Finding theneedle in thehaystack.

Technical cleanliness:
The INNIO Group uses a ZEISS solution to analyze thechemical composition of residual dirt particles.

Technical cleanliness:
The INNIO Group uses a ZEISS solution to analyze thechemical composition of residual dirt particles.

The INNIO Group is a company based in Jenbach (Austria) that develops andmanufactures innovative systems for energy production and compression.
Because the large engines are continuously becoming more powerful and theindividual components subject to increasing mechanical stress, the INNIOGroup in Jenbach introduced standards for technical cleanliness already10 years ago. To determine the origin of critical residual dirt particles
ZEISS EVO electron scanning microscope has been used since 2015.		

Christian Troger is Operation Quality Leader at INNIO in Jenbach.

hydrogen, thereby supporting Jenbacher’s customers in theirtransition to net zero. To date, more than 25,000 Jenbacher
engines have been delivered in around 100 countries. When it
comes to the performance and reliability of Jenbacher engines,
the INNIO Group sets standards for the industry.
And the development continues – with a significant impact on
the components in the Jenbacher engines. The increase of themechanical efficiency to well over 50% and the fuel flexibility
with regard to methane number, proportion of hydrogen,and biogases increases the peak pressures and bearing loads
and contributes to a higher thermal load of the engines. This		“Even a tiny metallic dirt particle can cause

necessitates the use of harder bearings and significantly tighter		substantial damage in our powerful engines,”

tolerances. But this also raises the risk of the oil film breaking		

emphasizes Christian Troger, Operation

due to a critical particle.		

Quality Leader at INNIO in Jenbach.
For example, were a metallic particle the size of a grain of sandto find its way into the connecting rod bearing, it could cause
the oil film in the bearing to rip. Insufficient lubrication increases
the friction between the crankshaft and the connecting rod
bearing, which can lead to serious damage. Repairing the“Technical cleanliness is very important in ourproduction which is why we test on theZEISS EVO Mat 25, so we can meet the technicalspecifications 100%. And our motors can run
for a long time with the highest quality.”damage on a motor that, as in the case of the Jenbacher J920,
weighs 91 tons and whose connecting rod bearing is almost
7 meters long and weighs 8.5 tons, would be complex andvery costly. A repair would also greatly delay the delivery of
the engine to customers. The higher the power density of anengine, the more important technical cleanliness becomes.
Industry leader
With its engines, Jenbacher is able to offer its customers
generator sets and power-heat and power-heat-cooling
generation systems in the performance range of 250 KW to
10.4 MW. These can be operated with a wide range of energy
sources such as landfill gas, sewage gas, biomethane orMartin Mühlbacher, Vice President Operations & Site Manager.

»Jenbacher engines (...) support customers in			
their transition to net zero.

More than 25,000 Jenbacher engines have beendelivered to around 100 countries to date.

It’s an insight that the INNIO Group gained much earlier thaninstead of trying to achieve the maximum that would have been

many other companies. But the industry has meanwhile woken

possible, the INNIO Group in Jenbach focused consistently onup. “For several years now, more and more technicians andimplementing only the most necessary things ‑ and what ispeople who work in quality departments have been attending

necessary is not only determined by quality assurance. “We triedsymposiums on technical cleanliness,” observes Troger.

to involve everyone,” recalls Troger. That includes management.

New standards for production		The decision to introduce technical cleanliness standards in		» As technical cleanliness is also a cost/benefit
and risk-management issue.

2012/2013 led INNIO in Jenbach to a big change process.
Inspired by the experiences of the automotive industry andThe INNIO Group has invested approximately 3 million euros

following Guideline VDA 19, the entire process was firstin various measures and solutions for technical cleanliness.

modelled. Next, cleanliness specifications were defined for

Air locks were installed, workplaces remodelled, certain areas

sensitive components and highly critical areas of production

encased, and cleaning instructions adapted. For example, today

determined. There was a total of about 800 project steps. Butthe cement floor in production is mopped every day. And inThe crankshaft in particular must be free of particles.

The entire process, from the delivery of goods to production andthrough to dispatch is monitored with particle traps.

» And in order to be able to analyze theresidual dirt on the components, alaboratory was set up with speciallydeveloped equipment for rinsing thecomponents, which weigh several tons.

order to be able to analyze the residual dirt on the parts, adefined which areas of a workspace must be cleaned and howlaboratory with specially developed facilities was set up to rinse

often. Suppliers also had to be trained accordingly. Troger says it

the ton-heavy parts. A suction cleaner containing speciallylasted two to three years “until we had a good standard.”

designed cyclone filters for the analysis and cleaning of criticalareas of the motor was also developed, and the company
invested in microscopes capable of investigating the analysis
filters that capture residual dirt particles.
The company also switched 100% to plastic pallets after it» To maintain this standard, the entire process‑ from the delivery of goods all the way toproduction and delivery ‑ is controlled via
particle traps.

learned over time that wooden pallets cannot be cleaned andThese particle traps show the load and when the limits inthat they contaminated the already-cleaned components withspecific critical areas have potentially been exceeded. The

metallic and non-metallic particles. In addition, a cleanlinessZEISS EVO scanning electron microscope plays a key role inplan was developed for every workplace. Specifically, it was

discovering and removing potential contamination sources.

