New Material Identification Analysis Testing
Technical Bulletin New Material Identification Analysis Testing
TESTOIL has developed the Material Identification Analysis using Full Spectrum IR technology to analyze your mystery sludge and particles. A solid deposit in a fluid system or a plugging filter is direct evidence of some sort of irregularity and a thorough analysis of this evidence can be extremely valuable in determining severity and root cause.
Why Use Material Identification Analysis? When foreign materials appear in a sump or on a filter, the cause is not often obvious. Standard fluid testing may not be able to point to any specific problem. With the right analysis, this material can provide valuable evidence of a chemical problem with the fluid, mechanical problem with the machine, or external contamination into the fluid system.
Test Procedure In most cases, sample portions are analyzed by ATR-FTIR. In this technique, infrared light is reflected off the surface of a sample and a transmission spectrum is generated. Different molecular structures will absorb different frequencies of light. By studying a transmission spectrum, one can observe which frequencies were absorbed and characterize the molecules present.
Depending on the sample, additional testing may be added to further characterize the material. Whenever possible, suggestions are given for possible sources or causes of the problem. Any additional information provided by the customer (operating environment, machine symptoms, potential contaminants) is very helpful in enhancing recommendations.
