4th International Conference on Advanced Computing and Communication Technologies

2010

Automated pH Control of Water Distributed

Systems
Rajeev Kumar Chauhan*a, Kalpana Chauhan*b, Dr. M.L. Dewal*c
Lecturer, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, K.E.C. Ghaziabad, India
*b
Research Scholar, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
*c
Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical Engg, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
*a
rajeevchr_nitj@yahoo.com;
kal_2312@rediffmail.com; mohanfee@iitr.ernet.in
*a

Abstract Water makes up more than two thirds of the weight

of the human body. The human brain is made up of 95% water,
blood 82% and lungs 90%. Water is an important component to
our physiology, so the quality of water should be just as the
quantity. Drinking water should always be clean and free of
contaminants to ensure proper health and wellness. Basically, the
pH value determines whether water is hard or soft. In general,
water with a pH < 6 could be acidic and corrosive. This contains
metal ions such as manganese, copper, lead, zinc etc. There is
health risks associated with these toxins. So it is tough to develop
an automated water treatment system with the help of SCADA
which will maintain the water pH value as 7.
KeywordsAcidic; Corrosive; manganese; copper; lead; zinc

I. INTRODUCTION
It sounds so simple H2O. Two parts hydrogen, one part
oxygen. But this substance better known as water. Water
makes up more than two thirds of the weight of the human
body, and without it, we would die in a few days. The human
brain is made up of 95% water; blood is 82% and lungs 90%.
A mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs
of dehydration such as short-term memory, trouble with basic
math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a
computer screen.
In fact, all the cell and organ functions made up in our
entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their
functioning as follows:
Water serves as a lubricant
Water forms the base for saliva
Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.
Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and
heating is distributed through perspiration.
Water helps to alleviate constipation by moving food
through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating wastethe best detoxagent.

Regulates metabolism.

In addition to the daily maintenance of our bodies, water

also plays a key role in the prevention of disease. Drinking
eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon
cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and it can potentially
even reduce the risk of breast cancer. Since water is such an
important component to our physiology, it would make sense
that the quality of the water should be just as important as the
quantity. Drinking water should always be clean and free of
contaminants to ensure proper health and wellness [1].
The pH value determines whether water is soft or hard.
If pH value of water is less than 7 is considered acidic, and
with a pH greater than 7, basic. The formal definition of pH is
negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion activity
pH

= - log [H+]

The pH value of a substance is directly related to the

ratio of the hydrogen ion [H+] and the hydroxyl ion [OH-]
concentrations. If the H+ concentration is greater than OH-,
the material is acidic; i.e., the pH value is less than 7. If the
OH- concentration is greater than H+, the material is basic,
with a pH value greater than 7. If equal amounts of H+ and
OH- ions are present, the material is neutral, with a pH of 7.
Acids and bases have free hydrogen and hydroxyl ions,
respectively.Since the relationship between hydrogen ions and
hydroxyl ions in a given solution is constant for a given set of
conditions, either one can be determined by knowing the other.
Thus, pH is a measurement of both acidity and alkalinity, even
though by definition it is a selective measurement of hydrogen
ion activity. Since pH is a logarithmic function, a change of
one pH unit represents a ten-fold change in hydrogen ion
concentration [3]. Alkalinity is a measure of the capacity of
the water to resist a change in pH that would tend to make the
water more acidic. The measurement of alkalinity and pH is
needed to determine the corrosiveness of the water. Water
with a low pH (< 6.5) could be acidic, soft, and corrosive.
Therefore, the water could contain metal ions such as iron,
manganese, copper, lead, and zinc...i.e. elevated levels of
toxic metals. This can cause premature damage to metal

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piping, and have associated aesthetic problems such as a

metallic or sour taste, staining of laundry, and the
characteristic "blue-green" staining of sinks and drains. More
importantly, there is health risks associated with these toxins.
The primary way to treat the problem of low pH water is with
the use of a neutralizer. The neutralizer feeds a solution into
the water to prevent the water from reacting with the
household plumbing or contributing to electrolytic corrosion.
A typical neutralizing chemical is soda ash. Neutralizing with
soda ash, however, increases the sodium content of the water.
The water with a pH > 8.5 could indicate that the water is hard.
Hard water does not pose a health risk, but can cause aesthetic
problems. These problems include an alkali taste to the water
(making that morning coffee taste bitter!), formation of a
deposit on dishes, utensils, and laundry basins, difficulty in
getting soaps and detergents to lather, and formation of
insoluble precipitates on clothing. While the ideal pH level of
drinking water should be between 6 to 8.5, the human body
maintains pH equilibrium on a constant basis and will not be
affected by water consumption. For example our stomachs
have a naturally low pH level of 2 which is beneficial acid that
helps us with food digestion [2].

