Applied Research LaboratoriesSenior Technical Writer

Thermo Scientific purchased the ARL division from Baush & Lomb, and now produces most of their previous products.

The Thermo Scientific (ARL) 4460 optical emission spectrometer is the solution for ultimate analytical performance in varying laboratory conditions or in hostile environments. I wrote parts of the User's Manual for this instrument.

I was employed as a Senior Technical Writer at Applied Research Laboratories (A Division of Bausch & Lomb) from 2/80 to 6/81 . Duties included documentation of Optical Emission Quantometers, X-Ray Fluorescence Quantometers, Ion Microprobe Mass Analyzers, Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometers, Scanning Electron Microprobe Quantometers, and Quantotest Metal Analyzers. Responsible for all software specifications and manuals conforming to FIDS specifications for ARL, ARL-DIANO, and ARL-SEMCO computerized spectroscopy systems.
I was responsible for researching, documenting, and developing detailed operator procedures, maintenance procedures, troubleshooting procedures, fault isolation procedures, and operation checklists for all technical documentation. Source material was derived from engineering drawings, specifications, and electrical schematics. I taught training courses at U.S. Steel in Lorraine, Ohio on the use and operation of the Quantotest 36000 Metal Analyzer.

The ARL 36000 Quantotest Metal Analyzer was revolutionary in its time... a non-destructive spectrographic analyzer that was portable enough to wheel around a scrap yard.

This is the Functional Block Diagram from the Operator's Manual of the ARL 36000 Quantotest. A dedicated team of professionals was assembled by Ray Little (Manager of Publications) to produce these beautiful manuals for ARL. The detailed block diagrams, fault isolation charts, and troubleshooting procedures were all produced by hand, using pen and ink, and made camera-ready. FIDS manuals were as expensive as they were comprehensive in the early 1980's, before the advent of desktop publishing.

Dolch Logic Instruments (now Dolch Computer Systems, Inc.)

Volker Dolch started Dolch Logic Instruments in Germany in 1976, to design and manufacture a line of Logic Analyzers, an important instrument in the design and test of digital electronic circuits. The company became the largest supplier of logic analyzers in Europe. In 1987, Dolch sold the company and arranged a management buy-out of its American division. In 2005, Kontron AG acquired Dolch and then sold its rugged mobile platform to Azonix in 2007.
I was employed as the Manager of Technical Publications from 10/82 to 3/84. I reported to Terry Larson, who was the Director of Marketing (click here for a pdf file of my final Performance Review). By mutual agreement, I left Dolch to start my own consulting firm, Technology Media Enterprises, Consulting. Dolch Logic Instruments was my first customer (click here for a pdf file of the first Purchase Order).
I was hired to work at the main plant in Dietzenbach, West Germany to convert what was called “Genglish” (combination German and English) technical manuals into “Silicon Valley English” technical manuals. The first thing I did at Dolch was to introduce the Functionally Integrated Documentation System (FIDS), which I helped develop at ARL several years prior. Click here for pdf excerpts of the FIDS Technical Manual Specification. You will see that it was the basis for all the technical publications produced by DLI since then.

The 64300 Logic Analysis System 64-Channels/300MHz. I wrote the Operator's Manual.

Thermo Scientific X-ray fluorescence spectrometers

Analytical Instrumentation

The petrochemical industry relies heavily on FCC catalysts for the production of a variety of organic intermediate building blocks. Usually, this type of material is doped with precious metals such as platinum or palladium. The precious metal concentrations are often directly related to catalyst performance. Poisoning of the catalysts by common petroleum contaminants such as copper is a concern when optimizing the conversion process. Hence, monitoring the composition of FCC catalysts allows higher conversion yields in petrochemical refineries.

XRF offers particular advantages when analyzing FCC catalysts. It is the only technique capable of analyzing solids without laborious sample preparation. Other techniques often require a lengthy chemical digestion before actual analysis. XRF also offers multi-element analysis capability combined with a wide dynamic ranging from ppm up to % levels. For these reasons XRF is also adopted as preferred technique to analyze FCC catalysts by international bodies such as ASTM (e.g. ASTM D7085). The remainder of this article describes the use of Energy Dispersive XRF and Wavelength Dispersive-XRF for the analysis of catalysts.

