Unexpected contamination in process streams, pipes, tanks, filters, coatings can lead to quality problems or may indicate an underlying problem of accelerated material degradation. Using various analysis techniques, we identify not only the contamination, but also help narrowing down potential causes. For example, an analysis of fouling in a filter of a process stream may indicate corrosion or wear problems upstream. By characterizing the particles or deposits we learn more about the nature of the deposits and their possible origin. For metallic particles or corrosion products for instance, analysis of the elemental composition not only indicates the alloy of the affected equipment or part but might also give insight on potential chemicals that contributed to the attack. With this knowledge, our customer can in many cases identify the origin of the contamination and take measures to avoid it in the future.
Depending on the type of material and the nature of the contamination, we deploy a combination of the following analysis techniques:
- SEM/EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy / Energy Dispersive X-ray):
- Visualisation of contamination down to the microscale, measuring particle size
- Elemental composition of particles, deposits and corrosion products
- Ideal for local contamination, inclusions and surface phenomena
- ICP OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectrometry):
- Applied to residues or solutions
- Highly accurate determination of trace and main elements
- Insight into bulk contamination and contamination levels
- TGA (Thermogravimetric analysis)
- Applied where a mixture of organic and inorganic constituents is expected
- Determines the fraction of organic/inorganic constituents
- FTIR-spectroscopy (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy)
- Determines the functional groups of molecules
- Gives information with regard to the organic constituents of the contamination
Examples of projects where we helped our customers:
- Analysis of metal particles collected from a process stream: indicated that the particles could be linked with a broken bearing.
- Analysis of metal contaminations in an organic coating system: indicated the specific alloy type of metal particles and helped narrowing down potential contamination sources.
- Analysis of particles found in food product: indicated that the so-called contamination was in fact a piece of tooth filling.
What you can expect from us:
Fast and objective problem analysis with the right analysis techniques
In-depth insight into cause and mechanism of contamination
Support in quality improvement and damage prevention
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