UPDATING A VINTAGE ICP ATOMIC-EMISSION SPECTROMETER

The analytical research laboratory at Exxon Research and Engineering Company in Baytown, Texas acquired one of the first inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) systems in the petroleum industry in early 1976. During the next ten years, extensive hardware and software improvements were made to increase flexibility and maintain state-of-the-art performance. In 1987 the purchase of a new ICP-AES was considered but postponed in favor of renovation/modernization of the vintage instrument. A factor in the decision was a reorganization of the laboratory that year, which significantly altered its analytical needs. This paper details the construction of a combination simultaneous/sequential ICP-AES system, using as a foundation the 13-year old polychromator. The new system is meeting the needs of the new analytical laboratory, chartered to provide analytical problem-solving services for the Exxon Baytown Refinery/Chemical Plant complex and affiiliates throughout the Exxon circuit. © 1987.