PRINCIPLESOFSURFACESCATTER

TURBIDITYMEASUREMENT

TechnicalInformationSeriesBooklet

OriginallyAuthoredByCliffordC.Hach
RevisedbyTerryEngelhardtandMikeSadar,June2013


TableofContents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................4
ResponsetoHighTurbidities....................................................................................................4
StrayLight.................................................................................................................................6
MaintenanceChallengesforOnlineTurbidityMeasurement.................................................6
SurfaceScatterPrinciple...........................................................................................................7
OpticalDesign...........................................................................................................................8
MechanicalDesign..................................................................................................................10
ElectronicDesign.....................................................................................................................11
SignalAveragingandBubbleRejectionMethodology............................................................12
OvercomingSevereEntrainedAirandVariableSamplePressure.........................................13
SmartSensorDesignandControllerOptions.........................................................................14
TwoSampleUnitConfigurationsAvailable............................................................................15
HighSolidsSamples................................................................................................................16
DeterminingCorrelationofTurbidityMeasurementtoSuspendedSolids............................19
TheEffectofColorInterferenceUsingtheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter.............................23
TheEffectofCarbonUsingtheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter...............................................26
Calibration...............................................................................................................................27
SecondaryStandard................................................................................................................30
HighTurbidityMeasurementOptions....................................................................................31
AppendixA:SurfaceScatter7Specifications.........................................................................35
AppendixB:SummaryofUSEPAMethod180.1DesignRequirements...............................36
AppendixC:USEPAAcceptanceLetter.................................................................................37
AppendixD:ReplacementPartsandAccessories...................................................................38



















SurfaceScatter,RatioandGelexareHachCompanytrademarks

TableofFigures
Figure1:90oScatteringNephelometer.......................................................................................................4
Figure2:ResponseCharacteristicfor90oNephelometer...........................................................................4
Figure3:AverageLightPathfor90oNephelometer....................................................................................5
Figure4:ResponseCharacteristicforNephelometersofVariousLightPaths............................................5
Figure5:SourcesofStrayLight....................................................................................................................6
Figure6:Sensorsimmersedinthesample..................................................................................................7
Figure7:SurfaceScatterOpticalDesignDiagram.......................................................................................8
Figure8:CrossSectionofSampleLightPath...............................................................................................8
Figure9:LightSourceAlignmentTemplate.................................................................................................9
Figure10:SampleUnit...............................................................................................................................10
Figure11:SurfaceScatterLightSourceAssembly.....................................................................................11
Figure12:TypicalResponseCharacteristicsforaSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter......................................12
Figure13:EffectofSignalAveragingandBubbleRejection......................................................................13
Figure14:PlumbingdiagramforBubbleTrapandSS7Turbidimeter.......................................................14
Figure15:SS7scHSTConfiguration..........................................................................................................16
Figure16:Samplesystemforhot,corrosiveorhighsolidssamples.........................................................17
Figure17:Configurationofthesc200forautoflushoperation................................................................18
Figure18:Demonstrationofthecorrelationofturbidityandsuspendedsolids......................................22
Figure19:Determiningcorrelationofsolidsinmg/ltoturbidityinNTU..................................................23
Figure20:Averageerroroverallstandardsforeachtypeofcolor...........................................................25
Figure21:SummaryoferrorsforFormazinspikedwithred,blue,green,oryellowdyes.......................25
Figure22:DifferencesinerrorbetweenSurfaceScatterandRatioturbidimeters...................................26
Figure23:ResponsecomparisonofaSurfaceScatterTurbidimeterandalaboratory............................27
Figure24:CalibrationCurveofthreeSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimetersvs.Ideal...................................28
Figure25:InsertingtheCalibrationCup....................................................................................................29
Figure26:HachCompanyhighrangeturbidityandsuspendedsolidsinstruments.................................32

 4

Introduction
Thenephelometric1orlightscatteringprincipleofturbiditymeasurementinaliquidoftenisconsidered
applicableonlytomeasurementoflowturbidities,suchasinfilteredwater.Thisisbecauseofupper
rangelimitationsthatcanbemeasuredwithoutdilutionandthenaturaltendencyofturbidsamplesto
coatopticalsurfaces.Alsothereisaproblemwithlossofsensitivityduetosamplematrixorparticulate
absorptionofboththeincidentandscatteredlightonhighturbiditysamples.HachCompanyssurface
scatterdesignminimizestheseadverseeffects.EmbodiedintheSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimeter,this
designessentiallyhasnoupperturbidityrangelimit,negligiblestraylightinterferenceandnolossof
sensitivityduetodirtyopticalsurfaces.Forpurposesofintroduction,asimple90degreescattering
nephelometerisillustratedinFigure1.

