Determination of Wear Metals and Additives (Soaps) in Lubricating Oils by Atomic Absorption

Lubricating and hydraulic fluids are crucial for the proper functioning many machines, most of which are simple carbon-based oils or greases that contain additives in them to prevent wear and abrasion of components, however, under harsh conditions wear metals form in lubricant oils. Determination of these wear metals and their respective levels is important for the proper maintenance and operation of equipment. This application note discusses the advent of microwave digestion technology and the use of the Buck 210VGP system and MEGA-1200 Microwave Digestion system for rapid and economical determination of wear metals and additives in hydrocarbons and lubricants.