- Supporting R&D and Quality Control in the Iron and Steel Manufacturing Sector –

Shimadzu Corporation introduces the PDA-8000, its most advanced optical emission spectrometer, which is capable of stable, high-sensitivity analysis of a variety of metal materials.

Optical emission spectrometers are used for quantitative analysis of elements, including components and impurities, contained in solid metals, such as iron and steel, copper and aluminum alloy. They are widely used in metal-related industries, from steelmaking and non-steelmaking companies to the automotive industry.
 

In the R&D of high-grade steel body sheeting for automobiles and new materials with improved heat resistance and machinability, the content of components such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphor, and sulfur contained in metal requires strict management and control. The PDA-8000 meets these requirements by offering the high sensitivity needed to detect carbon in iron/steel down to 5 ppm (10 ppm on conventional models), phosphor down to 4 ppm (likewise, 7 ppm), nitrogen down to 10 ppm (likewise, 30 ppm), and phosphor in aluminum alloy down to 1 ppm (likewise, 8 ppm). It achieves this by improving the performance of the optical system, which includes the monochromator and the excitation unit. Moreover, this environmentally friendly spectrometer realizes significant energy savings, typified by a 43 % reduction in power consumption compared with conventional models.

How This System Works

When discharge is generated between two electrodes oppositely facing a metal sample, atoms and ions evaporate and vaporize from the sample. These atoms and ions are excited in the discharge plasma to generate spectral lines unique to elements. Since the intensity of spectral lines is determined by the content of elements in the sample, these elements are quantitatively analyzed by separating the spectral lines into their components and measuring the intensity of each element.

Features

Improved Performance of Optical System and Excitation Unit Increases Sensitivity 8-fold

Abnormal data can be eliminated from measurement processing by adding on a function that monitors discharge energy expended by the sample and between electrodes in real time. Also, the enhanced design of the high-voltage generation and discharge energy control circuits of the excitation unit enables the optimum discharge conditions for various analysis targets to be set. Incorporating these functions ensures high sensitivity and supports the R&D of new materials and strict quality control in steelmaking and rolled aluminum analysis laboratories.

Environmentally Friendly: Power Consumption Reduced 43 %

The power consumed when 15 samples are analyzed in one hour is only 510 W, an energy savings of about 43 % over conventional models. Argon gas consumption has also been reduced by about 45 %, which reduces both the environmental impact and running costs.

 

Shimadzu Corporation's optical emission spectrometers already account for over 70 % of the domestic share. With the introduction of this product, Shimadzu aims to expand domestic sales, and increase its share in the newly emerging markets of China, India, Brazil, etc., as well as in the R&D and quality control departments in Korea's major steel manufacturers.