Real-time testing of bioburdens in metalworking fluids using adenosine triphosphate as a biomass indicator

摘要

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) assays have been used to quantify bioburdens in clear fluids since the early 1950's. The original methodology was labor intensive and required considerable laboratory skill. Over the past half-century, the protocol has been simplified substantially, but until recently, chemical interferences made it impractical to use the ATP test in metalworking fluids MWF. This paper presents precision and bias statistics for a new test protocol for ATP in emulsifiable oil, semi-synthetic and synthetic MWF at end-use dilutions. Additionally it presents the results of field tests in which ATP data are compared with other MWF condition monitoring data. The field evaluation demonstrates the applicability of the new protocol to MWF bioburden condition monitoring.