Quick, Easy & Highly Repeatable IR Spectral Measurement of Contaminants in Motor/Hydraulic Oils

This application note demonstrates the Specac Pearl as an ideal liquid transmission accessory to accompany IR spectroscopy in the determination of contaminants and chemical degradation occurring in oil. Service oils, like Castrol’s Magnatec engine oil, are designed to minimize wear-and-tear in engines. However, after a while, the oils pick up elemental metals, soot and other contaminants. FTIR spectroscopy is a well-known tool for the characterization of oil contaminants and this note highlights that viscous oil samples can be analyzed simply and quickly using three different pathlengths in the Pearl.