Figure1:90oScatteringNephelometer

ResponsetoHighTurbidities
Figure2illustratestheresponseofa90lightscatternephelometerisalinearfunctionoftheturbidity
beginningatapproximatelyzerobutbecomesnonlinearathighervaluesofturbidity.Theslopeofthe
linearportionofthecurveisdependentuponthestrengthoftheincidentlightbeam,sensitivityofthe
detectionsystemandthepathlengthinsidethemeasurementcell.Forexample,thereareturbidimeters
withasensitivityof100percentoffullscalewithturbiditiesaslowas1.0NephelometricTurbidityUnit
(NTU).
100
Percent full scale

50

0
Turbidity

Figure2:ResponseCharacteristicfor90oNephelometer

1
Theword"nephelometric"describesanopticalprincipleofinstrumentationwherebyturbidityisdeterminedbymeasuring
theamountoflightscatteredatsomeanglefromtheincidentlightpathbyparticlessuspendedinthetestsolution.The
AmericanPublicHealthAssociationandtheU.S.EnvironmentalProtectionAgencyhaveadoptednephelometryasthe
acceptedinstrumentalmethodforturbiditymeasurementinpotablewaterandwastewaterandstipulatedanangleof
detectionof90totheincidentlightpath.TheNTUnomenclatureisusedinthe14theditionofStandardMethodsforthe
ExaminationofWaterandWastewater,1976,andsubsequenteditions,includingthe21stedition,2005.CalibrationofHach
turbidimetersalwayshasbeenbasedonFormazin;apolymersuspensionalmostuniversallyacceptedinthewaterindustry
andassociatedindustriesastheprimaryreferencestandard.Allotherturbiditystandards,includingthestabilizedFormazin,
SDVBandPSLcompositesareultimatelytracedtoprimaryFormazin.
 5

Thelengthofthestraightportionoftheresponsecurveisdependentuponthelengthofthetotallight
pathoftheturbidimetersamplecellorchamber.Theaveragelightpathinthesimplenephelometerof
Figure1isillustratedinFigure3.Thetotalaveragelightpathcanbeseenas0.50+0.50inch(1.3cm+
1.3cm)or1inch(2.54cm).Ifthecelldimensionsarealteredand,correspondingly,thecrosssectionof
thelightbeamisaltered,thelightpathcanbelengthenedorshortenedasmuchasrequired.The
responseofnephelometersofvariouslightpathsisillustratedbyFigure4.

Detector

Lamp Lens
Sample cell

1

Figure3:AverageLightPathfor90oNephelometer

2 light path

100
Percent full scale

50
zero light path

0
500 1000 1500 2000
Turbidity

Figure4:ResponseCharacteristicforNephelometersofVariousLightPaths

InFigure4,thespanofthenephelometerwassetupfor01000NTU.Asthelightpathislengthened,the
responselinearitydecreasesintherangeof01000NTU.Alsonotethecurvebeginsatzeroasalinear
functionineverycaseandthenbecomesnonlinearasturbidityincreases.Thisisbecauseturbidityof
boththesample,andtoalesserextent,thesamplematrixofarespectivesampleabsorbsandscatters
someoftheincominglight.Thisdiminishesthestrengthoftheincidentlightbeamasitpenetratesthe
sample,therebydecreasingsensitivityoftheinstrument.

Thereislesslighttobescatteredfromthepartofthesampleintheviewvolumeofthephotocell.In
addition,someofthelightscatteredbytheturbidityisabsorbedbythesampleturbidityasitemerges
fromthecell,furtherreducingthelightreachingthephotocell.Consequently,inordertoobtainafull
scalemeterreadingat1000NTU(whenusingacelloflonglightpath),thesensitivityoftheinstrumentis
increased(throughamplificationofthedetectionsystemorthroughastrongerlightsourceoralonger
pathlengthoracombinationofallthree)toahigherlevelthanwouldbethecaseifthelightpathlength
wereshort.Thisresultsinanexaggeratedresponseofthemeterforturbidityvaluesoflessthan1000
NTU.Thus,anonlinearresponsecurveisobtained.

