Specifications

Automatic Particle Counters (APC), have been
widely used for many years in condition monitoring
of hydraulic fluids. However, it is only recently that
APCs have become flexible enough to enable the
instruments to be taken out of the laboratory and
used on-line in order to obtain the most credible form
of results.
Unusually, the move from fixed laboratory use, to
portable field use has not been at the expense of
accuracy or user flexibility, but has actually enabled
the instruments to be used over a wider range of
applications and situations.
The most common monitoring technique used in
APCs is that of light obscuration or light blockage.
Here, a focused light source is projected through
a moving column of oil, (in which the contaminants
being measured are contained), causing an image of
the contaminant to be projected on to a photo diode
cell, (changing light intensity to an electrical output).
The electrical output of the photo diode cell will vary
in accordance with the size of the particles contained
in the column of oil; the larger the particle, the bigger
the change in the photo diode electrical output.
On-line APCs must be able to test the oil sample at
whatever cleanliness it is delivered to the machine.
Parker therefore had to develop technology to ensure
the on-line APC was able to test a sample without
the conventional laboratory technique which requires
dilution - a practice that would have been simply
impossible with a portable unit.
By careful design and window sizing, 40,000
particles per ml can be achieved without making the
instrument susceptible to counter saturation.
icountLCM Proven Core technology
The icountLCM portable particle counter features
microprocessor controlled optical scanning for
accurate contaminant measurement with a calibration
range from ISO 7 to ISO 22 with no counter saturation.
How does icountLCM work?
– The particles are measured by a photo diode that
converts light intensity to a voltage output which is
recorded against time.
– As the particle moves across the window the
amount of light lost is proportional to the size of
the particle. This reduction in voltage is measured
and recorded.
– This “voltage” lost relates directly to the area
of the particle measured, is changed into a
“positive” voltage and then in turn changed into a
capacitance value.
– This value is counted and stored in the icountLCM
computer in one of 6 channels according to
particle size.
– Readouts are displayed on the hand-held LCD in
the accepted ISO and NAS standards ready for
hard copy printing or RS232 computer download.
– The on-board computer allows storage of up to
300 test results.
A focused light source
is projected through a
moving column of oil.
Laser Optical Sensing
icountLCM20
Specifications
3