ICP Operations The ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma)

With ICP emission, elemental concentrations are determined by measuring light intensities at discrete wavelengths. Because the ICP is a very high temperature source, it emits many thousands of wavelengths - a "complex spectrum". The job of the spectrometer's optics is to make sense of this information and the best way to do this is to use an Echelle optical system with a large output format.

The ICP's Echelle optics disperse the spectrum, widely separating the wavelengths thereby minimizing interferences and the need for interelement corrections. The design also improves resolution - the ability of a spectrometer to distinguish between two closely spaced wavelengths - without reducing the amount of light that gets to the detector.

Importance of ICP Analysis

The ICP analysis is used to monitor lubricant additive levels, identify abnormal wear conditions and determine if contamination is present in the lubricant.