 6

Note,too,astheturbidityincreases(Figure4)usingthecellsoflonglightpath,theresponsecurve
becomesflat.Asturbiditycontinuestoincrease,theresponsedecreasesandfinallyapproachalowand
nonresponsivevalueataveryhighturbidity.Termed"goingblind,"thisoccurswhentheturbidity
becomessohighthelightbeamiscompletelyabsorbedandscatteredawayfromtheviewvolumeofthe
detectionsystem.

StrayLight
Thestraylightofanopticalsystemalsomustbeconsideredbecauseitasignificantsourceof
measurementerroratlowturbiditylevels.Straylightreachesthephotocellbecauseofreflectionsfrom
allsourcesotherthanthesample(illustratedinFigure5).

Detector

Light leakage from Light leakage

Lamp lens system from the light trap

Light Trap

Lens
Light scatter from
the sample cell

Figure5:SourcesofStrayLight

Turbidimeterdesignmustminimizesourcesofstraylightfromscatteringorreflectingtothedetector
fromanysurfaceoftheoptics,enclosureorotherfixtures,fittingsoraccessories.Oneproblemin
quantifyingstraylightisuncertaintyastowhetherabsolutelypurewaterscatterslightthushas
turbidity.Itnowiswidelyacceptedthatpurewaterdoesscatterlighthencepurewaterhasturbidity.
Manyattemptshavebeenmadetoquantifytheturbidityofpurewater.Currentevidencesuggeststhe
valuemaybewellbelow0.007NTU.

MaintenanceChallengesforOnlineTurbidityMeasurement
Minimizingmaintenanceofinstrumentsforonlineturbiditymeasurementspresentsamajorchallenge.
Convenienceofcontinuousmonitoringcanbeoffsetquicklyiffrequentmaintenanceisrequired.
Problemscanoccurwithlaboratoryorportableturbidimetersaswell.Amongthemare:
o Dirtyanddamagedsamplecells
o Cellswhicharenotperfectlyround
o Damagetotheinstrumentifthesampleiscorrosive
o Timeconsuming,difficultproceduresforcalibratingtheinstrument
o Maintainingsamplecellsingoodcondition,freefromdirtandsediment,isatimeconsumingtask.
o Samplecellscanbescratchedandbrokenduringcleaningandhandling.
o Foggingofoutsidesurfacesalsocanbetroublesome.
o Entrainedairbubblescancausefalsehighanderraticmeasurements.
o Processinstrumentsusingsamplecellsaresusceptibletothesameproblemsencounteredwith
laboratoryinstruments.
o Processinstrumentsaresusceptibletochangesinflowandpressurewhichcancreatefalsepositive
andnegativespikes.
o Sampleswithrapidlysettlingparticulatesofhighdensitiesaredifficulttomeasure.Agitationto
suspendsuchmaterialintroducesairwhichwillcausefalsepositiveresults.
 7

Figure6:Sensorsimmersedinthesample
Sensorsincontactwithsamplecanbecomefouledwithplantdebris,mineraldeposits,biofilmsandlive
organisms.Thesurfacescatterdesigneliminatesallcontactofthesamplewiththeinstrumentsoptics.

Theseconditionscaneitherpreventlightscatteredbythesamplefromreachingthedetectororcan
increasestraylight,amajorfactorcontributingtomeasurementerrors.

Measuringsamplespresentingcorrosionproblems,severescalingorbuildupofbiologicalgrowthsand
filmscanprovidemajorchallenges.Theseconditionscausedifficultywhenusinganinstrumentwitha
samplecell.Thebestpossiblesolutionfortheseconditionswouldbetomakemeasurementswithouta
physicalsamplecellandwithoutthesamplecontactinganypartoftheopticalsystemthelightsource,
focusinglensesorphotodetector.Corrosivesamplesalsocangiveoffcorrosivevapors.Accordingly,all
electronicpartsmustbesealedorhousedinaremoteenclosure.Evenhighhumiditycancausesevere
corrosionofelectronicparts.

