Conductivity of Surface Star Series

Method Note Conductivity of Surface

Fresh Water M-1021-E 03/05 RevB Fresh Water

Calibration and Analysis Key Words Introduction

1. Calibrate the cell constant with 1413 S Conductivity Standard. This procedure provides the direct conductivity reading of surface fresh water. The advanced Orion Dura-
2. Rinse the probe with deionized water and gently shake off excess water. Thoroughly rinse cell in the Conductivity Probe 4-electrode cell technology and the meters enhanced features make this method an ideal choice for
first beaker with 1413 S Conductivity Standard. Place the probe into second beaker filled with this lab or eld measurements.
Surface Fresh
conductivity standard. Cell should be immersed a minimum of two inches in the solution.
Water
3. Press the CALIBRATE key. Recommended Equipment Cat. No.
Conductivity Cell
4. Enter the standard value of 1413 using the UP and DOWN arrow keys and the Cond Application Package (includes all items with a Cat. No.) 1010122
DECIMAL/DIGIT key.
1. 3-Star portable conductivity meter 1214000
5. Press the MEASUREMENT key to accept 1413 S standard and to move to the measure mode of
2. Conductivity cell 013010MD
the meter.
3. Electrode storage sleeve 1210003
6. Rinse the probe with deionized water and gently shake off excess water. Thoroughly rinse cell with one
or more portions of sample. 4. Field case 1210004
7. Place cell in a prepared sample such that it is immersed a minimum of two inches in the solution. 5. Beakers (100 mL)
8. Press the MEASURE key on the meter, the S/cm icon will flash as the measurement is being made.
The S/cm icon will become solid and the display value will freeze when a stable reading is achieved. Required Solutions Cat. No
This value is logged and printed automatically.
1. Conductivity Standard, 1413 S/cm 011007
9. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for additional samples. Upon completion of samples, rinse electrode with
2. Conductivity Standard, 12.9 mS/cm 011006
deionized water and store the electrode according to instructions in the Electrode Storage section of
this method note. 3. Deionized water

Calibration Standard Preparation

1. Prepare two beakers with 1413 S Conductivity Standard. Transfer approximately 55-60 mL of the
1413 S standard into each beaker. The solution in first beaker will be used to rinse the probe before
calibration. The second beaker will be used for calibration.
2. If the expected results are higher levels of conductivity, follow Step 1 with the 12.9 mS/cm
Conductivity Standard.
3. If measuring a range of sample conductivities, then a two point calibration can be performed with the
two standards.

Sample Preparation
1. Transfer approximately 55-60 mL sample into a beaker.
2. Repeat this procedure for additional measurements.

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M-1021-E 03/05 RevB 2005 Thermo Electron Corporation.
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 Conductivity of Surface
Fresh Water

Results Meter Setup 3 Star Portable

Five aliquots of surface fresh water were collected from a local pond and measured for conductivity. The For initial meter setup, follow the steps on the Quick Reference Guide that is attached to the meter itself.
representative results are listed below: The Quick Start Guide also contains a layout of the meter keypad for reference. The words in this method
represented in all capital letters such as POWER indicate a key on the meter, and words in quotations such as
Unit indicate information on the meter display.
Surface Fresh Water S/cm
1. Connect the electrode to the meter.
Sample # 1: 288
2. Press the POWER key on the meter to turn the meter on.
Sample # 2: 288
3. Note that the arrow on the left of the screen indicates the active line. If the middle line is not active, press
Sample # 3: 289 the LINE SELECTION key to change the selected line to the middle line. Then press the UP or DOWN
Sample # 4: 290 arrow keys to select the desired conductivity results units.
Sample # 5: 288 4. Press the SETUP key to enter Conductivity Setup.
Sample # 6: 289 5. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the middle line, and press the DOWN arrow key to select tC
which is an abbreviation for temperature compensation (nonlinear, linear, and off ).
6. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the bottom line. Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to select
Mean: 289 nLF for tC. Press the LINE SELECTION key to accept setting.
Standard Deviation: 0.82 7. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the middle line, and press the DOWN arrow key to select
%CV: 0.28 trEF which is an abbreviation for reference temperature for temperature compensation.
8. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the bottom line. Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to select
Electrode Storage 25 for trEF. Press the LINE SELECTION key to accept setting.

1. Between measurement and when transporting equipment from the field, keep the probe secured in the 9. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the middle line, and press the DOWN arrow key to select
protective sleeve on the meter. tYPE which is an abbreviation for Conductivity Cell type.

2. Upon return to the lab, rinse the probe with deionized water. 10. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the bottom line. Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to select
Std for tYPE. Press the LINE SELECTION key to accept setting.
3. For overnight and prolonged storage, the conductivity cell should be stored clean and dry. 11. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the middle line, and press the DOWN arrow key to select
tdSF which is an abbreviation for Total Dissolved Solids.
Equipment Setup 12. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the bottom line. Press the UP or DOWN arrow keys to select
0.66 for tdSF. Press the LINE SELECTION key to accept setting.
Electrode Setup Conductivity Cell
13. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the middle line, and press the DOWN arrow key to select
1. Rinse the probe with deionized water. Gently shake off excess water.
CELL which is an abbreviation for Conductivity Cell Constant.
14. Press the LINE SELECTION key to select the bottom line. Enter the Cell Constant value of 0.475
using the UP and DOWN arrow keys to change the value of the flashing digit. Press the DECIMAL/
DIGIT key to advance to the next digit. Press the LINE SELECTION key to accept setting.
14. Press the MEASURE key to return to the measurement mode.

If all steps were followed correctly the meter display will show three digits in the top line and ISE: mg/L to
the right of the top line. The meter and electrode are now ready for calibration.

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