Skalar San ++ Continuous Flow Analyzer Installation + Training in University Malaysia Terengganu

From the 27^th to 30^th of May 2012, Iramac Sdn Bhd had carried out a four-day installation and training session for the Skalar San++ Continuous Flow Analyzer (CFA) for seawater analysis at the Institute of Oceanography (INOS) in University Malaysia Terengganu, a highly reputable center focusing on research of oceanic and marine activities. The CFA will mainly carry out analysis of pbb levels of Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, Phosphate and Silica in seawater samples as part of an ongoing research headed by experienced researcher Dr. Suhaimi Suratman of INOS.

The Skalar san++ CFA has been widely used around the globe for various applications, including analysis for soil, fertilizer, drinking water, and seawater. For the analysis of oceanic samples such as those carried out in UMT, the major challenges are the ultra-low level nutrient concentrations, high contamination risks, short life time of samples and matrix interference. The CFA provided the solution to overcome these problems, by utilizing a unique digital turbo matrix detector to provide true optical matrix correction, especially designed to compensate automatically for changing salinities between seawater samples. This is accomplished by optically splitting the light beam after passing the flow cell and measuring at two different wavelengths, where the absorbance from the correction wavelength is subtracted from the measured wavelength; the final result is automatically corrected for any background interference. In the case of UMT, the CFA is perfectly capable of measuring ppb levels of the desired parameters.

The CFA is also equipped with a 140 position autosampler controlled by the FlowAccess software, which allows it to accommodate the heavy workload of more than 100 samples per day as required in UMT. It is equipped with removable racks for convenient transfer and preparation of samples, and also a separated rack of large capacity tubes for standards which required a higher volume. Furthermore, a diluter station can be added on later for easy dilution of samples and standards alike.

The training was provided by Mr. Kalyan Varadharajan, the application engineer from Skalar HQ. During the four-day training, the end-users prepared reagents, standard solutions, and seawater samples for test runs, and were briefed on various aspects of the CFA, including the theories behind the detection, hands-on running of the system, maneuvering the software, troubleshooting and minor repairs, and replacement of spare parts. The training ran smoothly, thanks to Mr. Kalyan’s effective training and skills of the highly capable operators in handling both the samples and analyzer.

At the end of the session, we had successfully obtained accurate results of the desired parameters, and the end users equipped with sufficient expertise to run and maintain the CFA. We are confident and proud that in the near future, the Institute of Oceanography in University Malaysia Terengganu will maximize the usage and potential of the system to further the contribution to oceanography and marine research.