Theeaseofcalibrationanddegreeofaccuracyachievedareprimaryfactorsinanyinstrument
maintenanceprotocol.Calibrationofanonlineturbidimetermustbe:
withprimarystandards
accurate
rapid
easytocomplete
verifiablewithsecondarystandards

SurfaceScatterPrinciple
Thepatented2turbidimeterdesigntermedSurfaceScatterisbasedonaprincipledevelopedintheglass
industry,thefloatprocess.3IntheSurfaceScatterdesign,seeFigure7,waterentersaninclinedtube(the
turbidimeterbody)abouthalfwaybetweenthesurfaceandthebottomandflowsupward,overflowinga
broadcrestedweiraroundthetopofthebodytoformanearlyperfectlevelliquidsurface.Lightfromthe
instrumentlampisprojectedtointerfacenearthecenterofthisflatsurface.Aphotodetectorpositioned
abovethesurfaceat90tothecenterlineofincidentlightpathdetectsscatteredlight.Thetermsurface
scatterisderivedfromthispositioningofthelightsourceandphotodetector.Theinstrumentdoesnot
measurelightscatteredfromthesurface,aswillbeexplainedbelow.

2
U.S.PatentNo.3,309,956
3
Inthisprocess,moltenglassispoureduponthesurfaceofamoltenmetal.Bothtopandbottomsurfacesoftheglassattain
ahighfinishandbrilliance,betterthanthatachievedbygrindingorpolishing.
 8

Detector
Assembly
Light Source
Assembly
90 Scattered
Light

Incident
Reflected Light
Light 90

Refracted
Light

Turbidimeter
Body

Figure7:SurfaceScatterOpticalDesignDiagram

OpticalDesign
Thelightsource,operatingatacolortemperatureofapproximately22003000oK,isdirectedatthe
surfaceatanangleof70relativetothelevelsurfaceofthesample.Thephotodetector,withapeak
spectralresponseof540nm,ispositionedabovethesurface.

Theangleofthelightsourcerelativetotheturbidimeterbodyissuchthatastheincidentlightreaches
thewatersurfacethemajorityofthelightisrefractedandthebeamentersthewaterparalleltothe
inclinedturbidimeterbody.Lightnotscatteredbyparticlesistrappedbytheturbidimeterbodythus
minimizingstraylight.Averysmallamountofthelightisreflectedawayfromthedetectorandintothe
uppercorneroftheinstrumentenclosurewhereitalsoistrapped.

Thedetectorassemblyiscenteredat90fromthecenterlineoftheincidentlightpathtomonitor
scatteredlight.However,asFigure8illustrates,lightisscatteredbyparticlesinthesample,notfromthe
surface.
Detector

90 o scattered light Light Source

Assembly
Reflec
ted lig
ht

Portion of sample
which is
illuminated and
within view of the
detector.
ht
w

lig
lo
eF

d
cte
pl

fra
m
Sa

Re

Overflow to
waste

Figure8:CrossSectionofSampleLightPath

 9

Aportionofthesampleisilluminated.Thetopoftheinclinedbodyformsabroadcrestedweir.The
wateroverflowingtheweirformsaconvexpoolofwaterbehindtheweir.Thecenterofthepoolis
opticallyflat.Incidentlightfromthelampassemblyisfocusedonthisopticallyflatarea.Maintaininga
flowofonetotwoL/miniscriticaltomaintaintheheightofthewatersurfaceinrelationtotheincident
lightbeam.Iftheflowistoohighortoolow,thelightbeamwillnotfallontheproperpositiontocreate
theviewvolumeneededforaccuratemeasurements.Alightsourcealignmenttemplateissuppliedwith
theinstrumenttoproperlyalignofthelampassemblyaftermaintenancetothelightsourceassembly.

Overflow to
waste

Figure9:LightSourceAlignmentTemplate
Afterthelampischangedorothermaintenanceisperformedonthelightsourceassemblythelamp
alignmentischeckedandresetasneededbyfirstinsertingthecalibrationcup.Then,theLightSource
AlignmentTemplateisplacedontopofthecalibrationcupasillustratedandtheassemblyadjustedto
centerthebeamonthelinesetchedontheplate.

