Kemtrak photometers are ideally suited to the needs of the chemical industries. Simple to use and zero maintenance. Robust industrial flanges that can withstand high temperatures, pressures and explosive environments. The most demanding applications are no problem.

Efficient chemical use through process photometry can reduce costs, increase quality and assure environmental compliance.

Chemical industry applications include:

• Chemical concentration
• Color measurement
• Filtration control
• Interface detection
• Leak detection
• Water in hydrocarbon

Process photometry can be used for many applications in the chemical industry for direct and instantaneous in-line measurement of liquid and gas concentrations. A Kemtrak photometer can be installed virtually anywhere a liquid or gas flows, providing:

• a more cost effective and reliable process
  • process optimization
  • reduce product loss
  • increase product yield
  • early breakdown warning
• quality assurance & control
  
• safety
• environmental protection and compliance
• invoicing (on-site chemical production)
• piece of mind

If either a liquid or gas has an absorbance between 250nm and 2500nm, then a Kemtrak photometer can measure it. A primary wavelength directly measures the chemical concentration, while a second reference wavelength is used to compensate for turbidity and/or fouling of the measurement flowcell.

• acetic acid
• acetone
• alcohol
• bromine
• cadmium
• chlorine
• chlorine dioxide
• chromium
• cobalt
• copper

• ethylene glycol
• hypochlorite
• iodine
• nickel
• nitric acid
• ozone
• sodium hydroxide
• sulfuric acid
• Sulfur dioxide

Kemtrak offers a comprehensive range of flow-cell manifolds that can withstand the most harsh of industrial environments. High temperatures, pressures and explosive environments (ATEX) are available.

Please contact a Kemtrak representative for further information.

Process color measurements of liquids are a vital part of many operations where precise process control and high product quality standards are desired.

Color measurements are commonly used for number of reasons, including:

• color addition control
• color removal control - optimize filtration or ion beds used to strip color
• color avoidance - leak detection, yellowness caused from overheating or charring, contamination detection
• dilution and dosing control
• quality assurance & control

Some common color scales used in the chemistry industry include:

Hazen (APHA) is a measure of yellowness originally designed to evaluate the color of near-colorless waste waters by visual comparison with a platinum-cobalt (PtCo) stock solution.

Hazen color information sheet

Iodine color ranges from yellow to brown defined by specified dilutions of an iodine solution.  Used for solvents, plastics, resins, oils and fatty acids.  

Saybolt (ASTM) covers the determination of the color of refined oils such as undyed motor and aviation gasoline, jet propulsion fuels, naphthas and kerosene, and, in addition, petroleum waxes and pharmaceutical white oils.

A Kemtrak DCP007 in-line photometer can instantly detect minute changes in color that is beyond the sensitivity of the human eye and will furthermore eliminate operator interpretation errors.

The Kemtrak DCP007 photometer uses an absorbing wavelength to measure minute color changes in the process medium, while a second reference wavelength that is not absorbed by the process medium compensates for turbidity and/or fouling of the optical windows. The resulting measurements are very accurate with low drift and long-term calibration stability.

If two phases have any difference in either turbidity or absorbance between 250nm and 2500nm, then they can be separated by a Kemtrak process photometer. By monitoring either the absorbencies or turbidity at strategic points in the process, immediate detection of product-product or product-water interfaces can be achieved. The benefits include:

• reduced product loss
• increased product quality
• faster product changeover
• reduced waste water contamination

The net benefit is a substantial cost reduction.

Kemtrak photometers are easy to install and require no maintenance. Use a Kemtrak DCP007 photometer for monitoring changes in color or a Kemtrak DCP007NIR for detecting any variation in the water or organic content between the phases. Please contact a Kemtrak sales representative for further information

Wherever water is used to heat or cool a process, a risk of product leakage or carryover exists. Leak detection in process equipment such as heat exchangers and boilers are a vital part of safeguarding a chemical process. Immediate detection of leakage or carryover can be achieved by installing a Kemtrak photometer on the condensate line.  

Benefits include:

• equipment protection (filters, boilers etc)
• product, process and environmental protection
  
• reduced downtime
• increased water re-usage - condensate can be used for CIP pre-rinse and boiler feed.

From a continuous monitoring of the process water for signs of contamination, conservation of water, energy and treatment chemicals is the result. The net benefit is a reduction in operating costs.

The monitoring of changes in color or UV absorbencies in the condensate is a reliable means of detecting leaks. Such measurements can detect trace levels of contamination allowing repairs to be scheduled before a catastrophic breakdown occurs.

The Kemtrak DCP007 in-line photometer uses optic fibers to pipe the light from within the DCP007 enclosure to the sampling point and back. This is a major benefit as all the electricity is kept within the analyzer enclosure permitting safe operation in even the most hazardous of environments.

A comprehensive range of both standard and custom designed industrial flow-cell manifolds are available to suit virtually any application. Contact a Kemtrak sales representative for more information.

The measurement of water in hydrocarbon solvents is an important measurement in many industrial processes. The use of near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy for water analysis is common as NIR offers high sensitivity and measurements can be undertaken in-line providing immediate results.

Water measurements can be undertaken on hydrocarbon solvents with ppm accuracy. Proven applications include acetone, isopropyl benzene, propane, tetrahydrofuran, methyl-isobutyl ketone in addition to fuels such as petroleum and aviation gasoline. Additionally, water can be measured in alcohols, such as methanol and ethanol, from trace amount to virtually 100% water.

Water has two regions of activity in the NIR region between 1000 - 2500nm. At 1400nm the O-H stretch in the water molecule is measured, while at 1900nm water has a unique peak due to a combination of O-H stretch and
H-O-H bending. The water peak at 1900 is about five times as large as the water peak at 1400.

The Kemtrak DCP007NIR photometer is well suited for the detection of water in hydrocarbons. The Kemtrak DCP007NIR photometer measures at two wavelengths. A primary wavelength is used to measure the water while a reference wavelength not influenced by water is used to compensate for the hydrocarbon background, turbidity, air bubbles and/or fouling.

Kemtrak offers a comprehensive range of flow-cell manifolds that can be certified for explosive environments (ATEX).