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Rudolph Research Refractometer Selection Guide
Rudolph has the ideal refractometer for your application, offering features unsurpassed in the laboratory instrumentation industry.
Temperature Control – Rudolph offer precise temperature-control in a range of 10°C – to even 100°C. By utilizing Rudolph’s Exclusive TempTrol™, heating and cooling, Dual Temperature Control System samples can be controlled from the bottom of the sample well or the bottom and top.
Utilizing Rudolph’s CC, Temperature-Controlled, Concave, Refractometer Sample Presser, heat may be applied from the Top and Bottom of the sample well. Thus, the Rudolph J457 Refractometer is able to control temperature to 100°C because of its unique dual temperature control system. Optionally, higher temperatures are available.
Temperature Controlled Sample Presser, CP option, that touches the sample. Compared with the standard temperature-controlled cover, the optional (CP) Contact Presser reduces the empty volume of the measurement area thereby decreasing evaporation and at the same time helping to evenly spread semi solid materials over the measurement prism. This feature offers improved performance on many samples such as PET and Glycerin.
Rudolph offers the widest range and most accurate optical system.
Wide range from 1.26 RI to 1.72 RI is available. (Anything in Green can become text)
– Extreme low range makes the instrument able to measure fluorocarbons like sevoflurane (1.27RI)
– Extreme high range makes the instrument able to measure aromatic flavor materials like cinnamic aldehyde (1.619 RI) and chemicals like methylene iodide (1.718 RI).
Rudolph offers Refractometer Models with High accuracy Models available with up to +/- 0.00002 (OK to say 2 in the 5th decimal place) accuracy.
Rudolph’s Ultra Flat prism makes any sample easy to clean.
No more cross contamination or time-consuming prism cleaning.
No matter how good the refractometer is, the results will only be right if the instrument is clean. Rudolph’s flat prism design makes cleaning easy, even with sticky syrups. The flat low-profile sample well with a sample volume of less than 1ml is easily cleaned by wiping with a common paper towel. A single cleaning surface with scratch-proof sapphire prism makes this a popular choice for high throughput laboratories.
The flat open sample area has no corners to trap even sticky materials and is resistant to almost all solvents including Acetone, Toluene, and similar organics. Choose H option for HFl and HCl acids.
Rudolph Refractometers utilize an Ultra Hard Sapphire Prism
Some manufacturers use glass or YAG (Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet.) prisms. These prisms are softer than sapphire and have slower temperature transfer coefficients.
Don’t worry you can clean the Rudolph prism with regular paper towels, no special cleaning paper is required.
Validation
Need Pharmaceutical level protocols in your laboratory, you can set a standard, and measure it over time. The J457 has the capability to prompt for validations and provide a graph of validations over time. The range can be programmed by the laboratory allowing a lab to set limits as defined by USP<831> or ISO or any other standard.
Rudolph offers many Flexible Sample Handling Options for Your Application
Rudolph Research offers many options to deliver samples to the refractometer including, AutoFlexTM R837 Auto Sampler, Peristaltic Pump, Vertical KVP for samples with suspended solids, and the DP Cover. These options offer the ability to use the refractometer horizontally or vertically, with samples introduced manually, with a syringe, or pumped for higher throughput labs.
For most liquids and semi solids the drop sample prism is the easiest. Drop it on and wipe it off. Some users may prefer to push the sample through either because it’s extremely evaporative and needs to be kept in a closed system or, more commonly, because the refractometer is attached to a sample handling system such as the Rudolph R837.
Rudolph provides solutions for industry specific applications such the Ophthalmology market where manufacturers wish to use RI as an element of their QC. A specially designed contact lens holder allows contact lenses to be measured with a precise amount of pressure. Another Rudolph innovation is Rudolph’s solids and film measuring kit. Manufacturers who want to use RI as a QC method can use specifically designed refractometers to measure a variety of films, solids and semi solids. Labs who are very short on sample volumes can use Rudolph’s Ultra Small Volume presser which uses only 10 Micro Liters of sample. Laboratories making biological reagents find this ability perfect when samples quantities are extremely small.
Features with your industry in mind:
Refractometer Applications for the Chemical Industry (Anything in Green can become text)
Many chemicals are sold and shipped as solutions. Both suppliers and end users want to know the exact concentration of the solution. That concentration determines the value of the material and, from a users point of view, how much is added to the process mixture. Refractometers are an extremely quick way to validate starting material purity, measure concentrations, and validate mixture end points. Our rugged instruments can be located in a load out area or beside a production line, not just in a lab. (You can take out what is in blue).
