Field Instrumentation GEN Rev)

117 Field Instrumentation GEN Rev)


7. Analytical Instrumentation

Objectives:

Upon completion of this topic you should be able to understand following
concepts about Conductivity and PH analyzers:
1. Concept of conductivity
2. Conductivity measurement
3. PH and ORP concept
4. PH and ORP measurement
5. Wiring of PH electrode
6. Troubleshooting and maintenance

118 Field Instrumentation GEN Rev)

7.1 Conductivity
Resistance is a measure of the ability of an electrical circuit to oppose current flow. Conductance is a measure of the ability of a circuit to pass current. The symbol for conductance is G. Unit of measurement for conductance is Siemens or mho), and is the reciprocal of resistance (R) in ohms GR The conductivity of a substance is the conductance of a unit length and unit cross-sectional area of that substance. Several kinds of sensors, or probes, are used to measure the conductivity of a process liquid. The two main kinds are
1. Electrode probe
2. Inductive (electrode-less) probe
Electrode probe

The electrode probe operates by applying a fixed-amplitude, square-wave voltage across two electrodes of known size and known separation immersed in the process liquid. If the liquid contains ions, allowing a current to flow, the current is measured and converted to a conductivity reading. An alternating current is used to avoid polarizing the liquid, a condition that would make a reading impossible. Polarization is the production of a gaseous layer on the surface of the electrodes. If the size of the electrode plates is changed, the amount of current changes. Therefore, the indicated conductivity changes although the voltage has not changed. This procedure is referred to as changing the cell constant of an instrument. Each cell with fixed electrodes has its own cell constant. Cell constants range from 0.01 to 100 and vary by multiples often. An instrument with a cell constant of 0.01 has a range of 1 to 10 micro- Siemens, an instrument with a cell constant of 0.1 has a range of 1 to 100 micro Siemens, and an instrument with a cell constant of 1.0 can measure 1 to 1000 micro- Siemens, and soon.

119 Field Instrumentation GEN Rev)

Download 3.37 Mb.

Share with your friends: