Laser Automatic Particle Counter (APC) is one method to determine the cleanliness or the number of particles in a liquid by using the principle of Light Extinction / Laser where the particle count is based on the dimensions captured / absorbed by the light.
Without doing good maintenance and procedures according to standards, it could be that the Cleanliness results we get do not describe the actual results of the system, so we can make mistakes in taking corrective actions.
The standard method used as a reference in making measurements using the APC is ISO 11500: Hydraulic fluid power — Determination of the particulate contamination level of a liquid sample by automatic particle counting using the light-extinction principle and ISO: 11171 Hydraulic fluid power — Calibration of automatic particle counters for liquids as the standard used for calibration of APC tools.
There are several things that affect particle reading using APC:
1. Liquid type
Recommended : Translucent, does not contain many macro particles, does not contain free water / cloudy / 2 phase / high water content.
2. Sample preparation
Using a Clean Bottle according to the ISO 3722 standard, removing bubbles / air bubbles contained in the sample through Degassing, homogenizing the sample
3. Sample analysis procedure
Flushing first with Clean Fluid, running a test min 4 x by taking 3 average data, evaluating the results of the code issued whether it is in accordance with the standard.
4. Verify Tool
In addition to calibrating the APC equipment regularly, verifying the equipment using standard oil/oil and clean liquid is also highly recommended in order to maintain the quality of the APC equipment.
By doing all the things above, the measurement of the number of particles using APC can be a powerful Predictive Maintenance tool in supporting Contamination Control so that it can have a real impact on system effectiveness and value cost.
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