OPTICAL EMISSION SPECTROMETRY

(OES):

A MINI PROJECT

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the

requirements for the award of the degree
of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

BY

Suryadevara V S N S Mouneesh 187Y1A0362

Vadavalasa Kalyan 187Y1A0357

Jejji Gopi Chand 187Y1A0356

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

November 2021
 Department of Mechanical Engineering
Date:
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the project work entitled “OPTICAL EMISSION SPECTROMETRY
(EOS)” work done by Suryadevara V S N S Mouneesh (187Y1A0362), Vadavalasa Kalyan
(187Y1A0357) and Jejji Gopi Chand (187Y1A0356) students of the Department of Mechanical
Engineering, is a record of bonafide work carried out by the members during a period from
September 2021 to November 2021 under the supervision of Kranthi Kumar, Designation.
This project is done as a fulfilment of obtaining a Bachelor of Technology Degree to be awarded
by Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Hyderabad, Hyderabad.
The matter embodied in this project report has not been submitted by us to any other
university for the award of any other degree.

S.V.S.N.S Mouneesh V. Kalyan J. Gopi Chand

This is to certify that the above statement made by the candidates is correct to the best of
my/our knowledge.

Kranthi Kumar
Guide

Date: _________

The Viva-Voce Examination of the above students has been held

on………………………………

Head of the Department Signature of External Examine

Principal
 STANDARDS
• A standard is a document detailing specific requirements for the quality and safe
use of materials from a wide range of industries such as metals, paints, plastics,
textiles, petroleum, and consumer products. Standard organizations lay out this
information here. It outlines these identifying characteristics and tests to tell you
which products should conform to the standard.

• Scientists, engineers, architects, and government agencies rely on safety

standards to ensure the quality and consistency of materials. While these
standards are voluntary, they are mandatory when authorities need to cite them
in contracts, government codes, regulations, or laws.
• When investing in your materials, you need to be able to trust that they will
perform the way they’re supposed to. By using products that adhere to the
standards, and knowing how to reference standards, you can ensure you are
purchasing high-quality materials.

DIFFERENT STANDARD ORGANISATIONS:

ASTM – AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS

ASME- AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR MECHANICAL ENGINEERS

BIS – BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARDS

ISO- INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR STANDARDISATION

I
 CALIBRATION

CALIBRATION is a comparison between a known measurement (the

standard) and the measurement using your instrument. Typically, the accuracy of the
standard should be ten times the accuracy of the measuring device being tested.
However, an accuracy ratio of 3:1 is acceptable by most standards organizations. Sure,
Controls provides preventative field service to help you ensure your instruments and
controls are accurately calibrated.

Calibration of your measuring instruments has two objectives: it checks the accuracy of
the instrument and it determines the traceability of the measurement. In practice,
calibration also includes repair of the device if it is out of calibration. A report is
provided by the calibration expert, which shows the error in measurements with the
measuring device before and after the calibration.

It was mentioned that the reference standard that is used in calibration must be traceable. This
traceability means that the reference standard must have also been calibrated using an even
higher-level standard. The traceability should be an unbroken chain of calibrations, so that the
highest-level calibration has been done in a National calibration centre, or equivalent.

So, for example, you may calibrate your process measurement instrument with a
portable process calibrator. The portable process calibrator you used, should have
been calibrated using a more accurate reference calibrator. The reference calibrator
should be calibrated with an even higher-level standard or sent out to an accredited or
national calibration centre for calibration.
The national calibration centres will make sure that the traceability in that country is at
the proper level, using the International Calibration Laboratories or International
comparisons.

II
 ABSTRACT

Spectroscopic techniques are at the forefront of many technical

fields. Spectrometry is needed for its role in research and development, as well as
for its more practical role in material analysis for various industries. Science and
technology have always relied on spectrometry—from early studies to advancing
technologies that fuel modern research.