Catalyst screening with the Thermo Scientific ARL QUANT’X EDXRF analyzer
The ARL QUANT’X EDXRF analyzer is used to determine platinum (Pt) and chlorine (Cl) content of aluminosilicate catalysts. The 50 Watt QUANT’X is equipped with a 3 mm thick Si(Li) detector. The sensitivity of this detector allows sub ppm detection limits for heavy elements such as platinum and other precious metals. Catalyst powders are measured as received by transferring 4 g of powder into an XRF cup sealed with a 4 µm thick polypropylene film on one side and a mesoporous film on the other side. The mesoporous film allows analysis in vacuum avoiding the use of helium which would add extra cost. Total analysis time equals 100 s. Table 1 shows the repeatability values for this application.

Conclusions
Either by using EDXRF or WDXRF the examples of this article shows that XRF distinguishes itself as a fast tool for a variety of FCC catalyst analyses. While EDXRF is more suitable to screen catalyst composition, WDXRF is the preferred technique when high throughput and repeatability are required.
To see our complete product portfolio, please visit www.thermoscientific.com/xpetro

Table 1: RSD repeatability values on Pt and Cl in FCC catalysts.

Figure 1: Calibration curve for sulfur in dicating a standard error of estimate of 0.011% m/m.

Table 2: RSD repeatability values for the ARL ADVANT’X on copper, mercury and sulfur determination in FCC catalysts.

MEBA – Technical Profile Metals of Bahrain (MEBA)

1. Tool room / Engineering Center 2 x 3D Router Machine Wood Processing Unit
2. Automatic Cold Box Core Making.
3. Self Set Molding.
4. Sand Reclamation
5. Continuous Mixer (Furan Sand)
6. Melting Dual Track 750 Kw Induction Furnace with two Crucibles of 1 tone capacity Dual Track 175 Kw Induction Furnace with two Crucibles of 250 kgs capacity
7. Shot Blast Chamber
8. Fettling and Finishing
9. Heat Treatment Furnaces with fork type quenching facility and chart recorder. Two tone batch capacity with 1950x1500x1000 mm 500 Kg. batch capacity with 1200x1200x 800mm chamber sizechamber size
10. Pneumatic Glass Beads Blast
11. Inspection and Testing

Machine Shop
1. C.N.C. Machining centers
2. Vertical Machine Center (VMC)
3. Turn Mill Center
4. 2 x Wickman Multi Spindle Auto Lathes
5. 2 x Rossini –Threading and Multi-station Transfer Machine
6. Milling
7. Trimming process
8. Gang Drills
9. Turret Lathe
10. Grinding Machines
11. Center Lathe Machine

Quality Control (ISO 9001‐2000 QMS)
• ARL Spectrometer
• Non Destructive Testing (NDT)
• Tensile Testing
• Hardness Testing
• Sand Lab
• Microstructure Examination
• Die penetrant Test

ALLOYS

Degradation of natural fibers in artifacts

Picture 1. Seica optical microscope.

Seica optical microscope.

Picture 2. Silk samples closed in sealed vials after (left) and before (right) ageing.

Silk samples closed in sealed vials after (left) and before (right) ageing.

The goal of the study of the silk degradation is to work out the optimal storage conditions including anoxia frames for the silk composed artifacts. The first approach to the problem is, however, optimizing the analytical methods to trace down silk changes imposed by the environment.
To study degradation processes small samples of the depicted above silks were aged in closed vessels (see picture 2) and in chambers at 150°C. The ageing conditions were chosen to observe maximum degradation effect but not exceeding the transition temperature for silk. The reactors were chosen to study the degradation phenomena with (closed vessels) and without (chamber) the influence of gaseous degradation products.
After having been removed from the reactors (past 1, 2, 4 or 7 days), samples were investigated by simple chemical and physical methods to obtain fast but rough evaluation of the degradation progress. These were colour change by VIS spectrometry, acidity by pH measurements (see picture 3) and tensile strength by mechanical properties measurements. All the indicators of degradation (delta E, tensile strength, pH) have shown significant changes upon ageing with the general tendency to deteriorate faster in the closed system than in the open one. In figure 1 the tendency of growth of delta E the parameter in the CIE Lab model with time of exposure to temperatures is clear as well as the fact that yellowing is stronger if sample was aged in closed system. The acidity of samples (see fig. 3.) also depends on the duration of being exposed to high temperature and the presence of the gaseous degradation products. The tensile strength experiments revealed that the strength of silk drops significantly with ageing time (see fig. 2.). Mechanical properties, although bearing high experimental error, seem to be most sensitive dependent on the conditions of aging. For example, the decrease of resistance to stress for a sample aged in the closed reactor for 1 day is comparable to the one aged in open reactor for 7 days.