Reasons to Choose Rudolph
Chemical measurement needs temperature control, not correction, and all Rudolph refractometers from the J57 above have this.
Confidence in the products you ship to your customers with validated instruments with validated standards and measurement processes.
Many solvents have Refractive Indices (RI) outside of the range that a food refractometer can measure; a specialty chemical model is needed.
Typical Chemical Industry, Rudolph Refractometer users
Most countries now require that urea solutions be a part of diesel exhaust emission systems. This fluid goes by different names such as AdBlue, DEF and ARLA. Manufacturers like YARA and distributors like BRENNTAG use Rudolph.
Manufacturers of polymers like Nylon need to monitor raw material solutions. Dupont / Kordsa are just one of many Rudolph users.
Urea Formaldehyde and Phenol Formaldehyde resins are critically important to the wood industry. Manufacturers like Hexion and Dynea use Rudolph as part of process control.
Refractometers for Food Quality Control
Measurement of Brix is central to food manufacturing. Consistent Brix measure is key to product consistency. Food product profit margins are tight, so careful monitoring of the quality of incoming raw material and also strict monitoring of how much of that raw material is used in the process are the main drivers of factory profit.
Brix Range 0-100; RI Range 1.33-1.53; 1.29-1.72
Reasons to Choose Rudolph
Accuracy in the second decimal place in Brix means the ability to stay closer to specification.
Temperature control allows the instrument to be calibrated with traceable references to meet ISO and similar standards.
Flat, easy clean prism means better results even when used by non-laboratory trained operators.
Typical Rudolph Refractometer Users in the Food Industry
Cargill and ADM uses Rudolph Refractometers in ingredient manufacturing plants globally.
Mars Wrigley use Rudolph instruments to check the quality of incoming flavor materials.
Nestle uses Rudolph to check the quality of tomato products for prepared meals.
Refractometers for Pharmaceutical and Toxicology Testing:
Pharmaceutical measurement demands meeting the required standard, for example USP<831>, EP2.2.6 and similar. There is no “good enough” in pharma, additives and formulations must meet USP requirements. Documentation is also key, simply generating a number is not enough. The laboratory has to be able to prove calibration and, when it is operating under 21 CFR 11; document who did the measurement and create an audit trail showing every interaction with the instrument. Additionally, the operating software and data security has to be proven to work by an IQOQPQ before acceptance.
From a measurement system point of view, it is also important that the instrument has the broad range to measure pharmaceuticals. This includes materials like sevoflurane (RI of 1.26) and cinnamon oil (RI of 1.61). A food or even a general chemical refractometer usually does not have sufficient range to cover this.
Reasons to Choose Rudolph
Proven 21 CFR 11 system with electronic signature and full audit trail documentation.
Detailed IQOQPQ using traceable standards across the whole range of the instrument.
Exclusive RI Range: 1.26 – 1.70 and 5 decimal accuracy allows Pharmaceutical and Toxicological Testing.
Wide enough range to measure everything in the USP / EP / BP / IP / CP / JP.
Typical Rudolph Users in the Pharmaceutical Industry
Reference laboratories like the USP need to be able to measure EVERY material in the Pharmacopeia and find the wide range of the J257 essential.
GSK, Merck, Pfizer all use the J series for checking incoming raw materials.
Biogen uses the J series for in process concentration measurement.
Refractometer Solutions for the Petroleum Industry:
The petroleum industry is standardized through ASTM methods, and the key is having a refractometer that meets the specifications of ASTM. For Refractive Index(RI) measurements this mostly means ASTM D1218 and D1747.
Compliance with D1218 is for measurement at temperatures between 20°C and 30°C and is mostly used for light hydrocarbons. D1747 is for measurements up to 100°C and is often used for crude oils and other process streams. ASTM is very strict with temperature as these types of samples generally have a much larger dn/dt value than the water / sugar samples used in food.
Reasons Companies in the Petroleum Industry Choose Rudolph
Reflectance style measurement system allows the instrument to measure samples much darker than a traditional Abbe style refractometer can.
Temperature control allows the instrument to be calibrated with traceable references to meet ISO and similar standards.
Flat, easy clean, prism means better results even when used by non-laboratory trained operators.
Compliance with D1218 is for measurement at temperatures between 20°C and 30°C for light hydrocarbons, and D1747 is for measurements up to 100°C for crude oils.
