DEF Refractometer – Urea Scale – Urea-Based Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) – MISCO DEF-201 Refractometer

Urea Refractometer for Testing Urea-Based Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF / AdBlue) Concentration in Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Equipped Diesel Engines

The DEF-201 will DEFeat those seeking to DEFraud

Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is already a reality for trucks, buses, and highway vehicles powered by diesel engines. In 2014, new Tier IV guidelines go into effect for off-road equipment as well. These regulations will affect excavators, bulldozers, skid steers and other commercial construction equipment. Also affected are farm tractors and agricultural equipment, heavy forklifts, and airport ground service equipment. Even diesel powered stationary equipment such as generators, pumps, and compressors will be required to meet emission requirements.

To comply with EPA regulations, engine manufacturers are using Selective Catalytic Reduction technology which requires a very precise concentration of liquid urea (DEF) in order to operate properly. Selective Catalytic Reduction systems utilize liquid urea, a nitrogen-based compound, to treat diesel exhaust gases prior to them entering a special catalytic converter. The fluid is known as Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) in the US and AdBlue® in Europe. It consists of a very specific concentration of aqueous urea in demineralized water. Injected into the hot exhaust gases as a fine mist, urea turns to ammonia and converts harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) into harmless nitrogen and water vapor.

The best DEFense against diluted DEF.

The proper concentration of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) is crucial to mitigating harmful NOx emissions and prolonging the life of the SCR components. Even concentration variations of as little as +/-0.8% will prevent a DEF fluid from meeting the specifications mandated by International Standards Organization (ISO). DEF dilution or contamination can impact system performance and maintenance costs. The biggest contamination threat is water dilution but without the proper tools it is nearly impossible to know if a DEF supply has been diluted. 

Get DEFinite results in just seconds.

The MISCO Palm Abbe DEF-201 refractometer is the ideal method for testing DEF fluid to ensure it is at the correct concentration and that it has not been diluted or tampered with. It only takes a few drops of DEF and a couple of seconds to perform a test and the results are precise to +/-0.1% urea concentration. 

Once a few drops of sample have been added to the stainless-steel well, it only takes the press of a single button to initiate a reading. Within seconds, the urea concentration will be displayed on the large 24-character backlit LCD display. The refractometer can also be calibrated to water with the press of a button.

Key to the precision and accuracy of the refractometer is the MISCO proprietary OPTICAL-ENGINE®. A combination of high-index sapphire optics and a detector array with 1,024 elements. Special hardware and software automatically temperature compensates readings over a wide temperature range.

The DEFinitive choice in DEF Testing.

The MISCO digital refractometer is the ideal instrument for testing DEF to prevent the use of fluid that is outside expected values. MISCO refractometers meet or exceed the requirements of ASTM D7821 – 12, Standard Test Method for Field Test Determination of Urea Concentration in Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF).

The American Petroleum Institute (API), a non-profit trade association and advocacy group for the petroleum and natural gas industry, is charged with certifying producers of Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) for Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) equipped diesel engines in North America. The best way to ensure a good DEF fluid is to only purchase urea which carries API certification and frequently test the fluid with a MISCO refractometer to make sure that it meets quality specifications.

A Refractometer can tell if it’s DEFinitely DEF. 

Options include; additional scales for measuring urea density, specific gravity, and freezing point. As well as, engine coolant concentration and freeze point, brake fluid water content or boil point, and windshield washer fluid. Also available is a rubber armor jacket (in one of three different colors) and a virtually indestructible storage case.