One goes through a nozzle on a running transfer line, with the analyser bolted to a wall nearby. The other goes through a vial on a bench. They use the same optics and the same models, which is why a method proven in the laboratory can be mounted on the line without starting over.
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The measurement point is a nozzle. What arrives at the control room is a concentration, an acid value or a viscosity — not a spectrum, and not a sample bottle.
A transfer line, a reactor circulation loop, a pipeline between two units. Nothing is diverted and nothing is stopped: the measurement is taken in the flowing product at line pressure and line temperature.
The probe goes in through a standard process connection — a flange, a threaded boss or a Tri-Clamp — and reaches into the flow. Wetted parts are 316L stainless steel and fused silica, so the material question is usually settled before the meeting ends.
In media that coat an optical window, the probe sits in a retractable holder: it withdraws behind an isolation valve, is rinsed with solvent, and returns to the measuring position. Where insertion into the main line is awkward, the same probe goes into a slipstream loop instead.
The probe is automatically withdrawn from the circulation loop, rinsed with a stream of solvent, and returns to the measurement position. Gekko Photonics · Główny Mechanik
Only the probe is in the process. Excitation light travels out and collected light comes back on a dual fibre, so the analyser cabinet is mounted where a technician can actually reach it. The probe is rated for ATEX and IECEx Zone 0, with laser power limited to 30 mW in that configuration.
Spectrally OS runs the model and passes the value into the control layer over PROFIBUS, PROFINET or Modbus — one to two measurement channels per cabinet as standard. Operators see a number and a status, not a spectrum, and the batch record gets the same value on its way to MES or LIMS.
Not every measurement belongs on a line, and no model starts there. The bench path answers a different question — and it is where the method that later runs inline is built and validated.
The bench path starts with material in hand: a process sample, a retained sample, or an incoming container that has not been opened. Measurement is non-destructive and consumes nothing, so the same material can still go to the reference method afterwards.
X1 LAB takes a carousel of up to twenty-five samples and returns a result in seconds per measurement. This is the analyser that sits near production for at-line checks and in the laboratory for R&D and quality control.
With library matching against more than 28 000 reference spectra, an incoming batch is verified at the gate rather than a week later. The question here is identity and conformity, not process control — a different question from the one the inline instrument answers.
Same optical geometry, same detector behaviour, same model format in Spectrally OS. Calibration work done on the bench during feasibility becomes the first calibration of the production system rather than a discarded pilot.
The three are not competing options. Most plants end up with a bench instrument for method work and incoming goods, and inline units where a decision has to be made while the process is still running.
| X1 INLINE + X1 PROBE | X1 LAB / LAB+ | X1 PORTABLE | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where it sits | nozzle on the line, reactor or slipstream loop | laboratory bench or at-line, near production | carried — gate, field, installation |
| Sample | none drawn | vial, cuvette or sealed container | container, measured through packaging |
| Question answered | is the process where it should be, right now | what is this, and does it meet specification | can this delivery be accepted |
| Result reaches | PLC / DCS, then MES / LIMS | report, LIMS, model development | operator on the spot |
| Mechanical scope | process connection + cabinet + fibre run | bench space and a socket | none |
| Protection | probe IP67, ATEX / IECEx Zone 0 | IP20 | IP54 |
| Channels | up to 2 per cabinet, expandable | carousel up to 25 samples | one at a time |
The mechanical and electrical questions are short. The ones that decide the outcome are about the medium.
Composition range, temperature, pressure, pH, solids, and whether it coats a window. Fouling behaviour decides whether a retractable holder is needed.
Which nozzle, what connection standard, how much insertion length, and whether the flow at that point is representative of the batch.
Zone classification, cable routing to a location where the cabinet can be serviced, and mains supply.
Which protocol the plant speaks, which tag the value should land on, and who owns the alarm when the analyser reports a deviation. The value is only useful if somebody is accountable for acting on it.
The current method and its results for the same material — without them there is nothing to calibrate against or validate with.
Where 21 CFR Part 11 applies, it is handled as a project requirement rather than a checkbox.
Mounting time reported for the water and wastewater segment — mains or battery supply, no reagents and no wear parts. Process installations in chemical plants are scoped individually; this figure belongs to that segment.
A P&ID extract, the connection standard at the measurement point, and three to five samples are enough to say whether this works on your line.