Power Station Adopts Analyser for Determining Water in Lubricating Oil

A2 Technologies has announced that the Ferrybridge Power Station in West Yorkshire, England, has selected their iPAL portable FTIR analyser for measuring the level of water in the lubricating oil used in the massive turbines at this major power plant. The level of water in lubricating oil is critical to measure and control since it can accelerate oxidation and affect lubrication performance. For years, chemists have relied on Karl Fischer titrations to measure the level of water in lubricating oil. A new article entitled ‘iPAL FTIR Analyser for Moisture Determination in Lubricating Oils - An Advancement over Karl Fisher Titration’, by Mr Richard Wilson, Environmental and Performance Manager at Ferrybridge Power Station, outlines a number of reasons why his plant has adopted this new technology. The article states that speed, ease and accuracy of measurement is significantly improved with the on-site FTIR analyser and additionally no reagents are required. Moreover, the FTIR system acts as a check on off-site testing lab measurements that are made when necessary and additionally, the training of operators is far easier to accomplish with the FTIR analyser, as compared to the Karl Fischer technology.

Mr Graham Miller, President of A2 Technologies. Commented” "The use of the iPAL FTIR analyser at Ferrybridge for critical analyses of lubricating oil is a good example of why a number of conventional and nuclear power stations are adopting this new technology for a range of applications including measuring moisture in oil, oil in cooling water, additive depletion, lubrication oxidation and biodiesel contamination in diesel fuel. The speed, accuracy, ease of use and on-site measurement capability of the FTIR technology provide compelling reasons for changing how analyses are carried out in these facilities."