TheBlackFedora

That's a very good point. Consumables for operating an ICP spectrometer will likely put our costs beyond the original expectations. This project is starting to look too expensive for us to pursue. Thanks anyway on the Tricorder. I doubt we could afford that either. I have a bit more information now. The "turn-key" tribology lab includes a "Rotating Disk" spectrometer which is rated to test for all the contaminants, wear metals, and additives we would require. This is a new one for me, and I'm going to have to figure out a whole new set of of questions to have answered. The more research I do, the more questions I have.

The "turn-key" tribology lab may have been referring to an ICP spectrometer when they listed the "optical emission spectrometer". This would explain what the ICP was missing from their lab brocure. I was a bit confused by my friend's suggestion of NMR, as it was mentioned nowhere in relation to the type of testing we are expecting to do. But as I said, I am a novice and do not yet know helpful advice from usless advice. Thanks for the input. Our current testing reports list concentrations of metals from as low as 0 and 1 PPM up to above 900 PPM. Most of these are contaminants (such as silicon and sodium), while others are deposits of "wear metals" from bearings and machine tools. Still others are chemical additives originally used in the metal working fluids. With the help of this converstaion, I am pretty sure that our UV/VIS spectrometer is not going to be useful in our laboratory for replicating the tests we are currently outsourcing. It would be too time consuming and therfore not economical according to the intention of this project. However, I expect it won't be abandoned as it may be useful for something else in our shop. (Other than a doorstop or paperweight.) If the event we can't use it at all, then it will be sold to help raise capital for the lab. While I understand that the mention of "optical emission spectrometer" could indicate several things, I am relatively sure it means ICP spectrometer due to that instrument being referenced by other laboratories which do similar testing. Unless I come across something else (such as a functional Star Trek tricorder), I am going to recommend we aquire an ICP spectrometer. Though it won't be cheep initially, it will duplicate the tests exactly (which we currently outsource) and it will do so efficently. But... if anyone actualy has access to a Star Trek tricorder... As this is an on-going project, I will still be open to suggestions and advice for quite a while before I reach a "point of no return", and can no longer put the input to good use.

Thank you for the input. I really have very little experience with such things, and my online research has been less than completely clear. To further illustrate my lack of knowledge, is there a difference between "optical emission spectroscopy" and the Visible side of the VIS/UV spectrometer we already have available?

Thank you, that does seem like the logical way to look at this. Essentially, the more money the company puts into the lab, the better the results. ("Better" as in accuracy and speed of results.) The problem I'm facing at the moment is one of economy. An old saying I've heard is that "Anyone can design a Rolls Royce. It takes skill to design a Volkswagen." While my company could invest the money in an ICP spectrometer, I was given the task of finding a variety of options available to us. So I need to consider the initial cost as well as the operating cost (supplies, chemicals, energy), and finally the labor cost (something that takes days would be an issue to consider, as you pointed out.) One item I came across was a brocure for a "turn-key Tribology Lab" offered by a particular company. (I'm not posting the name because I don't want to promote anyone or anything on a forum I've only just joined.) Anyway, this "turn-key lab" setup included several instruments which I hadn't thought about using, and it DID NOT include the ICP spectrometer. It included an optical emission spectrometer and a FTIR spectrometer. These were the only instruments they listed to analyse fluid contaminants and wear metal content. This set my mind on the current track, which is... can we do an elemental breakdown of the sort that an ICP spectrometer provides with alternate instruments? This brought me to thinking about the possibilities of a gas chromatograph. A question from a friend who is a molecular biologist suggested an NMR spectrometer. After looking around and doing some more research... I ended up with more questions than answers. That is what brought me here.

Hello. I am a new member. My background is dull, but I have a wide spectrum of interests which I hope I will be able to gain more knowledge about though this forum. Currently I am seeking some advice on a project I've been put in charge of.

Anyone... Anyone...? Bueller...?

Greetings. I am a new member of this forum, and I joined specifically for assistance on the following topic. The company I work for is setting up a Tribology laboratory to test various metal working fluids. The required tests include an elemental breakdown to determine fluid additive levels as well as contaminants from dirt and wear metals. Standard test results offer levels (in PPM) of: Iron, Chromium, Nickel, Aluminum, Copper, Lead, Tin, Cadmium, Silver, Vanadium, Silicon, Sodium, Potassium, Titanium, Molybdenum, Antimony, Maganese, Lithium, Boron, Magnesium, Calcium, Barium, Phosphorous, and Zinc. The industry standard appears to be an ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) spectrometer, however some references include the use of an optical emission spectrometer and an FTIR (Fourier Transform Infared) spectrometer. We have a UV/VIS spectrometer available to us, but I am unsure if this instrument can duplicate or replace any of the abilities of the other types used in Tribology laborator testing. So my question is... what type of spectrometers (or other instruments such as mass spectrometers, NMR spectrometers, gas chromatographs, or High Pressure Liquid chromatographs) would provide such an elemental an analysis, and could our available UV/VIS spectrometer provide any useful data? Cost effectiveness is a major concern in this project. The projected costs (initial start-up, operating, and maintenance) will determine whether or not our laboratory comes into being. So the more economical instruments are prefered. My knowledge of the subject is limited, and I'd appreciate any useful advice or suggestions I can get.