2010

(even though the process remains at a constant pH), so a

temperature sensor is necessary to correct for this change in
output. This is done in the analyser or transmitter software.

Fig.1. Solid- State Sensor for PH measurement(e.g. [2])

The preamplifier is a signal-conditioning device. It takes

the high-impedance pH electrode signal and changes it into
allowable impedance signal which the analyser or transmitter
can accept. The preamplifier also strengthens and stabilizes
the signal, making it less susceptible to electrical noise.

The measurement electrode's purpose is to generate the

voltage used to measure the solution's pH. This voltage
appears across the thickness of the glass, placing the silver
wire on one side of the voltage and the liquid solution on the
According to research articles and news, most tap and other. The pH electrode is temperature dependent, and may be
well water in the U.S. now are not safe for drinking due to compensated for in the pH meter circuitry. The circuitry of the
heavy industrial and environmental pollution [2],[3]. We have pH meter utilizes the Nernst equation, which is a general
reached to a point that, all sources of our drinking water, wells, mathematical description of electrode behavior.
lakes, rivers, and even glaciers, contain some level of
contamination. Contaminants range from naturally-occurring
minerals to man-made chemicals and by-products. While
many contaminants are found at levels not enough not to
cause immediate discomforts or sicknesses , it is proven that
even low-level exposure to many common contaminants will, Where:
over time, cause severe illness including liver damage, cancer, Ex = Constant depending upon reference electrode,
and other serious ailments. Even the chemicals commonly R= constant,
used to treat municipal water supplies such as chlorine and TK = Absolute Temperature (Kelvin),
fluoride are toxic and are known to have significant adverse n= charge of the ion (Including Sign),
F=Constant,
effects on the human body.
ai = activity of the ion.
For actual use in converting pH readings to mill volts,
II. EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP
this equation can be simplified to (e.g.[4])
A. Hardware
We install a water purification system. This Model which
includes two water tanks; tank1 such as holding tank and
For pH measurement, we are interested in the hydrogen
tank2 as shown in fig.3. with water flow through the water
ion for
filter. After the filtration, water is distributed to the sites and
tank. There is a pH sensor with the principle of working and
characteristics given in the following sections, shown in Fig
1,inside the tank 2 which measures the pH value of the water.
A pH measurement loop is made up of three components, the
pH sensor, which includes a measuring electrode, a reference Where: n = 1 and T = 25C
This term is commonly known as the Nernst coefficient.
electrode, and a temperature sensor; a Preamplifier and an
analyser or transmitter. A solution in the reference electrode Since pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen
also makes contact with the sample solution and the ion activity, the general equation at any temperature can be
measuring electrode through a junction, completing the circuit. expressed as:
Output of the measuring electrode changes with temperature

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As usual, the precision voltage supply would be adjusted

by the technician until the null detector registered zero, then
The reference electrode's purpose is to provide the stable, the voltmeter connected in parallel with the supply would be
zero-voltage connection to the liquid solution so that a viewed to obtain a voltage reading. With the detector "nulled"
complete circuit can be made to measure the glass electrode's (registering exactly zero), there should be zero current in the
voltage. While the reference electrode's connection to the test pH electrode circuit, and therefore no voltage dropped across
liquid may only be a few kilo-ohms, the glass electrode's the resistances of either electrode, giving the real electrode
resistance may range from ten to nine hundred mega-ohms, voltage at the voltmeter terminals [2].
depending on electrode design! Being that any current in this B. Software
circuit must travel through both electrodes' resistances (and
A SCADA (supervisory control data acquisition) system
the resistance presented by the test liquid itself), these
often includes a HMI (human machine interface) to visualize
resistances are in series with each other and therefore add to
the state of the system variables, set points, alert operators of
make an even greater total. Another approach, seldom seen in
critical conditions and archive and present data trends. The
contemporary use, is to use a potentiometric "null-balance"
trend is to applications specific to water PH value controlling
voltage measurement setup to measure this voltage without
system. Some commonly used packages are Vijeo Citect
drawing any current from the circuit under test. If a technician
(Schneider Electric), RS View 32 (Rockwell Automation),
desired to check the voltage output between a pair of pH
IFIX (Intelluttion), In Touch (Wonderware), and Cimplicity
electrodes, this would probably be the most practical means of
(GE-Fanuc) with the advantage of Windows NT, the HMI
doing so using only standard bench top metering equipment:
software can be reliably installed on common PC (Personal
Computer) hardware in an office environment.

