Usage:
Introduction
Any one of several infrared spectrophotometers are acceptable for use in the Scheduled Oil Sampling program. This instruction gives the procedure for operation of the Nicolet® 8210 Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometer (FTIR).
Installation of this instrument may vary due to physical differences in the layout of each oil sampling laboratory. In all instances, however, follow the installation instructions of the manufacturer.
NOTE: This instruction is intended to be used with the Nicolet® instruction manuals.
NOTE: For setting system parameters, refer to the Nicolet® instruction manual, sections 3-14 to 3-28.
Cleaning the Sample Cell
NOTE: Use facial tissue ONLY to clean the sample cell. DO NOT use lab tissue or paper towels. The use of lab tissue or paper towels will result in damage to the surface of the sample cell. Some labs use an air vacuum with either rubber, or Tygon tubing, to remove any excess oil from the sample cell. This procedure is acceptable.
To remove oil from the sample cell, either blot it (DO NOT WIPE) with a clean facial tissue, or use an air vacuum.
After the excess oil has been soaked up, use a few drops of hexane with a clean tissue to further clean the sample cell. This may be repeated several times until the sample cell is completely clean.
Loading the Sample Cell
A Teflon® spatula (1) is provided with the system. Use this spatula ONLY, because any other type of spatula may scratch the sample cell. Rinse the sample cell with hexane, then dry it with a tissue.
Shake the test oil sample or the reference oil sample thoroughly before loading into the sample cell. Run the test immediately.
Use the spatula or a disposable eye dropper to spread enough of the test oil sample or the reference oil sample from the vial, to cover the sample cell. Do not scrape the sample cell because there may be abrasive materials in the fluid that will damage the sample cell.
Calibration Instructions
From the main menu, press OTHER FUNCTIONS.
From the next menu, press CALIBRATE. The system will display:
Clean cell then press RUN
Using the cleaning instructions given previously, clean the sample cell, then press RUN.
If the sample cell was not clean enough, the system will ask you to clean it again. Following this, press any key to continue.
The system will now begin to scan the background. When scanning is completed, the system will display:
Load calibration liquid press RUN when ready
Pour
99% PURE CYCLOHEXANE (do not use hexane) into the sample cell trough to cover the sample cell. If the system does not have a hard disk, make sure a program disk is in the drive. Press RUN to scan the cyclohexane. If the cyclohexane is contaminated, or the wrong fluid is being used, the system will display:
Bad calibration: check liquid or system
If this message appears, press any key to return to the main menu. Clean the sample cell and start the calibration procedure again.
Once the scanning is completed, use a clean tissue to remove the cyclohexane from the sample cell.
NOTE: The system should be calibrated at least once each day.
Record the date of calibration in the log book.
Performance Test
Run the performance test each time the FTIR is calibrated.
From the main menu press OTHER FUNCTIONS ... then press DIAGNOSTIC TESTS.
Next, press PERFORMANCE TEST.
If the system passes the tests, it will print out a summary of the results.
Record the peak-to-peak noise in the log book.
If the system fails; align the system, clean the sample cell and rerun the performance test. If the system still fails, refer to the troubleshooting section of the Nicolet® instruction manual.
Choosing A Reference
From the main menu, press the upper right button to choose a reference. The system will indicate the type of reference already in the memory.
From the next menu, press RUN NEW REFERENCE. The system will display:
Clean cell then press RUN
NOTE: It may be necessary to press EXIT to return to the main menu.
If necessary, clean the sample cell then press RUN. The system will display:
CHECKING CELL CLEANING
The system will run a sample cell cleaning check before scanning the background. If the sample cell is not clean enough, the system will display:
CLEAN CELL AGAIN
<Press any key to continue>
When the scanning of the background is complete, the following message will appear:
Load reference oil
PRESS RUN WHEN READY TO CONTINUE
Load the oil sample by covering the sample cell with a few drops of the reference oil. Make sure the oil is well shaken. The reference oil should be an unused oil that is the same type as the sample of used oil. To begin scanning, press RUN.
