Application note highlights refractometer for analysis of urea content in AdBlue®

AdBlue® is a diesel exhaust fluid used to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from heavy industrial and commercial diesel engines. The fluid is a mixture of deionised water and the main active ingredient, high-purity urea.

Measuring the quantity of urea in AdBlue® involves refractometry and spectrophotometry; this is outlined in Kyoto Electronic Manufacturing's application document found at KEM Search, their dedicated application database. Briefly, a refractive index calibration curve is produced after measuring a sample and urea standards using a KEM RA-600 series refractometer, with the final value obtained after correcting for biuret content (measured by spectrophotometry).

KEM’s RA-600 series benchtop refractometers are perfect for measuring AdBlue® as they are not only highly accurate, but they also achieve fast temperature stabilisation over a large range, feature an anti-volatilisation fitting, are easy to clean, have flexible data visualisation and export options, and have a host of other attractive features.

KEM also has other products relevant to measuring AdBlue® including potentiometric titrators (alkalinity), density meters (density), and furthermore, operates ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 17034-compliant refractive index and density liquid standard testing and production laboratories. Contact them today to find out more!