Water content detection in industrial lubricants:

Carl·Optimization alternative plan for Fischer titration method

1. Question background

Turbine oil is susceptible to water pollution, leading to viscosity changes, accelerated oxidation, and shortened bearing life. The manufacturer recommends controlling the water content within500-1000 ppmWithin.

Traditional Karl Fischer titration method（ASTM D6304）Although accurate, it relies on hazardous reagents, is complex to operate, time-consuming, and costly.

2. Alternative solutions——FluidScanPortable oil condition analyzer

Detection principle:Detecting the light scattering phenomenon of water droplets in oil through infrared spectroscopy, covering the range1000 ppmAbove (some oils may be as low as1 ppm）.

FluidScanAdvantage:On site real-time detection, no need for complex sample preparation, safe and efficient operation.

3. Key findings:

Sample homogenization is crucial:

ž Homogenization treatment (if used)CAT 120XHomogenizer ensures even dispersion of water droplets, and the measurement result has an error of ≤ Karl Fischer method20%.

High-speed homogenization30Sample in seconds

ž Manual shaking cannot achieve uniform dispersion, resulting in significant errors (such as only measuring high moisture samples)<6000 ppm）.

Manually shake30Sample in seconds. The turbidity observed by the naked eye is similar to that of the homogenized sample, but the moisture is not evenly dispersed

Improvement of low water content detection

FluidScanNew feature to indicate water content<1000 ppmRisk of free water at the time（E2412Warning), make up for the deficiency of the old version only reporting dissolved water.

Prompt users that there may be samples below1000 ppmWarning message for free water

4. experimental verification

ž compare16Group sample（500-10,000 ppm），FluidScanHighly consistent with Karl Fischer's results.

ž The comparison between homogenized samples and non homogenized samples shows that the former has significantly better measurement accuracy than the latter.

Homogenized samples inFluidScanThe results of the Karl Fischer test showed good consistency, while the manually shaken sample results were inaccurate.

5. Conclusion:

FluidScanThe portable oil state analyzer is an efficient and alternative solution to the Karl Fischer method, suitable for rapid on-site detection, especially performing well under strict homogenization conditions.

Summary:

FluidScanThe portable oil state analyzer has become an optimized alternative to the Karl Fischer method by simplifying the process, improving safety, and expanding the detection range, providing an efficient solution for industrial lubricant oil-water pollution monitoring.