Polarised excitation radiation suppresses the spectral background, increasing sensitivity by a factor of four versus conventional energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometers
With the energy-dispersive XRF system Spectro Xepos for the analysis of sulphur in fuels, Spectro advances into measurement ranges that were previously restricted to the significantly more expensive wavelength-dispersive XRF instruments.
The bench top Xepos achieves a detection limit of less than 1mg/kg for sulfphr in fuels.
Recently there has been an international push to reduce the limits of sulphur in fuels.
By 2010, the maximum allowed content of sulphur will decrease to 10mg/kg in gasoline and 50mg/kg in diesel fuel.
For analyses methods used in the petrochemical industry this means, in turn, that the detection limit should be a factor of ten less than the required limits. Thus, conventional energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence analysis, the cost-effective and user-friendly standard method for oil laboratories, will become obsolete.
The technologically advanced ED-XRF Spectro Xepos, however, achieves the required sulphur detection limit of less than 1mg/kg.
The primary reason for this can be found in the proprietary polarised excitation radiation, which enables an almost complete suppression of the spectral background, increasing sensitivity by a factor of four versus conventional energy-dispersive x-ray fluorescence spectrometers. A high-resolution, peltier cooled, Si drift chamber is used as a detection system, eliminating the need for liquid nitrogen cooling.
The new low-sulphur application is provided by Spectro precalibrated.
The settings are pre-programmed so that the instrument can be used for measurements in the range of sulphur-free fuels (0-10mg/kg), low-sulphur fuels (10-50mg/kg) and standard fuels (50-500 mg/kg) within one analytical method setup.
The scope of supply includes newly developed, leak-proof, sample cups, which ensure a constant distance between the sample and detector increasing analytical precision.