Themaximumtotallightpath(incidentplusscatteredlight)intheviewofthedetectorneverexceeds
1.6inches(4.06cm).Thismaximumlightpathwouldexistonlyforlowturbiditysamples.Asturbidity
increases,thelightpathdecreasesuntilthetotallightpathisacentimeterorlessinveryturbidwater.
Thisautomaticselfadjustinglightpathresultsinrangeexpansioninmuchthesamewaychanging
froma1samplecelltoa1cmsamplecellresultsinrangeexpansionforalaboratorymeasurement.
Thus,theSurfaceScatterTurbidimeterwillnotgoblindasconventionalnephelometersdo.Rangeis
limitedonlybytheamountoflightthatcanbesuppliedandbydetectorsensitivity.

Thestraylightofthecurrentsurfacescatterdesignisestimatedtobe0.04NTU.Sincethesurface
scatterdesignisintendedforhigherrangeenvironmentalandindustrialapplications,theturbidityof
purewaterandthislevelofstraylightarenotsignificant.Thisdoesnotmeantheissueofstraylightis
notimportantininstrumentdesignandusefortheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter.Theintegrityofthe
opticaldesignandtheinstrumentenclosuremustbemaintainedorstraylightmaybecomeasignificant
sourceoferror.

TheSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimeterhasarangeupto9999NTUyethaslowrangeresolutiontothe
nearest0.01NTU.Theinstrumenthasaremarkablefivedecadesofrange.Thepracticallowerlimitof
theSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimetershouldbeconsideredtobe0.10NTU.Theinstrumentswiderange
capabilityhasleadtoapplicationsasdiverseasdetectingformationoffrazzleice(small,needlelikeice
crystals)inariverpriortoahydroelectricturbinetomonitoringhot,corrosivewhiteliquorinpaper
manufacturing.

TheSurfaceScatterdesignmeetsrequirementsoftheU.S.EPAmethod180.1andthusisacceptablefor
reportingfortheSafeDrinkingWaterActandCleanWaterAct.SeeAppendicesBandC.
 10

MechanicalDesign
Theinclinedbodyactsasatrapforsolidswithhighdensitiesandalsoactsasalighttraptominimize
straylight.Anupwarddirectionalflowrateof1to2L/min(0.26to0.52gallons/min)issufficienttocarry
particulatematerial(airbubbles,scum,biologicalmatter)tothesurfacewhereitquicklyandevenly
dispersesthroughtheviewvolumeoftheopticalpaththenflowsintotheoverflowtowaste.This
upwardflowdesignpreventserrorsthatareduetorapidsettlingofparticulatematerialsandmaintains
samplehomogeneitythroughtheviewvolumeoftheinstrument.

Conventionalwindowsandsamplecellshavebeeneliminated.Thus,problems(scratches,dirt,fogging,
etching,condensationandcontaminationbybiologicalgrowths)thatoftenoccuronsurfacesthatarein
contactwiththesamplehavebeeneliminated.Thesamplenevercomesincontactwiththeoptical
components.
1 2 3

6


1.Detectorassembly 5.Bulkheadfitting,1NPT
2.Lightsourceassembly 6.Bulkheadfitting,NPT
3.ToscController 7.Turbidimeterbody
4.Cordgrip
Figure10:SampleUnit

Potentialforcorrosionhasbeenreducedtoaminimum.Theturbidimeterbody,asinglepieceofmolded
polypropylene,ishousedinaruggedNEMA12plasticenclosure.AllfittingsaremadefromPVCor
polypropyleneandtubingmaterialisneoprene.Materialsusedformetallicpartsareanodizedaluminum
orstainlesssteel.Anairpurgeconnectionisprovidedontheenclosuresoaninertgasorinstrument
qualityaircanbeprovidedtopurgeexcessmoistureorcorrosivegases.

Thisportionoftheinstrument,calledtheSampleUnit,containsfewelectronicparts:thelampassembly
anddetectorassembly(photodetectorandanA/Dconverter).

