High throughput oil analysis

PerkinElmer (USA) announced the introduction of the OilExpress 4 and OilPrep 4 systems for faster oil analysis.

The OilExpress 4 system includes a high performance Spectrum Two FT-IR spectrometer and multi-tip sampling capabilities with a synchronized multi-tasking autosampler. The system is designed to monitor for contaminants and degradation products in oil, providing early warning and identification of component failures within an engine as well as breakdown of the lubricant material itself. This early warning can help prolong the lifetime of engines by enabling operators to perform the necessary maintenance at optimal intervals. In addition, the system enables a significant reduction in cost per sample as well as diminished environmental impact, by delivering up to 100 samples per hour, along with an 80% reduction in solvent and waste volumes compared to the previous models.

“PerkinElmer is a world leader in lubricant analysis with approximately 10 million oil samples analyzed on our instruments every year,” said Dusty Tenney, president, Analytical Sciences and Laboratory Services, PerkinElmer. “The new OilExpress 4 system joins the power of the Spectrum Two FT-IR analytical instrument with the scalability of the JANUS automated liquid handling platform for increased sample throughput. This instrument ensures improved oil and lubricant analysis to help our customers maintain engine functionality. This new product family is one example of our commitment to improving our customers’ laboratory processes.”

The OilExpress 4 platform includes unique patented technology to optimize the analysis speed for oils of differing viscosity, and optional sensors for the determination of liquid heights in sample containers. The system is operated by application-specific software that incorporates industry standard methods such as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the Joint Oil Analysis Program (JOAP) database handling, result trending and LIMS connectivity.

The OilPrep 4 system automatically dilutes oil samples for the analysis of wear and additive metals by the use of inductively coupled plasma (ICP) such as with the PerkinElmer Optima ICP-OES. The OilPrep 4 system is capable of diluting up to 250 samples per hour using multiple disposable tips eliminating tip washing and cross contamination.