Spectro Scientific, one of the world’s largest suppliers of oil, fuel and processed water analysis instrumentation and software, has been awarded U.S. patent 9,448,112 B2 for a method to measure two key vehicle fluids. The patent for “Multifunctional fluid meter and method for measuring coolant, biodiesel, gas-ethanol and DEF” has also been granted in Australia.

The CoolCheck 2 is a dual wavelength spectrometer specifically designed to test coolant and diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) without the use of chemical reagents or solvents. Specially designed sample cuvettes allow the analyzer to read in both the UV-visible and NIR range simultaneously. The measurement method provides eight key coolant parameters or two DEF parameters in less than one minute. A recently released calibration update improves the performance in measuring nitrites, a key coolant additive. This new method is able to analyze a wider range of coolants on the market today as well as new fluids when they are introduced.

The CoolCheck 2 measures the coolant or DEF directly from the vehicle and is designed to be easily operated by vehicle maintenance staff. The analyzer’s on-site analysis capability, speed and convenience eliminate the wait associated with outsourcing laboratory analyses and provide better accuracy than simple test strip methods. The CoolCheck 2 is a companion device to Spectro Scientific’s MicroLab automated on-site oil analyzer, which allows a mechanic to analyze all major vehicle fluids to diagnose the health of the equipment and identify potential problems.

Patrick Henning, Spectro Scientific chief technology officer, said, “This patent award reinforces Spectro’s role as a world leader in fluid analysis technology. It especially benefits our fleet customers with faster and better on-site coolant and DEF measurement, which complements our capability for on-site oil analysis.”

The CoolCheck 2 with the updated calibration is available now. Please visit the CoolCheck 2 page on the Spectro Scientific website.  For information on biodiesel and gas-ethanol analysis, please visit the InfraCal 2 biodiesel blend analyzer and ethanol blend analyzer pages.