Industrial Chemistry Case Studies

• Contaminants that have been identified in diesel fuel include micro-organisms, petrol, kerosene, acid, various cleaning products and paint. Diesel engine starting problems in cold weather are often found to be due to use of "summer grade" fuel during winter.
• Petrol from various sources has been found to contain diesel fuel. In several cases, two-stroke fuel was found to contain insufficient oil (usually after engine damage has already occurred).
• A large insurance claim was settled when extensive corrosion damage in a hydraulic system was found to be due to contamination with acid, rather than caused by poor maintenance.
• A green deposit on a spa bath was found to be caused by a combination of soap and bath salts with high levels of copper in the water.
• Zinc anodes have been analysed to determine compliance with the Australian Standard.
• Deposits in engine air intakes, combustion chambers and exhaust systems have been analysed and identified. Fuel and oil additive products have been analysed, and the effect of additives on diesel fuel characteristics has been investigated.
• Mortar samples have been analysed to determine the amounts of sand, cement and lime that were used.
• Cowhide lobster baits were tested to determine whether chemicals used to remove hair from the baits were still present after seawater immersion.
• Raw materials for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products are tested for compliance to British Pharmocopaea or similar requirements.
• Clean solvent was agitated inside recycled steel drums and was then analysed for organic compounds and particulate matter to assess the cleanliness of the drums.
• An extensive series of tests was conducted to determine the reason for the failure of insulating rubber boot sleeves. Other rubber samples have been identified, and a case of rubber deterioration was found to be due to contact with oil.
• Many kerosene-based extracts from intensive mineral processing trials were analysed for a range of both major and minor metallic elements with rapid turnaround.
• Cases of both exterior corrosion and internal blockage of copper radiator tubing been investigated.
• Laboratory studies have compared the effectiveness of various biocidal additives for diesel fuel.