Thelightsourceassemblyisconstructedofananodizedaluminumbodywithanodizedaluminum
spacersandapertureplatesandglasslensestocollimateandfocusthelightbeam.Theincandescent
lamp,alsohousedinthelampassembly,providessufficientheattopreventwatervapororcorrosive
vaporsfromcondensingonthelampassembly.TheDetectorAssemblyisheatedtoprevent
condensationfrominterferingwithsamplemeasurement.
 11

3 4 2 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

17
16 15 14 13

1.Shieldassembly 10.Spacer,lightsource
2.Wavywasher 11.Gasket
3.Mediumaperture 12.Endplate
4.Largeaperture 13.Body
5.Retainingring 14.Largespacer
6.Lensholder 15.Smalllens
7.Smallaperture 16.Smallspacer(4x)
8.Largelens 17.Screws
9.Mediumspacer
Figure11:SurfaceScatterLightSourceAssembly

TheA/DconverteranddetectorarepermanentlypottedintheDetectorAssemblytopreventcorrosion
fromwaterorothervaporsemanatingfromthesample.Allotherelectroniccomponentsarehousedin
aseparatecontroller.ThesealedA/D(analogtodigital)converterintheSampleUnitmakesitpossibleto
positiontheControlUnitupto31.5feet(9.6m)away.AllpowerreceivedbytheSampleUnitcomesfrom
thecontroller.TheSC100,SC200orSC1000controllersmaybeusedwiththeSurfaceScatter7sc
Turbidimeter.

Caution:TheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeterisnotdesignedforusewithsamplesthatareflammableor
explosiveinnature.Ifanysamplesolutionotherthanwaterisusedinthisproduct,testthe
sample/productcompatibilitytoassureusersafetyandproperproductperformance.

Caution:TheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeterisnotintendedforinstallationinhazardouslocations.
ContactHachCompanystechnicalsupportforapplicationassistanceifmonitoringinahazardous
locationisanticipated.

ElectronicDesign
Otherperplexingproblemsassociatedwithonlineturbiditymeasurementtheneedtochange
measurementrange,maintainingaccuracyovertheentirerangeanddealingwithtransientsample
conditionscanbesolvedbyusingtheelectronicspackage.Animportantelectronicspackagefunctionis
providingautorangedisplayfrom0to9999NTUwhileassuringthedisplayedvalueiscorrect.As
turbidityincreases,responsefromthephotodetectorwillleveloff.SeeFigure12.However,calibration
dataarestoredpermanentlyintheinstrumentmemory.Amicroprocessorperformstransformationsof
thecalibrationdatatoprovidealinearresponseovertheentirerange.

 12

100

Percent full scale

75

50

25

0
2 4 6 8 10

Turbidity NTU (X1000)

Figure12:TypicalResponseCharacteristicsforaSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter

SignalAveragingandBubbleRejectionMethodology
Transientsampleconditionssuchasentrainedairandisolatedparticlescancausemomentaryturbidity
readingspikes,whicharenotrepresentativeofthesampleturbidity.Theseinterferencescanincrease
measurementnoiseandcausefalsepositiveturbiditiesthatcansetoffalarms.Combinationsofsignal
averagingandbubblerejectionsignalsfromtheSurfaceScattercancounterthesetransientconditions.
SeeFigure13.

Themicroprocessoraccumulatesdataatarateoffiveto10readingspersecondintoaonesecond
bufferwhichisthefastestresponsetimeoftheinstrument.Thisistheconditionwhensignalaveragingis
turnedoff.However,theoperatorcanprogramtheinstrumentfor6,30,60or90secondsignal
averaging.Forexample,in6secondsignalaveraging,thelastsixsecondsworthofdatareceived,which
accountsforatotalofsixmeasurementsareaveragedtoproducethedisplayedresult.Ninetysecond
signalaveragingusesthelast90onesecondreadingstoproducethedisplayedresult.Ninetysecond
signalaveragingalsoprovidesthesmoothestoutputwhile6secondsignalaveragingdisplaysshowsome
transientspikes.Iftheinstrumentistohavealarmsettings,itisrecommendedthatalevelofsignal
averagingbeused,whichisdependentonthesamplesrespectivecharacteristics.

Thebubblerejectionfeaturecanbeturnedonoroffbytheoperator.Whenthebubblerejectionfeature
ison,andthetop40percentofthehighestmeasurementsarediscarded,theremainingreadingsare
averagedtogeneratethedisplayedvalue.Thedisplayedvaluealsoisdependentonthesignalaveraging
levelthatisselected.Thisfeatureisespeciallyusefulifoutgassingisanissueandtherecommended
bubbletrapfailstoeffectivelyscourallbubblesfromthesamplepriortoenteringtheinstrument.
 13

Signal Average off and Signal Average on and Signal Average on and
Bubble Rejection off Bubble Rejection off Bubble Rejection on

Figure13:EffectofSignalAveragingandBubbleRejection

OvercomingSevereEntrainedAirandVariableSamplePressure
Theelectronicbubblerejectionalgorithmdescribedabovemaynotbeabletoovercomeproblemswith
severelyentrainedair.Theimportanceofmaintainingproperflowhasbeendiscussed.Wheneither
variableflowratesand/orsignificantproblemswithentrainedairexist,asingledevicecanbeusedto
furtherresolvebothproblems.

