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Total Alkalinity Monitor - AlkaSense®

Measuring total alkalinity online can bring automation benefits over sporadic offline measurements, such as controlling cooling towers so they are operating in the ideal range for the Langelier Saturation Index, and ensuring that there is sufficient alkalinity for coagulation to take place during water treatment and ensuring that the alkalinity in pool water is optimised.

Until now online total alkalinity instruments have been expensive, and difficult to operate and maintain. AlkaSense with it’s ground-breaking use of an online conductivity sensor as its primary measurement device is both inexpensive AND easy to maintain.

In traditional online total alkalinity analysers, a sample is titrated to a known pH using an acid. This means that pH is the core measurement technique. Issues with pH measurements make this an unreliable and expensive instrument to own in that, the pH sensor:

  • Needs to be cleaned frequently
  • Needs to be calibrated frequently
  • Needs to be replaced regularly

All of this means that online alkalinity analysers based on pH are difficult and expensive to own. The AlkaSense® from Pi, however, uses conductivity as its primary measurement where the AlkaSense® titrates to an inflection point in the changing conductivity which happens when the alkalinity is used up by the acid being dosed (typically PTSA (Paratoluenesulfonic Acid)). Knowing the amount of acid dosed at this point and the normality of the acid allows AlkaSense® to accurately and repeatably determine the total alkalinity. As the underlying science requires an inflection point in the conductivity to determine the volume of the acid dosed, the actual conductivity is not important, therefore the conductivity sensor never needs to be calibrated. As conductivity sensors have no moving or sacrificial elements, they are extremely robust, reliable, and long lived.

Cost of Ownership

The AlkaSense® requires no replacement of sensors, no calibration at all, no cleaning (the acid titration keeps it clean) and no sensor replacement, the only costs are those of the acid and the six-monthly maintenance, so the total cost of ownership of an AlkaSense® total alkalinity analyser is low in comparison to other technologies.

Benefits
  • No calibration – EVER!
  • Stable and reliable – excellent process control
  • Suitable for all potable and process waters
  • Up to 6 months between maintenance
  • Based on a simple, robust, conductivity measurement (not pH!)

Applications
  • Drinking water treatment – measuring and controlling alkalinity pre and post coagulation
  • Cooling towers for online Langelier Saturation Index determination and control
  • Swimming pools to balance the pool water

Anywhere you have a requirement to measure and/or control total alkalinity is a suitable application for the AlkaSense®.

Models

AlkaSense® is a sensor based automatic titration device for determining the total alkalinity of a water sample. It can come as a stand-alone device coupled to an analyser/controller, or as part of a larger analyser setup with multiple sensors and inbuilt control and remote access options.

In addition, for samples containing particulate, it can be protected using an online, self-flushing strainer.

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Process Instruments

Total Alkalinity Monitor - AlkaSense®

Measuring total alkalinity online can bring automation benefits over sporadic offline measurements, such as controlling cooling towers so they are operating in the ideal range for the Langelier Saturation Index, and ensuring that there is sufficient alkalinity for coagulation to take place during water treatment and ensuring that the alkalinity in pool water is optimised.

Until now online total alkalinity instruments have been expensive, and difficult to operate and maintain. AlkaSense with it’s ground-breaking use of an online conductivity sensor as its primary measurement device is both inexpensive AND easy to maintain.

In traditional online total alkalinity analysers, a sample is titrated to a known pH using an acid. This means that pH is the core measurement technique. Issues with pH measurements make this an unreliable and expensive instrument to own in that, the pH sensor:

All of this means that online alkalinity analysers based on pH are difficult and expensive to own. The AlkaSense® from Pi, however, uses conductivity as its primary measurement where the AlkaSense® titrates to an inflection point in the changing conductivity which happens when the alkalinity is used up by the acid being dosed (typically PTSA (Paratoluenesulfonic Acid)). Knowing the amount of acid dosed at this point and the normality of the acid allows AlkaSense® to accurately and repeatably determine the total alkalinity. As the underlying science requires an inflection point in the conductivity to determine the volume of the acid dosed, the actual conductivity is not important, therefore the conductivity sensor never needs to be calibrated. As conductivity sensors have no moving or sacrificial elements, they are extremely robust, reliable, and long lived.

Cost of Ownership

The AlkaSense® requires no replacement of sensors, no calibration at all, no cleaning (the acid titration keeps it clean) and no sensor replacement, the only costs are those of the acid and the six-monthly maintenance, so the total cost of ownership of an AlkaSense® total alkalinity analyser is low in comparison to other technologies.

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