Fig. 2. Electrical circuit for Sensor (e.g.[2])

Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA)

allows a utility operator to monitor and control processes that
are distributed among various remote sites. SCADA system
owners bear the ultimate responsibility for protecting what
they manage. They have participated in vulnerability
assessments, have made improvements and continue to do so.
Through vulnerability assessments and responding to research
questions, they also provide the information that gives
direction for other stake holders. The goal of this paper is to
develop a management paper work that uses existing
probabilistic control of pH value of the distributed water
supply systems. An important aspect of every SCADA
system is the computer software used within the system. The
most obvious software component is the operator interface or
Man Machine Interface/Human Machine Interface (MMI/HMI)
package; however, software of some form pervades all levels
of a SCADA system. Depending on the size and nature of the
SCADA application, software can be a significant cost item
when developing, maintaining, and expanding a SCADA
system. When software is well defined, designed, written,
checked, and tested, a successful SCADA system will likely
be produced. Poor performances in any of these project phases
will very easily cause a SCADA project to fail. Here we use
two software, one is PLC software RSlogix500 (by Rockwell)
and other is SCADA RSview32 (by Rockwell).
RSView32 (e.g.[7]) is an integrated Human Machine
Interface for monitoring and controlling automation machines
and processes. Its versatility shows with seamless integration
to other Rockwell Software and Microsoft products as well as
third-party applications. RSView32 have distinctive features:
i. Powerful graphics editor.
ii. Graphic import/export wizard.

Fig. 3. Hardware for water Ph Value Controlling System

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iii. Customize the look of graphic displays.

2010

valve 1 will be closed and valve 2 opened to send the water

for recycling.

iv. Comprehensive alarms editor.

IV. RESULTS
The operator can view the Alarm and devices status on the
HMI (Human Machine Interface) or Special type of Computer.
Alarm window shows the present and past state of the each
devices Fig.4.

v. Full-featured data log editor.

vi. Sophisticated logic and control editor.
vii. Security features:
*Secure RSView32 at the project level.
*Secure RSView32 at the system level.
RSLogix500 (e.g.[8]) was the first PLC programming
software to offer unbeatable productivity with an industryleading user interface. RSLogix 500 comes in two editions: a
Standard edition that provides basic ladder logic editing
functions, and a Professional edition that provides additional
functions to expand your automation solutions and make
editing ladder logic simple.
i. Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications support.
ii. Custom Graphical Monitor.
iii. Editing project databases using Microsoft Excel.
iv. Logic Trace.
III. OPERATION

Fig4. SCADA Window to view Alarm Status

Initially the water is stored in holding tank that may

have contained levels of contamination including synthetic
organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic. This water is send to
the water filter. Whose filtration system worth invest-in is a 4
to 5 stage water purifier system. Each stage will remove
certain types of contaminants, and all stages combined should
protect you from just about every contaminant as well as it
maintained the PH value of the water. The larger the impurity
particulate the easier it is to filter. The smaller the impurity
particulate, the harder it is to remove. Thus, the size of the
filter pore and the durability of the filtering element are
important to the filter's longevity and ability to perform. Most
filtering elements are made of ceramic, glass fiber, hard-block
carbon, or materials that resemble compressed surgical paper.

V. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSIONS

These systems also include activated carbon and reverse

osmosis. Carbon makes to filtration is its ability to reduce
chemical quantities, poor taste, odors and many pollutants.
Because carbon is only mildly effective in filtering out
particulates and microorganisms, it is mostly used as a second
or third stage filter in home and portable water use. It is
seldom used as a stand-alone filtering, and often times, used in
conjunction with reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis, which
uses a semi-permeable membrane filter to separate the water
from contaminants.
After the filtration water is sent to the tank 2 and supply
line. There is pH sensor in tank2 which senses the pH value
and sends it to the SCADA System. Which compares it to the
defined value. If the pH is less than the defined value then the

The paper present a SCADA system for a good water

filtration system installed at different places of a city. This is
the only way to proactively monitor and ensure the quality and
safety of drinking water. Reverse osmosis water purification
systems can remove 90-99% of all contaminants from city and
well water to deliver healthy drinking water.
A state where this system can deliver water free from the
total dissolved solids, turbidity, asbestos, lead and other toxic
heavy metals, radium, and many dissolved organic substances,
is reached . The process will also remove chlorine, and also
can remove nuclear radiation such as radioactive plutonium or
strontium in the drinking water.
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www.freedrinkingwater.com/watereducation /quality -water-ph.html,

the importance of water and human health.
www.sensorland.com/HowPage037.html, typical PH Sensor.
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DHA-3000DIGITAL pH Meter, LaMotte Company Helping People
Solve An analytical Challenges PO Box 329 Chestertown Mary,
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Boyer, Stuart, A. SCADA: Supervisory control and data Acquisition,
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Bruce Li, P.Eng. SCADA application in water and waste water
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Listen think solve, product profile RSView32, publicationVW32PP002B-EN-P-August 2007.
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500 GR002C-EN-P-January 2007, Page81-83.

4th International Conference on Advanced Computing and Communication Technologies

[9]

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