If the reference oil scan is not normal, press DO NOT use it to return to the main menu.
If the scan is normal, the system will prompt you to name the reference. The system will display the following message:
INPUT ID FOR REFERENCE OIL=
?
Type a name (may contain up to 20 characters) and press ENTER.
If analysis parameters are set for "set lib choice @ reference prompt" the system will display four libraries; diesel, natural gas, gasoline, and other. These libraries contain spectra of unused engine oil.
When one of the libraries is selected, the system sets up the necessary analysis procedure for that library. (Refer to the topic entitled "Setting System Parameters" in the Nicolet® instruction manual.)
If you choose the other library the system will display:
Reference lib number: 1-30
EXIT (0)/enter for no change
For a system with a hard disk, there are 30 available libraries. Enter a library number between 1 and 30, then press ENTER. For a floppy disk based system, one library per disk is available, therefore, enter number 1 and press ENTER.
For no change, press EXIT then ENTER.
The system now asks you to assign a position in the library for the reference:
Input index position to put reference
(1-2) = 1?
The index positions should be entered sequentially until the library is full.
Type the reference position and press ENTER.
If the position is empty the system will save the reference, however, if the position already contains a reference, the system will display the following:
Replace it DO NOT REPLACE IT
The system will return to the main menu if DO NOT REPLACE IT is pressed, however, the reference will be retained in the system memory until the reference is changed.
If the content of the directory is unknown, you may print a directory of the reference library.
From the main menu, press REFERENCE.
From the next menu, press PRINT REFERENCE DIRECTORY.
The system will display the four libraries. If you select diesel, natural gas, or gasoline the corresponding directory will print.
If "other library" is chosen, the system will ask for the reference library number.
When the directory has been printed, the system will return to the main menu.
| NOTICE |
|---|
When the autoreference feature must be used, the reported values must be used with care. The values for soot, sulfation, oxidation and nitration can be used as indicators for interpretation, but they are NOT intended to be released to the customer. The values for water, fuel, and glycol CANNOT be used. |
Retrieving A Reference
From the main menu, press REFERENCE ... then from the next menu, press
RETRIEVE OIL REF.
From the next menu, select the library that has the reference spectrum desired.
The system will now store the retrieved reference spectrum in its memory.
If the "other library" was chosen, the system will ask you to choose the analysis routine for the type of oil.
The system will return to the main menu. The display will show the reference that was selected.
Analyzing the Sample
When the appropriate reference has been loaded, the sample must be named. The name can either be typed in, or the default ID may be used.
From the main menu, press ID SAMPLE.
To use default, press Use default ID ... or, to assign the name, press Input sample ID.
The system display will show:
Sample name: =
?
Type a sample name (may contain up to 20 characters) and press ENTER.
Once a name has been assigned, the analysis can be started. DO NOT LOAD THE SAMPLE!
From the main menu, press ANALYZE USED OIL.
Enter sample name. The system will display:
Clean cell then press run
After the sample cell has been cleaned, press RUN. The system will display:
CHECKING CELL CLEANING
If the sample cell is not clean enough, the system will display:
CLEAN CELL AGAIN
<Press any key to continue>
When the sample cell is clean, the system will begin to scan the background. When the scan is completed, the system will display:
Load sample
Press RUN when ready
Load the sample, then press RUN. The system will display:
SCANNING SAMPLE
NOTE: Every twenty minutes the system will scan the background after RUN is pressed.
When the system displays PROCESSING DATA, scanning is complete and the results of the analysis will be printed.
The sample cell may be cleaned as soon as the system displays PROCESSING DATA.
NOTE: Caterpillar has no guidelines on soot or sulfur for natural gas engines, and no guidelines on nitration for diesel engines.
Do not report percentage of volatiles to the customer. Report positive or negative for fuel dilution.