Radio-frequency spectroscopy led to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a ground-

breaking, medical instrument used to visualize internal soft tissue of the body. Radio
and x-ray spectroscopy paved the way for astronomical research on distant stars
and intergalactic molecules. Optical spectroscopy is routinely used in industrial and
environmental settings to identify chemical composition of matter. Without this
application in spectrometry, today’s fast and effective method of alloy identification
and material inspection would not exist.

Better quality control for alloy manufacturing and sorting of post-consumer scraps
relies heavily on the accurate determination of their chemical composition. In recent
decades, analytical techniques, such as X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF),
laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and spark optical emission
spectroscopy (spark-OES), found widespread use in the metal industry, though only
a few studies were published about the comparison of these techniques for
commercially available alloys. Hence, we conducted a study on the evaluation of
four analytical techniques (energy-dispersive XRF, wavelength-dispersive XRF,
LIBS, and spark-OES) for the determination of metal sample composition. It focuses
on the quantitative analysis of nine commercial alloys, representing the three most
important alloy classes: copper, aluminium, and steel. First, spark-OES is proven to
serve as a validation technique in the use of certified alloy reference samples.
Following an examination of the lateral homogeneity by XRF, the results of the
techniques are compared, and reasons for deviations are discussed. Finally, a more
general evaluation of each technique with its capabilities and limitations is given,
taking operation-relevant parameters, such as measurement speed and calibration
effort, into account. This study shall serve as a guide for the routine use of these
methods in metal producing and recycling industries.

III
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank Mr. U. Sudhakar sir, Professor and Head, Department of
Mechanical Engineering, Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of Technology &
Management, for having provided the freedom to use all the facilities available
in the department, especially the laboratories and the library. 
I am very grateful to my project guide Kranthi Kumar sir, Assistant professor,
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of
Technology & Management, for his extensive patience and guidance in
completing the mini project report. 
I sincerely thank all the teaching and non-teaching staff of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering for their timely suggestions, healthy criticism, and
motivation during the course of this work. 

Finally, I express my immense gratitude with pleasure to the other individuals

who have either directly or indirectly contributed to my need at the right time for
the development and success of this work.

IV
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure No Figure Title Page No

1 Spectrometer 1
2 Periodic Table 2
3 CRM 3
4 Detectors Figure 4
5 Optical System 6
6 Element-specific optical emission 7
7 The light intensity peaks 8

V
 LIST OF TABLES

Table No Table Title Page No

1 Averaged elemental composition 9
2 Mean average of the elemental composition 10
3 Analysis of Low Alloy Steels Samples 11

VI
 Contents
Page No
STANDARDS I.
CALIBRATION II.
Abstract III.
Acknowledgement IV.
List of Figures V.
List of Tables VI.

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1

Chapter 2 Materials and Methods 3

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY 5
3.1 Principal 5
3.2 Working 6

Chapter 4 RESULT ANALYSIS 9

Chapter 5 APPLICATIONS, PROS & CONS 13

5.1 Applications
5.2 Pros
5.3 Cons

Chapter 6 CONCLUSION 14
6.1 Work Conclusion

REFERENCES 15
PROJECT DETAILS 16

7
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Optical emission spectroscopy, or OES, is a well trusted and widely used

analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a broad range of
metals.

The type of samples which can be tested using OES include samples from the melt in
primary and secondary metal production, and in the metals processing industries, tubes,
bolts, rods, wires, plates and many more.

OES analysers contain two major components, the first is an electrical source to
excite atoms within a metallic sample so that they emit characteristic light, or
optical emission, lines – requires a small part of the sample to be heated to
thousands of degrees Celsius. This is done using an electrical high voltage
source in the spectrometer via an electrode.

1
The second component is an optical system. The light, the multiple optical
emission lines from the vaporized sample known as plasma pass into the
spectrometer. A diffraction grading in the spectrometer separates the incoming
light into element-specific wavelengths and a corresponding detector measures
the intensity of light for each wavelength. The intensity measured is proportional
to the concentration offset element in the sample.

Every element emits a series of spectral lines corresponding to the different

electron transitions between the different energy levels or shells. Each transition
produces a specific optical emission line with a fixed wavelength or energy of
radiation. The peak wavelength identifies the element, and its peak area or
intensity gives an indication of its quantity in the sample.