ABubbleTrap(alsoknownastheBubbleTrap/HeadRegulator)isrecommendedifthesamplecannotbe
deliveredbubblefreetotheanalyzer.Thedevicemayalsobeusedastodampenfluctuationsinflow
duetopulsesfromapumpand/orsamplepressure.

UsingtheBubbleTrap/HeadRegulatorwillincreaseresponsetimetochangesinsampleconcentration.
Thiswillincreasetheresponsetimetobetween12minutesat2L/minflowrate.Forfastestresponse
time,usethehighestflowpossiblethatresultsineffectivebubbleremoval.Higherflowsdecreasethe
effectivenessofbubbleremoval.Theneedforfastresponsetimeandbubbleremovalmustbebalanced
foroptimumperformance.

 14

1.Samplein 9.Powerinforcontroller
2.Flowcontrolvalve(recommended) 10.NPTnipple(supplied)
3.NPTxIDHoseAdapter(suppliedwithbubbletrap) 11.Ballvalve(supplied)
4.BubbleTrap/HeadRegulator(optional) 12.airpurgefitting(50SCFHInstrumentair,max)
5.5(127mm)minimumoutletheightabovetheSS7 13.1NPTnipple(supplied)
6.Sampleunit 14.nipple(supplied)
7.sc200Controller 15.Todrain
8.Customersuppliedpoweron/offswitchbox(recommended IDhose(customersupplied)
NEMA4X)requiredforagencycompliance.
Figure14:PlumbingdiagramforBubbleTrapandSS7Turbidimeter

SmartSensorDesignandControllerOptions
Onlineprocessmeasurementisoflittlevalueiftheoperatordoesn'thaveaccesstothedatafor
recordingorremotedisplay.Ifanoperator'schoiceofoutputsislimited,soisoperationalflexibility.The
SurfaceScatter7scTurbidimeterispartoftheHachCompanyfamilyofsmartsensors.Allinformation
aboutthesensoritself(instrumentdiagnosticinformation,calibrationdata,etc.)isstoredinthe
measurementunit,inthiscasetheSampleUnitoftheSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimeter.Allfunctionsto
interfacetotheoutsideenvironmentanalogoutputs,anddigitaloutputs,alarmrelays,displayare
providedthroughoneofafamilyofcontrollersdubbedthescfamilyofcontrollersincludingtheSC100,
SC200,andSC1000controllers.
 15

ThecontrollersavailablefortheSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimeterprovidesinglepoledoublethrow
(SPDT)alarmrelaysandanalogrecorderoutputsasstandardfeatures.Theoperatorhastheflexibilityto
transmitimportantoperatingdatatoremotelocationsintheformmostconvenientfortheparticular
application.AvarietyofdigitaloutputsincludingRS485,Modbus,HART,andProfibusalsoareavailable.
CallHachCompanyforthemostcurrentlistofdigitaloutputsprotocols.

Recorderandalarmsettingsaremadebytheoperatorfromtheinstrumentkeypads.Seetheinstrument
manualsfortherespectivecontrollersforcompleteinstructions.

TwoSampleUnitConfigurationsAvailable
ThestandardconfigurationillustratedinFigure10issuitableformostmunicipalwater,wastewater,and
environmentalsamples,andformanyindustrialwaterapplications.However,veryhotsamplesor
sampleswithahighamountofcorrosivevapors(i.e.whiteliquorfrompulpprocessingorotherindustrial
samples)mayrequiretheHighSampleTemperature(HST)versiontheSS7scHST

TheSS7scHSTinstrumentisdesignedforhightemperaturesamplesorinapplicationswherea
significantdifferencebetweenthesampletemperatureandtheambienttemperaturecauses
condensationandfogginginsidetheunit.TheSS7scHSTfunctionsinthesamemannerastheSS7sc,but
accommodatessamplesofhighertemperatureandamoistairremovalsystemhasbeenadded.

