80 percent of all component failures detected by wear-metal analysis. Aluminium usually relates to wear of oil pumps, cases, housings, pistons and cylinder heads, and copper to wear of bronze parts such as bushings and retainers. Silicon is useful as an indicator of lubricant contamination from dust. These determinations are generally made by spark AES method and the spectra of 10 or more elements in the range of 0.1 to 500 ppm are determined.