The analyser then uses this information to calculate the sample’s elemental composition
based on a calibration with CERTIFIED REFERENCE MATERIAL. The whole process,
from pressing a start trigger to getting the analysis results, can be as quick as 3 seconds or
it can take up to 30 seconds for a full accurate quantitative analysis.

OES can analyze a wide range of elements from Lithium to Uranium in solid metal
examples covering a wide concentration range, giving very high accuracy, high precision
and low detection limits.

The elements and concentrations that OES analyzers can determine depend on the
material being tested and the type of analyzer used.

2
 CHAPTER 2

Materials and Methods

2.1 Material Samples

For the validation of the spark-OES with some standards of known composition, nine
CRAs were used, comprising three steel samples (ZRM 192-1, ZRM 284-3, ZRM 297-1),
three Al alloys (EB 313, BAM-311, EB 315a), and three Cu alloys (BAM-367, BAM-378,
BAM-394a) acquired from the Bundesanstalt für Materialprüfung (BAM), Germany. They
are solid cylindrical blocks with a diameter of 50 mm and a height of 20 mm. Their surfaces
are flat cut, but not polished to be comparable to the state of the test alloy surfaces.

For the comparison of the analytical techniques, nine commercially available alloys
(‘test alloys’) were acquired, which are widely used in industrial applications. The test alloys
were chosen in order to represent a large variety of chemical compositions, especially ones
that are linked to a certain measurement problem. For example, two Al alloys, AlMg4.5Mn
and AlSi1MgMn, contain aluminum and other light elements, such as magnesium and
silicon, as well. These elemental mixtures are reported to pose difficulties for correct
quantification by XRF analyses. Contrary to the CRAs, the exact compositions of the test
alloys are not known, only concentration limits are given by the corresponding European
standards .These limits are listed in the Supplementary Information. Each of the nine test
alloy bars was cut into 15 equally sized pieces to obtain compact, cuboid, or cylindrical
blocks with a surface length of 80 mm (cuboid) or a diameter of 50 mm (cylinders),
respectively. Especially in the case of the low-alloyed carbon steel, 42CrMo4, the long-time
exposed surface varies considerably from the freshly cut due to its corrosion behavior.
Thus, before any experiment with this material the surface was freshly ground to remove
the ferrous oxide layers.

3
2.2. Analysis Methods
Four different analysis methods were employed to determine the composition of the
test alloys: EDXRF, WDXRF, LIBS, and spark-OES. The latter should serve as a validation
method against which the results from the other three techniques are benchmarked.

1) Spark-OES
2) EDXRF/pXRF
3) WDXRF
4) LIBS

2.3. Detectors
A high-resolution silicon drift detector (SDD) that makes determination of trace and minor
elements even more accurate. Adding to that precision is a new ultrahigh count rate. With the same
measurement time as prior models, it delivers up to 4X higher intensities.

4
 CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY

3.1 PRINCIPAL:
The key principles of spectrometry used in an arc/spark Optical
Emission Spectrometer (OES) are:

● Electrons in atoms absorb energy (get “excited”) and move into higher
energy states (also called orbits) when energy is applied. When this
energy source is removed, the electrons fall into the ground state and
release the absorbed energy in the form of photons.
● No two different element’s atoms can emit photons at the same
wavelength. Consequently, every wavelength is unique to a single
element alone.
This means that once we know the wavelength of the photon emitted, we
know which element is emitting it!

5
 3.2 WORKING

All OES analyzers contain three major components, the first is an

electrical source to excite atoms within a metallic sample so that they emit characteristic
light, or optical emission, lines – requires a small part of the sample to be heated to
thousands of degrees Celsius. This is done using an electrical high voltage source in the
spectrometer via an electrode. The difference in electrical potential between the sample
and electrode produces an electrical discharge, this discharge passes through the sample,
heating and vaporizing the material at the surface and exciting the atoms of the material,
which then emits the element-characteristic emission lines.

