New Total Organic Carbon (TOC) NDIR analyser assures municipal and industrial water quality

Engineers responsible for municipal drinking water or industrial process water, as well as wastewater effluent, will discover that the new next-gen precision Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyserfrom ECD Analyzers with non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) detection technology helps them know with high confidence that their treatment job is complete and that treated water is ready for use or re-use.

Installing ECD’s TOC analyser helps plants reduce costs, increases operational efficiency and supports regulatory compliance. Organic matter is nearly always present in water, whether it is surface water, raw or treated water. Measuring total organic carbon, or TOC, can be an important process variable when monitoring and controlling organic matter in water.

There are many industries and applications for ECD’s TOC analyser. They include drinking water, feed and cooling water in manufacturing, runoff water and wastewater being discharged to the environment where an accurate and reliable TOC measurement is required to protect the water supply.

TOC analyser is a full-featured instrument that utilizes the UV persulfate oxidation method, which detects generated carbon dioxide (CO2) using its highly stable NDIR detector for analysis. This method and the analyser conform to: US EPA, DIN, CE, ASTM and NAMUR regulations, as well as ISO.

Using the ECD TOC analyser is simple: the water sample is first acidified and then sparged to remove inorganic carbon. The remaining liquid is mixed with sodium persulfate and digested by two high-performance reactors. The resulting CO2is then stripped from the liquid and, after drying, its concentration is measured by the NDIR analyser. The analyzer measures TOC’s ranging from 0-5 mg/L to 20,000 mg/L.

The analyser’s advanced design features a valve-free sample line, which largely eliminates blockages. The analyser’s auto clean, autocalibration and autovalidation functions guarantee correct, reliable values that can be reproduced at any time without the need for manual intervention.

Unlike conventional analysers where the flow is controlled by a glass tube rotameter, the carrier gas flow with the ECD TOC analyser is controlled digitally. The flow is monitored via built-in smart diagnostics and if an abnormal value is detected, the analyser stops automatically and displays a warning alert.

The ECD TOC analyser is housed in a dual compartment enclosure. The water sample components are in one compartment, and the electronics are located in a second compartment for safety and highly reliable operation. The analyser compartment is rated IP54, NEMA 3, and conforms to EN610004-2, EN610004-4, C46-022, EN 55022 and EN 61326.

The ECD TOC analyser features an optional fast loop reservoir for safe operation in case of a sample loss. It maintains a constant sample flow and switches the analyzer to standby in the case of insufficient flow (dry running). As soon as the sample flow restarts, the measurement is process is resumed.

Highly intuitive and simple to use, the ECD TOC analyser’s user interface is a touchscreen display located on the front of the analyzer. All output/input data, status information, alarms and fault conditions are shown on the display. Simply pressing the touchscreen buttons provides access to commands and settings. The system is password protected for security.

Monitoring the TOC level of plant incoming source water will detect early pollution events and prompt action to be taken to divert or close the raw water intake before the treatment plant is contaminated. The monitoring of TOC content in finished water prior to distribution is also required in some countries to control disinfection by-products.

TOCs in municipal drinking water and wastewater are regulated by the US EPA, state and local water quality standards. The same is true for industrial process wastewater effluent at plant discharge. Food/beverage, pharmaceutical and other industries rely on TOC measurement for analysis of wastewater prior to discharge. In addition, the power generation industries rely on TOC measurements for water quality concerning cooling water, condensate and boiler feed water.