A Better Way to Measure Dissolved Oxygen in Power Plant Pure Water Systems

measuring dissolved oxygen
In power plants, approximately half of unscheduled shutdowns can be traced to water cycle chemistry issues which involve costly repairs and lost operating revenue that can never be recovered. One of the most important parameters to measure to improve power plant water system efficiency is dissolved oxygen, DO. DO causes corrosion of components that contain iron and copper. Transport and deposits of these particles can also accelerate corrosion and damage critical plant equipment.

DO is measured at several locations in a water system. Traditionally, DO is measured with polarographic sensors, which use a gas permeable membrane to separate the sample from the electrochemical cell inside. Depending on the operating environment, polarographic sensors can require monthly electrolyte and membrane replacement.  After service, the sensor cannot produce meaningful readings for several hours because of required polarization. They are also sensitive to sample flow rate and experience interference from dissolved hydrogen.

pure water optical DO sensor
Mettler Toledo pure water optical DO sensor 
Unlike traditional DO sensors, the Mettler Toledo Thornton online pure water optical DO sensor does not require polarization. It uses optical technology to provide fast and accurate analysis. Its measurement response is six times faster than polarographic sensors. The optical DO sensor also does not use electrolyte or a membrane, so it's not sensitive to flow or susceptible to damage from particles and dissolved hydrogen interference. There is no interior body to replace, and service is required only once a year to quickly and easily replace the one-piece Optocap sensing element. This provides plants with lower operating costs and reduced downtime. 

The Mettler Toledo Thornton pure water optical DO sensor provides a fast, accurate and low-maintenance method of measuring dissolved oxygen concentration in power plant pure water systems.

For more information for any Mettler Toledo Process Analytics product, contact Alliance Technical Sales. Visit https://alliancets.com or call 630-321-9646.