The filters are collected at the outlet and analyzed microscopically.

If a limit value is exceeded, the analysis filter with the particles is
examined more closely.

Johannes Bachmann, expert for material analysis at INNIO in Jenbach,ZEISS EVO scanning electron microscope plays a key role here.

receives a filter for testing.

A scanning electronic microscope for the determination

application all aspects needed to operate the SEM, processof materials

images, and perform elementary analysis. And because theTo determine the composition of a material and therefore thesystem does the particle analysis automatically, it can operate

source of particles using the ZEISS EVO, the particles first havecontinuously and without human supervision. This lightens theto be separated from the component. This process takes place

workload of Johannes Bachmann, an expert for material analysis

in INNIO’s TecSa laboratory in Jenbach. Residual dirt particles

at INNIO in Jenbach.

that have been washed off the components by special washingmachines are captured in a filter. This filter is then investigated		» If he receives a filter that should be investigated,

on-site with a light microscope. “By determining the number		he just needs to place it in the device and canand size of the particles, we can already know whether certain		come back after an hour or two to get the results.

thresholds have been exceeded and how good our processesare.” Because the components are grouped into risk groups and,In addition to seeing structure and morphology, Bachmann cantherefore, into their corresponding cleanliness categories, it isalso see on a screen connected to the microscope the chemical

precisely defined which size and number of particles are critical.

elements of the particles. To gather this information, the primary

For example, if a threshold is exceeded for a crankshaft, theelectron beams in the microscope are directed at the sample.

analysis filter containing the particles will be closely examined

This causes the electrons in the atomic shell to emit Xrays.

using the scanning electron microscope.		

» Initially, this analysis was done by an external		

service provider, but that took three weeks or		even longer ‑ too long for the quality assurance		

department at INNIO.

Also, involving external parties complicated the communication
process, which prevented a fast detection of possible contamination sources. These factors explain why the company
decided to invest in its own scanning electron microscope(SEM) in 2015.
The ZEISS EVO SEM works with a software called ZEISSSmart Particle Investigator for the analysis and classificationof particles. This software, which fulfills current ISO andVDA norm for technical cleanliness, combines in one single

Bachmann and Troger both concur: “With the ZEISS EVO MA 25, we find theneedle in the haystack.”

found» Needlein the haystack.
The REM ZEISS EVO works wih thesoftware for particle analysis andclassification software ZEISSSmart Particle Investigator (SmartPI).

» ZEISS SmartPI combines in one single application all		

aspects needed to operate the SEM, process images,		

and perform elementary analysis. And because thesystem does the particle analysis automatically,» “Without a chemical analysis of the particle by theSEM, we would only know that we have a problem,
but we wouldn’t know where we should make		

improvements,” he emphasizes.

it can operate continuously and without humansupervision.

Pinpointing rather precisely the origin of a particle also helps
Troger and his team to raise awareness among his colleagues

Because the spectrum of radiation is unique for every

about the problem of technical cleanliness and, when necessary,element, the composition of the particles can be exactly

to introduce certain measures, such as modifications. He

determined through so-called EDX analysis (energy-dispersive

hardly encounters pushback. “At INNIO in Jenbach, the quality

X-ray spectroscopy). With this information, Bachmann ‑ who

assurance department is not seen as a police force or unfriendly

knows exactly which materials Jenbacher uses at its site ‑ cancontrol freak, but as an on-site authority that helps prevent

determine where the particles come from.

mistakes before they appear and implements improvements.”
In Troger’s opinion, that “has a lot to do with the fact that we

Stable processes for many years

implemented standards for technical cleanliness.”

Ten years ago, when Jenbacher first introduced standards fortechnical cleanliness and newly defined its processes, Bachmannanalyzed at least 20 filters a week.				

» These days, only a few filters a week need to be
examined as a matter of routine.

But even though the processes at INNIO in Jenbach are runningso smoothly today, no one at the company can or wants to dowithout the scanning electron microscope.
Bachmann and Troger both concur: “With ZEISS EVO MA 25, wefind the needle in the haystack.” For even if an analysis showedthat a potentially dangerous particle was made of silicon, it ishighly probable that the air locks were open and sand particles
contaminated the component, explains Troger.

Video of the customer storyinfo.metrology.de@zeiss.com
www.zeiss.de/imt

Carl Zeiss
Industrial Quality Solutions, LLC
6250 Sycamore Lane North
Maple Grove, MN 55369/USA
Phone: +1 800 327-9735
Fax: +1 763 533-0219
info.metrology.us@zeiss.com
www.zeiss.com/metrology

EN_60_010_0057I Printed in Germany CZ-01/2024
Subject to change in design and scope of delivery and as a result of ongoing technical development.

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