Two forms of electrical discharge can be generated, either an arc which is an on/off event
similar to a lightning strike, or a spark – a series of multi-discharge events where the
voltage of the electrode is switched on and off. These two modes of operation are used
depending on the element measured and the accuracy required.

The second component is an optical system. The light, the multiple optical emission lines
from the vaporized sample known as a plasma pass into the spectrometer. A diffraction
grading in the spectrometer separates the incoming light into element-specific wavelengths
and a corresponding detector measures the intensity of light for each wavelength. The
intensity measured is proportional to the concentration offset element in the sample.

6
The third component is a computer system. The computer system acquires the measured
intensities and processes this data via a predefined calibration to produce elemental
concentrations. The user interface ensures minimal operator intervention with results clearly
displayed which can be printed or stored for future reference .

So how do we generate element-specific optical emission lines from a metallic

sample?

When the energy of an electrical discharge interacts with an atom, some of the electrons in
the atom’s outer shells are ejected. Outer-shell electrons are less tightly bound to the
nucleus of the atom because they are further away from the nucleus and so require less
input energy to be ejected. The ejected electrons create a vacancy making the atom
unstable.

To restore stability, electrons from higher orbits further away from the nucleus drop down to
fill the vacancy. The excess energy released as the electrons move between the two
energy levels or shells is emitted in the form of element-specific light or optical emission

Every element emits a series of spectral lines corresponding to the different electron

transitions between the different energy levels or shells. Each transition produces a specific
optical emission line with a fixed wavelength or energy of radiation.

For a typical metallic sample containing iron, manganese, chromium, nickel, vanadium, etc.,
each element emits many wavelengths, leading to a line-rich spectrum. For example, iron
emits just over 8000 different wavelengths so choosing the optimum emission line for a
given element in a sample is important.

The characteristic light emitted by the atoms in the sample is transferred to the optical
system where it is split into its spectral wavelengths by the high-tech grading, the grading
contains up to 3600 grooves per millimetre.

7
Next the individual spectral line peak signals are collected by detectors and processed to
generate a spectrum showing the light intensity peaks versus their wavelengths. This
means that OES provides qualitative information about the sample measured, however,
OES is also a quantitative technique.

The peak wavelength identifies the element, and its peak area or intensity gives an
indication of its quantity in the sample. The analyzer then uses this information to calculate
the sample’s elemental composition based on a calibration with certified reference material.
The whole process, from pressing a start button or a trigger to getting the analysis results,
can be as quick as 3 seconds or it can take up to 30 seconds for a full accurate quantitative
analysis, it all depends on the analyzer used, the range of elements measured and the
concentrations of those elements.

8
 CHAPTER 4
RESULT ANALYSIS

Three steels and three Al alloys were tested to prove the suitability of spark-OES for
determining the correct chemical composition. A comparison of the values obtained by two
spark-OES with the guaranteed values of the certified reference alloys (CRAs) is shown
in Table 1. The uncertainties of the spark-OES measurements of the CRAs are calculated
by using twice the standard deviation, s, and are compared with the certified absolute
errors.

Table 1. Averaged elemental composition (in wt.%) of the used CRAs, determined by three (steels), four (Cu),
or five (Al) individual spark-OES measurements, compared to the certified values, given by BAM. Only the
results for several industry-relevant elements are shown. The BAM concentrations for Fe and Al as major
elements (italic numbers) are not certified but have been calculated by assuming them as residual of all other
elements to 100 wt.%. The last digits in brackets describe the level of the measurement uncertainty,
expressed by 2 s. Non-matching spark-OES values are marked red.

