SYMPOSIA PAPER Published: 01 January 1957
STP46903S

Direct-Reading Spectrographic Control of Lubricating Oil Additive Manufacture

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Lubricating oil additives are chemical compounds that are added to lubricants to improve their performance. They do this by reducing wear, reducing breakdown of the lubricant, and keeping the engine's moving parts free of foreign matter. The additives are usually metallo-organic compounds containing such elements as calcium, barium, zinc, phosphorus, sulfur, and chlorine. The manufacture of the additive components and the blending of the finished additive are usually controlled by analysis for these key elements. Rapid and accurate analyses are essential during the preparation and blending of the components. In the past, the analyses were carried out by wet chemical methods and, later, with the faster emission spectrographic techniques. Still greater speed has now been achieved with the direct-reading spectrograph. X-ray fluorescence, which is applicable to some of the heavier elements, is a still newer approach to this problem. Chemical analyses require about 8 hr, the direct-reading spectrographic analyses about 1.5 hr elapsed time. This paper discusses the operation and performance of the direct-reading spectrograph, an Applied Research Laboratory quantometer, used in controlling the manufacture of lubricating oil additives at the Oronite Chemical Co.'s Oak Point, La., plant.

Author Information

Rappold, W., A.
Oronite Chemical Co., Oak Point, La.
Ramsay, R., E.
California Research Corp., Richmond, Calif.
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Details
Developed by Committee: D02
Pages: 109–114
DOI: 10.1520/STP46903S
ISBN-EB: 978-0-8031-6907-4
ISBN-13: 978-0-8031-6552-6