HPR SOLUTIONS LTD - Particle Counter or Monitor What Is the Difference
We are a customer driven whole or part solutions provider.
The customer focus is now on super clean fluids and provide proof positive that they are.
For that you need an exacting instrument that meets the standard as prescribed in SRM2086D and back traceable to ISO standard 11171:2020
If you are really concerned with exacting details and records you need to ensure your instrument meets these standards.
If it does not there is a high probability the item you are being sold is a monitor being passed off as a counter.
You will be shown many standards, but the one above is what you are looking for.
We have tried many a monitor, the typical requirements are flow rate 150mL per min, 1 to 3 bar to work at their optimum.
You are therefore required to create this suitable environment to get the best possible results from your monitor. You are trying to measure a quantity of particles in a set volume per sample.
You cannot hope to get accurate and consistent results if your flow rate and sample volume is forever changing.
A typical counter will be a pumped system requiring a flow of 10 to 25mL (Typical).
In our experience many a monitor is sold without pressure support or a synchronised fluid pump.
Typical installation would be to find a pressure line and fit a pressure / flow regulator and adjust the pressure to feed the instrument.
This does not guarantee the volumetric amount per sample which is critical.
In addition, these values can change depending on temperature and fluid viscosity.
The accuracy is therefore unpredictable as the physics change.
Many a customers experience is of….“jumpy numbers and inconsistent recordings”.
Just because you have bolted this to your machine, tapped off a line, does not mean you will get the right numbers.
You need to match the instruments sweet spot requirements consistently and very few customers do.
To this end we designed and built our own manifold blocks with onboard pressure regulators and integrated pumping systems. The pumps are gear fluid direct or via magnetic coupling which is controlled by Phase Lock Loop circuitry giving an accuracy of ½ Rev while running at typical 3000 rpm.
The circuity would direct speed control and regulate to ensure an accurate volumetric sample rate regardless of the pressure, temperature, or fluid viscosity.
Our goal was a simplified installation and to remove all the “unknows” and "guess-work" with a single ready to go calibrated solution with additional sensors temp, water content built in.
We have designed many models and after exhaustive trials, Lab work we have concluding that in a direct comparison to an actual true counter we cannot match the accuracy and traceability.
We do not take this decision lightly as we have invested much labour, design and research into this.
We want to be respected for our data accuracy and have decided that monitors for us is a legacy technology.