How To Accurately Measure Conductivity

Technical Bulletin 8-010 Miscellaneous

Importance of Accurate Conductivity Measurement Conductivity is an important water treatment control parameter that is widely used for monitoring and controlling the blowdown rate in cooling towers and boilers. Inaccurate conductivity measurement can lead to poor results from your water treatment programs. This technical bulletin was prepared to help you understand how to properly measure conductivity. What is Conductivity? Conductivity measures the ability of a water solution to conduct an electrical current. Conductivity is widely used in water treatment to estimate the concentration of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in water. In general, the conductivity increases as the dissolved solids concentration in water increases. As a "rule of thumb", the dissolved solids concentration is usually between about 65 to 75 percent of the measured conductivity. However, not all solids dissolved in water conduct an electrical current equally. For example, as the table below shows, hydroxide ions (OH-) conduct an electrical current much better than most other naturally occurring dissolved minerals. And organic substances such as sugar, greases, or oil contribute very little to conductivity when dissolved in water because they do not ionize. Keep in mind that when dissolved ions become solid matter due to precipitation reactions (scale formation), the conductivity may fall because the ions are no longer in solution to contribute to the conductivity.

Advantage Model HT-3P Hand Held Conductivity Meter

Guidelines for Measuring Conductivity Each conductivity meter comes with instructions for the use and care of the meter and electrode. Be sure to read these instructions prior to use. Following are some general guidelines: 1. Conductivity is very temperature sensitive. Do not use with samples hotter than specified (>160 F) - the results will not be accurate and the automatic temperature compensation will be damaged. Allow meters with automatic temperature compensation sufficient time to stabilize. 2. It is recommended that the calibration of your conductivity meter be checked at least monthly. Use conductivity standard solutions in the ranges you typically encounter when testing. Discard the standard solution after use - do not put back in the bottle. 3. Rinse the sample cup with clean water following each use. This will help prevent the build up of deposits and increase meter reliability. 4. The unit of measure for conductivity is umho/cm (pronounced micromho) or uS/cm (pronounced microsieman), which is the metric equivalent. Conductivity levels in excess of 1,000 uS/cm are expressed as mS/cm (pronounced millisiemans). 1 mS/cm = 1000 uS/cm. Thus, a reading of 2.14 mS/cm = 2,140 uS/cm 2,140 umhos/cm. Neutralized Conductivity in Boiler Water Samples The hydroxide ion (OH-) is such a strong conductor of electricity in water that samples containing high levels, such as boiler water, will exhibit an unusually high conductivity. These samples should be neutralized with Conductivity Neutralizing Solution (Gallic Acid Solution) if they are to be used for blowdown control purposes. The general procedure involves measuring about 50 ml of cooled sample to a casserole or flask, adding a drop of Phenolphthalein Indicator, and then adding Conductivity Neutralizing Solution drop by drop until the sample clears. Do not neutralize in the sample cup.

Chem-Aqua, Inc. 2006

CATB8-010 Issue Date: 10/31/2006