 

X-ray Spectrometer for Fast, Accurate and Sensitive Cement Analysis

ECUBLENS, Switzerland (May 19, 2010) - Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, today announced a new addition to its Thermo Scientific ARL 9900 IntelliPower series of X-ray spectrometers. The new ARL 9900 IntelliPower 600 operates at 600W and can be configured with a Free Lime channel, addressing the most common requirements of the cement industry. The ARL 9900 IntelliPower 600 offers excellent performance in cement analysis at an affordable price. 

 

The ARL 9900 IntelliPower 600 can be configured with XRF fixed channels for rapid and precise analysis as each channel is dedicated to analyzing a single specific element. Up to 12 XRF fixed channels can be fitted for simultaneous analysis of the usual element/oxides required in cement industry including sulfur/sulfate determination in case of slags additions in cement. The ARL 9900 IntelliPower 600 can also operate without any gas supply for all elements, including sodium.  

In addition, the ARL 9900 IntelliPower 600 can be configured with two types of Thermo Scientific goniometers, the SmartGonio^TM and the F45 universal goniometer. These fast and highly accurate gearless goniometers can be programmed for both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Moiré fringe technology offers excellent angular positioning and high quality sequential X-ray spectrometry. The SmartGonio covers analysis of elements from fluorine to uranium which will be sufficient for most cement laboratory. The F45 universal goniometer is used when additional lighter elements such as carbon may be required. Both goniometers offer full capability for the analysis of non-routine elements and can back up any of the XRF fixed channels. They provide standard-less analysis when coupled to appropriate software packages like UniQuant^TM or QuantAS^TM.

High Throughput Autosampler

The EPR oxidation assay is indeed a powerful tool for the brewer, but for routine use, it needs to have high throughput and easy set-up. Traditional EPR spectrometers are designed to perform many different types of experiments but are not always optimized for one particular application.
Bruker has developed the e-scan bench top EPR spectrometer specifically for use with industrial applications. For beer analysis, an automatic sample changer is interfaced with the spectrometer to provide EPR oxidation profile data for up to 20 samples all in one assay period. An intuitive software interface combines easy operation with automatic data acquisition and post processing. A typical assay is performed in a 2 to 3 hour period for 10 to 20 samples.

Analysis of Protein Complexes by High-Mass MALDI ToF Mass Spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry is an extremely powerful tool for determining the molecular weight of proteins. During MALDI ionization, most of the species present in the sample are ionized as singly charged pseudo-molecular ions, greatly simplifying the spectra obtained from complex mixtures. Using standard MALDI protocols, protein complexes dissociate during analysis mainly because of the solvent used during sample preparation. The detection of large noncovalent protein complexes has been successfully realized in the Zenobi group by combining chemical cross-linking with high mass MALDI-ToF- MS. Noncovalent interactions of complexes are thereby stabilized covalently due to the reaction with bifunctional cross-linkers. (Fig. 1)
To learn more about biochemical communication, numerous systems were studied such as antigen-antibody interactions, hemoglobin complexes, or hormone receptor complexes.
We developed highly reactive cross-linkers to eventually investigate the kinetics of the association reaction and its dependence on temperature. Additionally, our focus currently lies on the underlying mechanism of the cross-linking step. We carried out investigations on the reactivity of several amino acid side chains towards the cross-linker and identified new catalytic mechanisms.

Fig. 1: Scheme of the detection principle of protein complexes by chemical cross-linking and high mass MALDI-ToF-MS.

The instrumentations available in the laboratory allow the detection of stabilized complexes up to several MDa. Two MALDI-ToF mass spectrometers based on different type of detections are used: a Macromizer from the Comet corporation (Fig. 2 a) using a cryogenic detector and an Axima CFR (Kratos Analytical, Fig. 2 b) fitted with a high mass detector from CovalX based on conversion of ions.
.......................................................a) ............................................................ b)

Fig. 2: MALDI-ToF mass spectrometers for high mass detection.

The calibration of the MALDI instruments is crucial because of the unknown short delay between laser shots and ion formation. We are also working on the difficult problem of mass calibration in the mass range above several 100 kDa. Therefore appropriate calibration standards and methods in the high-mass range will be explored to be able to verify specific cross-linked complexes.

A.Chromatography Lab.

• Gas Chromatograph (Mass Spectrometer) (GC/MS) (PE-Clarus 500)

Gas Chromatograph (PE-Autosystem):

• Flame Ionization Detector (GC/FID)
• Electron Capture Detector (GC/ECD)

High Performance Liquid Chromatograph:

• Ultraviolet / visible Detector
• Fluorescence Detector

B.Spectroscopy Lab.

• Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES) (PE-Optima 2100)
• Infrared Spectrometer (Spectrum One) with Oil Express and other accessories for different types of samples
• Fluorescence Spectrometer
• UV/VIS Spectrometer (AQUA-MATE) for water analysis

C.Physical Properties Instrumets

• Closed Cup Koehler Flash Point Tester
• Pour and Cloud Point Chamber with thermometers and tubes
• API Certified Hydrometer with built in thermometer for petroleum densities

Chemical Analysis Laboratory

The Chemical Analysis laboratory undertakes physical and chemical analysis and tests for most of the environmental samples. The laboratory is also used as a tool for research in several fields, in addition to its role in assisting consultations training technical services.
In 1996, the laboratory initiated its work in co-operation with the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA) by applying the “Fingerprinting Technique”. This was done by using the four different standard methods of the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM). These standard methods compares the spilled oil samples with other oil samples from suspected sources.
To adapt with the developmental policy used by the Crisis and Disaster Management Systems to maintain the state of the art technologies, the laboratory was also upgraded and updated to achieve the main objectives in different fields such as:

• Increasing the accuracy of the results (samples data output) to adapt with latest technology presented in the analysis field. This is done by using the latest instruments and software.
• Widening the scale and fields of work to analyse all kinds of samples, and to apply different standard methods of analysis to cover the industrial and environmental services.
• Offering training programs for researchers, industrial and environmental trainees in various fields.
• Preparing the laboratory for international certification.
• Offering technical consultations to solve industrial and environmental problems.

The laboratory is equipped with the latest instruments required for research and analysis. All the standard tests in the fields of industry, research and environmental studies may also be performed for scientific institutes and organizations working in the field of environment.

Helium leak testing systems

We produce helium leak testing systems for testing aluminum castings, SF₆-gas circuit breakers, AC-components, fuel rails and many other products.
We have more than 35 years experience of producing these systems for leak tests of different products. The leak testers are manufactured in appliance to Swedish and international standards. We have delivered helium leak test machines to, among others, ABB, Ericsson, AstraZeneca and Pharmacia & Upjohn. Most helium leak testing machines are exported within Europe and to Asia.

Mass spectrometers

Mass Spectrometry, residual gas analysis with SRS quadrupole mass spectrometers. In RGA or Residual Gas Analysis you use a Residual Gas Analyzer to measure the partial pressures of different gases.
We build systems with SRS mass spectrometer as a component with range to 100, 200 or 300 amu, Faraday cup as standard and with software.
We also build systems for multi-gas leak detection with SRS quadrupole mass spectrometers. vacuum pumps, vacuum measurement Pirani/Penning, computer and the pumps in noise reduction box.

Differential Thermal Analysis(DTA)

Company: Shimadzu MODEL: 50 Country: JAPAN Differential Thermal Analyzer DTA Shimadzu -Japan.| Function: Recording the difference in temperature between the sample and reference material as a function of temperature.| Temperature range: from room temperature up to1000?C.| Sample weight: 5 mg| Sample type: Solid or Liquid.| Heating rate: 0.1- 99 deg/min

Thermal Gravimetric Analysis(TGA)

Company: Shimadzu MODEL: 50 Country: JAPAN Thermal Gravitational analyzer - Shimadzu - Japan (TGA).| Function: It measures the weight change % of substance as a function of temperature or time.| Temperature range: from room temperature up to1000?C.| Sample weight: 10 mg| Sample type: Solid or liquid| Heating rate: 0.1- 99 deg/min|

Water Analysis Unit:

1- Turbiditymeter Company: Hach MODEL: 2100 N Country: -   2- Auto Analyzer Company: ALPKEM MODEL: - Country: USA   3- Auto Titrator Company: Radio Meter MODEL: - Country: DENMARK   4- Water Checkermeter Company: HORIBA MODEL: U-10 Country: Japan   5- BOD Meter MODEL: -

Differential Scanning Calorimeter(DSC)

Company: Shimadzu MODEL: 50 Country: JAPAN Differential Scanning Calorimeter Shimadzu -Japan (DSC)| Function: Recording the difference in energy between the sample and reference material which is recorded as a function of temperature.| Temperature limit: from room temperature up to 700?C.| Sample weight: 10 mg| Sample type: Solid or liquid.| Heating rate: 0.1- 99 deg/min| Application : Thermal analysis of different compounds like pharmaceutical products, organic and inorganic complexes.