CRA Al Si Fe Cu Mn Mg Cr Ni
ZRM 192-1 0.0308 0.219 (4) 96.806 0.0453 (8) 1.377 (6) - 0.0717 (18) 0.755 (4)
(8)
Spark- 0.0188 0.223 (24) 96.968 0.0394 (82) 1.330 (24) - 0.077 (16) 0.693 (28)
OES (38)
ZRM 284-3 - 0.0442 (17) 67.937 0.0105 (4) 0.0615 (12) - 17.37 (4) 12.09 (4)
Spark- - 0.023 (58) 67.906 <0.01 0.089 (42) - 17.50 (56) 12.10 (36)
OES
ZRM 297-1 0.0195 0.344 (6) 66.226 0.204 (4) 0.897 (7) - 18.37 (3) 12.33 (2)
(9)
Spark- 0.0116 0.381 (58) 68.160 0.182 (0) 0.866 (42) - 18.20 (56) 11.80 (36)
OES (70)
EB 313 94.734 0.363 (7) 0.391 (3) 0.0931 (14) 0.495 (3) 3.40 (4) 0.1224 (12) 0.0278 (6)
Spark- 94.67 0.3816 (23) 0.4128 (13) 0.0913 (7) 0.499 (19) 3.388 (74) 0.1292 (15) 0.0311 (2)
OES (11)
BAM-311 91.861 0.204 (3) 0.310 (6) 4.653 (28) 0.694 (6) 1.567 (14) 0.1037 (14) 0.0519 (9)
Spark- 91.597 0.2077 (24) 0.3186 (10) 4.801 (82) 0.668 (25) 1.642 (15) 0.1097 (13) 0.0649 (8)
OES (69)
EB 315a 85.036 9.88 (18) 0.621 (14) 2.46 (8) 0.311 (9) 0.446 (23) 0.0274 (4) 0.0955 (22)
Spark- 84.73 10.019 (90) 0.6164 (37) 2.526 (21) 0.313 (5) 0.4795 (20) 0.0278 (3) 0.0922 (8)
OES (11)
BAM-367 - - 1.443 (12) 87.88 (4) 0.723 (5) 0.0347 (13) - 9.72 (5)
Spark- - - 1.320 (28) 88.02 (25) 0.645 (34) 0.052 (52) - 9.71 (6)
OES
BAM-378 - - 0.0182 (7) 94.13 (4) - 0.0029 (1) - 0.0018 (1)
Spark- - - 0.0180 (4) 93.91 (7) - 0.003 (0) - 0.0061 (2)
OES
BAM-394a - - 0.1323 (26) 57.64 (17) 0.0013 (1) - - 0.0386 (17)
Spark- - - 0.125 (2) 57.33 (9) <0.001 - - 0.042 (2)
OES

9
 In general, the spark-OES values are in good agreement with certified values for the
CRAs. The absolute deviations of the matrix elements (Al, Fe, Cu) are below 0.3 wt.% with
the exception of the ZRM 297-1 sample, for which the Fe content is not certified and was
only calculated to the residue of the sum of all other elements to 100 wt.%. Such a
procedure was applied to enable a better visualization of differences between certified and
spark-OES values. However, a fully correct comparison can only be drawn if the Fe content
is certified. For the concentration range from 1 wt.% to 10 wt.%, there are only relative
deviations in the elemental composition of less than 5% of the value, though several spark-
OES values show higher absolute deviation to the certified values than the 2s-range of
measurement uncertainty. Notable examples are the Cu and Ni contents in different
matrices and concentration ranges. The results from the spark-OES for the concentration
range below 1 wt.% exhibit that most relative deviations are lower than 10% of the certified
values, exceptions being, for example, Al in the ZRM 192-1 steel or Ni in the BAM-311 Al
alloy. Deviations of concentrations in the µg/g-range higher than the corresponding
measurement uncertainties cannot be explained by the confined detection limit of the
analysis technique itself. Commonly, commercial spark-OES devices are used to determine
impurities in the 100 µg/g-range for most elements (with exceptions even in the 10 µg/g-
range) and show similar or lower quantification limits than some of the certified metal
concentrations. A reason could be the non-adequate calibration in the lower concentration
range for Cu, Ni, Fe, etc. on the devices we employed for this study.
Since the relative differences between spark-OES and the certified values for
concentrations >0.1 wt.% are below 10%, we assess the spark-OES to be employable as a
technique, against which the results from LIBS, WDXRF, and EDXRF experiments can be
benchmarked. Nonetheless, the deviations for these element-matrix combinations have to
be regarded for the benchmarking as a potential source of error. That being investigated, in
a second step spark-OES experiments with the nine test alloys were conducted, whose
results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2. Mean average of the elemental composition (in wt.%) of the used test alloys, determined by three
(steels), four (Cu), or five (Al) individual spark-OES measurements. Red marked values represent metal
contents exceeding the limits given by the European standard specification. The measured average
concentrations of Sn in the CuSn8 alloy is 7.79(28) wt.% and of Pb in CuZn39Pb3 is 3.27(15) wt.%. Both
values conform to the specifications. The last digits in brackets describe the level of the measurement
uncertainty, expressed by 2 s.

