One process Raman analyzer for the nitrogen and DEF/AdBlue family.
Spectrally X1 INLINE reads urea, nitrate, ammonium and biuret directly in the line - inline, meaning in the flowing process stream with no sample pulled to a lab. The same hardware runs across urea, UAN/RSM, DEF/AdBlue and effluent: 785 / 1064 nm excitation, a back-thinned TEC-cooled CCD, an immersion probe rated to 16 bar and Zone 0, and Spectrally OS turning spectra into process values in seconds.
A process Raman analyzer built for the line.
Spectrally X1 INLINE measures composition directly in the installation - inline, in the flowing process stream, without sampling and without consumables. For nitrogen fertilizers and DEF/AdBlue that means urea, nitrate and biuret read continuously in the reactor, pipeline or blending tank, with the result in the control system in seconds instead of after an offline lab loop.
Two excitation wavelengths are available - 785 nm and 1064 nm, the latter for strongly fluorescing media such as coated urea granules - at 600 mW and 800 mW respectively, limited to 30 mW for ATEX applications. Detection is a back-thinned, TEC-cooled CCD.
| Measurement principle | Raman spectroscopy |
| Laser wavelength | 785 nm / 1064 nm |
| Laser power | 600 mW @ 785 nm; 800 mW @ 1064 nm; 30 mW for ATEX applications |
| Spectral range | 300-1650 cm⁻¹ or 300-3500 cm⁻¹ |
| Spectral resolution | 8 cm⁻¹ |
| Acquisition time | 5-300 s |
| Detector | Back-thinned CCD, TEC-cooled |
| Measurement channels | Up to 2 (expandable on request) |
| Fiber optic reach | Up to 100 m |
| Communication | PROFIBUS, PROFINET, GSM |
| Calibration | Automatic - reference integrated in the probe |
| Laser lifetime | Min. 2 years |
| HMI | Touchscreen (SpectrallyUI) |
| Software | Spectrally OS on Debian GNU/Linux 13.2 |
| Probe | Spectrally X1 PROBE - IP67, ATEX / IECEx Zone 0, self-cleaning module |
Values per the Spectrally Raman Analyzers product catalog, 2026-05. The analyzer is identical across the nitrogen and DEF/AdBlue family; the chemometric model is what changes per chemistry.
The part of the system that lives in your process.
An immersion Raman probe for direct in-situ analysis in the nitrogen and DEF streams - no sampling, no conditioning loop. Rated to 16 bar and +125 °C, pH 2-10 in continuous service and 1-14 short-term, which spans the strongly variable pH 1-12 aqueous effluent recorded in feasibility FS-005, with IP67 ingress protection and an ATEX / IECEx Zone 0 rating.
The probe measures in urea and ammonium-nitrate reactors, UAN/RSM blending tanks, DEF/AdBlue filling lines and effluent pipelines, in batch and continuous operation. It handles liquids, suspensions and slurries; urea granulates run in a dedicated configuration - the at-line arrangement used in feasibility FS-002.
| Probe type | Immersion, dual fiber-optic connection |
| Process pressure | Up to 16 bar |
| Process temperature | -40 to +125 °C |
| Process pH | 2-10 continuous; 1-14 short-term |
| Ingress protection | IP67 |
| Hazardous areas | ATEX / IECEx Zone 0 |
| Housing | 316L stainless steel; POM-C / POM-C ESD (ATEX version) |
| Wetted materials | 316L stainless steel, fused silica, chemically resistant epoxy |
| Optical window | Fused silica |
| Probe diameter | 12 mm |
| Dimensions | Max. length 465 mm; width 60 mm; depth 45 mm |
| Mounting | Flange, Tri-Clamp, retractable process holder |
| Cleaning | Self-cleaning module - automatic retract-rinse-return cycle |
Dual fiber-optic connection
Separate excitation and collection fibers simplify installation and improve signal stability. The probe connects to the analyzer over a fiber-optic cable - up to 100 m of reach.
Immersion install, no bypass
Mounts directly in the reactor, blending tank or DEF filling line via flange, Tri-Clamp or retractable process holder. No sample extraction, no conditioning system between the process and the measurement.
Zone 0 by design
ATEX / IECEx Zone 0 rating, 316L housing with POM-C ESD in the ATEX version, and laser power limited to 30 mW for ATEX applications.
Probe at the reactor or blending tank, analyzer cabinet up to 100 m away.
Process rating of the immersion X1 PROBE, up to +125 °C.
Enough to read the isolated nitrate band near 1044 cm⁻¹.
Two measurement points per analyzer - reactor and dosing line, for instance - expandable on request.
From raw spectrum to an operational answer.
Spectrally OS is the analytical layer of the platform. It translates spectra into concentrations and ratios, flags deviations, raises alarms and writes the quality record - locally, on the analyzer.
The core is an AI / advanced-chemometrics engine built on a convolutional neural network (CNN). It does two jobs: spectrum-to-number regression - urea concentration, biuret, nitrate - and deviation detection with PASS/FAIL classification. On this family's aqueous spectra it is benchmarked against traditional PLS and PCA, the reference chemometric methods, and reads more accurately and faster than that reference.
| Supported instruments | Spectrally X1 LAB / X1 PORTABLE / X1 INLINE |
| Analytical core | AI / advanced chemometrics, CNN core (benchmarked vs PLS / PCA) |
| Spectral database | Proprietary + public, ~28,000 spectra |
| Operator interface | SpectrallyUI, touchscreen |
| Operating system | Debian GNU/Linux 13.2 |
| Calibration | Automatic, based on the reference signal readout |
| Data export | CSV / PDF / RAW |
| User management | Role-based access control (RBAC) |
| Data storage | Local database |
| Industrial protocols | PROFIBUS / PROFINET / GSM |
Deviation flags, not just numbers
PASS/FAIL classification, anomaly detection and batch-conformity checks - for example against the ISO 22241 urea window for DEF/AdBlue, or an early biuret trend during urea production. Alarms and quality records are written for plant operators, not spectroscopists.
A model lifecycle, not a black box
Calibration, validation, maintenance. Models start in feasibility on your samples - the FS-002 total-nitrogen and FS-005 nitrate work are examples - are refined on production data, and re-calibrated when recipes or feedstock change. Every model change is logged and auditable.
No line stop for updates
Model updates deploy without stopping the analyzer or the line. Measurement and local logging keep running if the network drops - data lives in the local database. No reagents, no consumables.
One software layer across the Spectrally family. Models built during feasibility on Spectrally X1 LAB migrate to Spectrally X1 INLINE in production - the same analytics, moved from the lab bench to the line.
What changes against FT-IR, NIR and offline methods.
The differences are physical, not promotional. These are the factual points that matter for aqueous nitrogen and DEF streams - and the two cases where Raman is not the right tool.
Where Raman is not the answer
The point is not to replace the laboratory. Kjeldahl, HPLC, ICP and titration remain the reference methods and the certification record - inline Raman moves the measurement into the process, where decision time and continuity matter, and leaves the offline methods as periodic verification.
The installation, in practical terms.
What the analyzer needs from your plant, and what it does not.
The probe sits at the reactor or blending tank. The analyzer cabinet can sit up to 100 m away, connected by fiber.
One analyzer serves two measurement points - reactor and dosing line, for instance. More channels available on request.
Runs against a reference integrated in the probe - no manual recalibration routine.
From power-on to measurement. Continuous 24/7 operation after that.
Utilities
230 V AC, 50/60 Hz, 300 W power draw. Operating environment 0-45 °C and 20-70% RH, non-condensing.
Process connections
DN32/40/50 PN16 flanges; ANSI 1¼\", 1½\" and 2\" Class 150; 1¼\" male NPT; 2\" and 1½\" Tri-Clamp; retractable process holder. Custom designs on request.
No consumables
No reagents and no consumables in routine operation. Rated laser lifetime is a minimum of 2 years.
Service and model upkeep
Installation and service are performed by authorized Gekko Photonics technicians. Model maintenance runs through Spectrally OS - validation, re-calibration when recipes or feedstock change, deployed without stopping the line.
Put the analyzer through your nitrogen chemistry first.
Send representative samples - urea, UAN/RSM, DEF/AdBlue, or a stream carrying biuret - or R&D data from your process. We build and validate a chemometric model on your matrix in the Gekko lab and report what Spectrally X1 INLINE would read on your line, before any hardware decision. Feasibility on your samples quantifies what inline Raman delivers on your line - the accuracy, the parameters and the savings case, built on your own material.