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Why is silicone oil important in turbidity meter measurements?

Q : Our turbidimeter comes with a bottle of silicone oil. What is this for? Why is it important in testing?

Why is silicone oil important in turbidimeter measurements? Picture 1

A : The silicone oil is used to ensure that it is in use.

The glass vial turbidimeter has a completely smooth surface with no interference from scratches on the glass surface.

Nephelometers work by shining a beam of light onto a sample, which is then reflected by suspended particles in the sample. The Detector measures light reflected at 90° and is used to report turbidity values. Our previous blog post explains this in more depth.

If there is a scratch on the glass vial, this will reflect or interfere with the light path, causing erroneous results. Keep in mind that scratches may not be visible to the human eye, but can still cause errors.

Apply only 1-2 drops of silicone oil to a lint-free cloth and carefully buff the vial before placing it in the meter to ensure any scratches are smoothed out for good results.

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