Alloy Al Si Fe Cu Mg Cr Ni Zn

Al99.5 99.708 (5) 0.06 (0) 0.1845 (49) - - - - -

AlMg4.5Mn 94.883 (72) 0.082 (4) 0.273 (12) 0.020 (1) 4.097 (51) 0.074 (1) - -

AlSi1MgMn 96.709 (19) 1.142 (7) 0.212 (8) 0.032 (1) 0.8546 (4) 0.150 (1) - 0.017 (1)

CuNi10Fe1Mn - - 1.56 (3) 87.98 (20) - - 9.68 (18) 0.021 (1)

38.80
CuZn39Pb3 0.0140 (2) - 0.297 (5) 57.31 (25) - 0.015 (0) 0.047 (1)
(12)

CuSn8 - - - 91.83 (30) - - - -

X5CrNi18-10 0.0094 (21) 0.47 (2) 70.80 (53) 0.50 (1) - 18.3 (4) 8.11 (23) -

45NiCrMo - 0.257 (24) 93.3 (3) 0.088 (7) - 1.360 (5) 3.96 (18) -

10
Table 3: This is the Analysis of Low Alloy Steels Samples Burns conducted on the CRM and we
can see the different elements composition

11
 Analysis of Low Alloy Steels Samples

Base: Fe | Base: Fe | Matrix: MS/CS/LAS | Sample Name: IARM 28 G MS/CS/S | Sample

