ICP oil analysis of used engine oils has several objectives: one for the determination of additive elements and their depletion in service, another for oil testing to determine if the engine has been charged with the proper oil and yet another, to assess the wear elements and contaminants that provide information related to wear rate and abnormal operating conditions. Elements of interest besides the key additive elements are: Al, Si, K, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Sn, Sb and Pb.

Based on the SPECTRO GENESIS inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), the newly introduced SPECTRO Condition Monitoring System for oil blenders and condition monitoring laboratories sets new price, performance and productivity standards. In applications such as used engine oil analysis, it can analyze up to 320 samples per shift - independent of the number of elements to be analyzed. Plus it enables safe automatic operation.

Unlike FAAS instruments and many other ICP oil analysis systems (or ICP-OES analyzers), the SPECTRO GENESIS performs a complete spectrum capture with every measurement, covering the entire range needed for lube oil analysis or used engine oil analysis including additive, wear, and trace element analysis. Additionally, it offers high sensitivity for light elements (Na, Mg, Al, and Si). The SPECTRO GENESIS features an ultra-low purge gas rate for the optical system, delivering minimum consumable gas costs and saving thousands over the life of the instrument.

The new SPECTRO GENESIS ICP-OES Condition Monitoring System is available as a complete analyzer package, containing factory methods, an autosampler, the sample introduction system, and dedicated application specific standard operating procedures.

For labs with less sample throughput and with major focus on lube oil blending control the use of ED-XRF spectrometers like SPECTRO XEPOS, SPECTROCUBE or SPECTROSCOUT is certainly an alternative. With its optimized excitation and detection, the SPECTRO XEPOS enables to analyze wear elements starting from very low levels.