Typical Rudolph Petroleum Industry Users
ExxonMobil uses the J457 at 67° C to check a process stream.
SGS uses Rudolph refractometers for custody transfer checking.
Sinopec uses the J357 for research and development.
Refractometers for the Flavor and Fragrances Industry
Flavor and fragrance materials are traded worldwide. Essential oils are distilled from plants in some of the most remote corners of the globe. Innovation laboratories make analogues of traditional flavors or even whole new materials. The two most common specifications in certificates of analysis are Specific Gravity(SG) (density) and Refractive Index(RI).
Reasons to Choose a Rudolph Refractometer
Wide range of 1.26 RI to 1.70 RI allows measurement of all currently approved compounds.
Built in temperature control provides more accurate results than relying on temperature correction models.
Flat, easy clean prism means better results even when used by non-laboratory trained operators.
Typical Flavor and Fragrance Rudolph Refractometer Users
Firmenich uses automated systems in many countries, for in bound raw materials testing and final product release.
Coca Cola uses automated systems for measuring raw material in beverage bases.
Takasago measures Refractive Index (RI) combined with Optical Rotation (OR), Color and Specific Gravity (SG).
Refractometers for Biological Fluid Analysis
Samples are sometimes very difficult to obtain, and the refractometer test is a “non-destructive” test on a very small volume of sample. The sample might come from a small animal and the volume is minimal. Samples from humans are subject to regulations and right of refusal, and retaining the sample is important. The number of samples tested is often very high, and the refractometer is a rapid test. There is a lot of variability between biological entities and, in the case of humans, testing often matters by individual, it’s not enough to just test one or two and use that for the group. Large samples can be divided up into smaller volumes for repeat testing.
Reasons top Biological Labs Choose a Rudolph Refractometer
Fast measure speed enables a laboratory to process large numbers of samples on one instrument.
Ultra-low volume models available to measure with small amounts of sample.
Automated systems for easy measurement of large sample sets.
Typical Rudolph Users
Labcorp, Quest and Clinical Reference Labs all use J57 refractometers for workplace drug testing.
Mt. Sinai Hospital uses a J457ULV for medical research.
The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority uses a J457/R837 for monitoring the presence of performance enhancing drugs in both local and international sports.
Refractometers for the Sugar Industry
The sugar processing industry uses refractometers across the entire production process. Whether the source is sucrose from sugar cane or sugar beets, or corn-based sweeteners our refractometers monitor Brix and Refractometer Dissolved Solids (RDS) in all aspects of our customers’ processing. Accurate Brix and RDS measurements are a key to process control, and end product purity, all which help sweeten the bottom line.
Reasons to Use a Rudolph Refractometer
Very easy to operate for rotating seasonal staff.
Temperature control allows the instrument to be calibrated with traceable references to meet ISO and ICUMSA.
Flat, easy clean prism means better results even when used with a variety of sugar sample types.
Typical Rudolph Refractometer Users in the Sugar Industry
American Sugar Refining uses many J57 refractometers in both process and finished product laboratories around the world.
Western Sugar uses many J57 instruments in factory labs.
Dangote Sugar uses J457 refractometers in factories in Africa.
Rudolph Refractometers in Combined Instrument Systems
A refractometer is a very useful analysis tool. It’s very fast, tolerant of difficult matrices and can provide a lot of useful information with a very low investment in both capital and training. It is still only one number though and so is limited when a sample is not a binary solution. Combining a refractometer and a density meter or another instrument adds value not otherwise achieved with a single measurement metric. Combining instruments adds new constituents not otherwise obtained by a single system this, also saves time and streamlines reporting.
Reasons to Choose Rudolph
A variety of sample loading options enabling the systems to be used with a wide variety of sample types.
Built in calculations for many common samples.
Easy to export both results to one certificate of analysis.
Typical Users utilizing multiple instruments with a Rudolph Refractometer
Bell Flavors uses a combined density / refractometer system with autosampler for QC testing.
Constellation Brands uses an Alcotest for measurement on ready-to-drink spirit mixes without distillation.
CF Industries uses Rudolph systems for UAN solutions.
Thank you for watching the many ways customers use Rudolph Refractometers in their industries. Customers have come to trust Rudolph Refractometer for Accuracy, Reliability, Specialized Features, and Excellent Customer Support for more than 20 years. Please contact us with your requirements so we may assist you in selecting the right instrument for your specific application. By phone, 973-584-1558, by email at, info@rudolphresearch.com, or find us on the web at, www.rudolphresearch.com