Name: IARM 28 G |
Elements Burn 1 Burn 2 Burn 3 Mean Cert. Val. SD

C (%) 0.1894 0.1882 0.1889 0.1888 0.1890 0.0006

Si (%) 0.2521 0.2519 0.2530 0.2523 0.2520 0.0006

Mn (%) 0.7896 0.7915 0.7904 0.7905 0.7900 0.0010

P (%) 0.0207 0.0217 0.0215 0.0213 0.0210 0.0005

S (%) 0.0241 0.0229 0.0235 0.0235 0.0230 0.0006

O (%) 0.0031 0.0030 0.0031 0.0031 0.0030 0.0001

Cr (%) 0.0496 0.0494 0.0494 0.0495 0.0490 0.0001

Mo (%) 0.0095 0.0097 0.0095 0.0096 0.0090 0.0001

La (%) <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 - -

Ta (%) <0.0005 <0.0005 <0.0005 <0.0005 - -

Ni (%) 0.0445 0.0445 0.0435 0.0442 0.0440 0.0006

Al (%) 0.0026 0.0020 0.0020 0.0022 0.0020 0.0003

Cu (%) 0.1822 0.1821 0.1805 0.1816 0.1780 0.0010

Ti (%) 0.0010 0.0011 0.0009 0.0010 0.0011 0.0001

V (%) 0.0013 0.0014 0.0015 0.0014 0.0014 0.0001

Nb (%) 0.0011 0.0013 0.0012 0.0012 0.0013 0.0001

W (%) 0.0033 0.0031 0.0032 0.0032 0.0032 0.0001

Co (%) 0.0028 0.0029 0.0027 0.0028 0.003 0.0001

B (%) 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0001 0.0000

Sn (%) 0.0140 0.0142 0.0145 0.0142 0.0160 0.0003

As (%) 0.0029 0.0028 0.0033 0.0030 0.0031 0.0003

Pb (%) 0.0028 0.0029 0.0028 0.0028 0.0031 0.0001

Zr (%) 0.0008 0.0009 0.0009 0.0009 0.0010 0.0001

12
 N (%) 0.0088 0.0090 0.0087 0.0088 0.0089 0.0002

Mg (%) <0.0010 <0.0010 <0.0010 <0.0010 - -

Te (%) <0.0010 <0.0010 <0.0010 <0.0010 - -

Ag (%) <0.0002 <0.0002 <0.0002 <0.0002 - -

Sb (%) 0.0020 0.0020 0.0024 0.0021 0.0020 0.0002

Bi (%) <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 - -

Se (%) <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 - --

Zn (%) <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 - -

Ce (%) <0.0002 <0.0002 <0.0002 <0.0002 - -

H (%) <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 <0.0001 - -

Fe (%) 98.3921 98.3916 98.3932 98.3923 - -

CHAPTER 5

APPLICATIONS

The functionality of optical emission spectrometry makes a fast analysis of metal alloys
possible. It is, therefore, a simple, quick, and reliable analysis method for mass tests in
quality assurance in the metal producing industry or for sorting scrap. The spectrum of

13
applications ranges from safe control in production processes to research projects and
product developments, also, in incoming goods inspection (even part of quality assurance)
or the recycling of secondary raw materials such as iron, cobalt, nickel, magnesium,
copper, titanium, tin, lead, zinc and many other materials. Optical emission spectroscopy is
therefore used in large parts of industry and research, primarily in areas where the
detection of elements and their quantitative determination is required .

PROS AND CONS

Advantages:

 Fast quantitative determination of elements (typically less than one minute).

 Low capital investment and operating costs.
 Easy sample preparation.
 Quick analysis of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur in steel.
 Calculates carbon content (%) of stainless steels or low alloy steels.
 Distinguishes between 304/316 and 304L/316L stainless steels.
 Provides input data to carbon equivalency calculation

Disadvantages

 Not completely “non-destructive” (slight surface damage can be expected).

 Cannot test small parts (less than the size of a dime).
 Difficult to test in tightly confined spaces.
 Requires constant calibration and maintenance.
 Routine third party certification of results may be required.

CHAPTER 6

CONCLUSION

There are many challenges which are related to instrumentation, their

principle and applications which should be taken into account and solved by R&D
teams and Engineers. Until now Emission Spectrometry is considered as fast and
14
reliable technique having applications in the field of primary metals production,
foundries, and recycling etc. The only discrepancy in this technique is destruction of
sample surface. Due to this, precious metals are tested by Xray fluorescence
technique. Good accuracy and precision obtained both in OES and XRF analysis let to
indorse these techniques both for determination of the total concentration of elements
in metal and alloys.

REFERENCES

Journal / Conference Papers

15
 Sumaira Nosheen , Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Nouman, Farzana Habib,
Badaruddin Soomro, Bilal Waseem, and Mubashar Akram, “International Journal
of Science and Research Archive”, 2020, 01(02), 051–055

“Axis Inspectin Solution”, 2020

Web

1. Comparison of Elemental Analysis Techniques for the

Characterization of Commercial Alloys, MDPI.com
2. Spectrometers for Elemental Testing and Analysis, Reliance Foundry

3. Optical Emission Spectroscopy, ScienceDirect

16
 PROJECT DETAILS

Student Details
Student Names S.V.S.N.S Mouneesh
V.Kalyan
Jejji Gopi Chand
Register Number 187Y1A0362 Class-Section Mech-4B
187Y1A0357
187Y1A0356
Email Address --- Phone No (M) ---
Project Details
Project Title OPTICAL EMISSION SPECTROMETRY (EOS)
Project Duration 2 Months Date of reporting
Organization Details
Organization Name Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of Technology & Management
Full postal address with Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of Technology & Management, Dundigal,
pin code Hyderabad-500043
Website address https://mlritm.ac.in/
Internal Guide Details
Faculty Name Kranthi Kumar
Full contact address Dept of Mechanical Engineering, Marri Laxman Reddy Institute of
with pin code Technology & Management, Dundigal, Hyderabad-500043
Email address

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