Themoistairremovalsystemcontainsanairflowmultiplierthatcreatesavacuumtodrawmoisture
awayfromthesampletubeandremovethemoisturefromtheenclosure.Themoistureremovalsystem
requiresthecustomertoprovideasourceofairpressure,suchascompressedair,shopair,oranonsite
aircompressor.Theairlineisconnectedtothetopoftheflowmultiplier(Figure15,item1).

Anoptional316stainlesssteelheatexchanger(samplecooler)isavailablefortheSS7scHST(Figure16).
Theheatexchangerreducessampletemperaturesthatexceedthetemperaturerequirementsofthe
instrument.Itcanreducesampletemperaturesofupto100C.Itisnotsuitableforsteamorsuper
heatedwater.Asourceofcoolingwaterisrequired.TheheatexchangerhasMNPTpipeconnections.
Thelargeplumbingconnectionshelpeliminateplugging.
 16

1.Flowmultiplier 8.Cordgrip
2.hose 9.Bulkheadfitting,1NPT
3.Threadeddiskwithscrew 10.Draintrap
4.Detectorassembly 11.1NPTgravitydrain
5.Ventcover 12.Bulkheadfittings,NPT
6.Lightsourceassembly 13.Turbidimeterbody
7.CabletoscControllers
Figure15:SS7scHSTConfiguration

HighSolidsSamples
Certainenvironmentalandindustrialwatersamplesmaycontainhighsolidslevelsanddebristhatcan
plugsamplelinesortheheatexchanger(seeTwoSampleConfigurations,above).AnAutoFlushKithas
beendevelopedtoautomaticallybackflushsamplelines.OneofthealarmrelaysinthescControllers
canbeconfiguredtoautomaticallyactivatetheautoflushsystem.Whenactivated,thecurrentturbidity
measurementsignalishelduntilthesystemreturnstonormaloperation.Theautoflushkitcontainsthe
manualandautomaticvalvesnecessarytoassemblethesystemaspicturedbelow.ThesysteminFigure
16isshownwithanoptionalBubbleTrap/HeadRegulator(2)andanoptionalheatexchanger(10).

 17

1.Optionalitems 14.Sampleunit
2.Bubbletrap 15.sc200
3.3wayballvalve(autoflushkit) 16.Customersuppliedpoweron/offswitch
4.Coolingwatertodrain (NEMA4X)asrequiredforagencycompliance
5.Coolingwaterout 17.Powerinforsc200
6.Flowcontrolvalve 18.3/4"NPTadapter(supplied)
7.Samplein 19.Draintrap(customersupplied)
8.Samplebypassduringflushcycle 20.1NPTadapter(supplied)
9.Coolingwaterin 21.Todrain
10.Heatexchanger(samplecooler) 22.airpurgefitting(50SCFHinstrumentair
11.Electricalconnectionbox max.)
12.5(127mm)minimum 23.Ballvalve(supplied)
24.NPTnipple(supplied)
13.Customersuppliedairtoflowmultiplier
25.Hosetodrain(customersupplied)

A.Sampleduringnormaloperation D.Coolingwaterduringautoflush
B.Samplebypassduringautoflush E.Electrical
C.Coolingwaterinnormaloperation F.Drain
Figure16:Samplesystemforhot,corrosiveorhighsolidssamples

ConfiguringtheAutoFlushKitwiththesc200
InordertoconfiguretheAutoFlushkitwiththeSurfaceScatter7andsc200,followthewiringdiagram
presentedinFigure17andthenusethedirectionsbelowtoconfigurethecontroller.Theflushcycle
lengthandintervalshouldbedeterminedbytheamountofsolidsbuiltupinthesystem.

 18

Figure17:Configurationofthesc200forautoflushoperation
 19

Oncetherelayconnectionshavebeenmade,followtheinstructionsbelowtosetupthesc200relaysto
controltheautoflushvalves.
1. PresstheMenubuttononthefrontofthecontroller.
1. Pressthedownarrowtomovethecursordowntoselectsc200Setup
2. PressthedownarrowtomovethecursordowntoselectRelaySetup
3. ChoosetooperatetheautoflushvalvewithRelayA,B,C,orD,andthenpressenter
4. MovethecursortoSelectSourceandpressenter
5. Choosethesc200andpressenter
6. MovethecursordowntoselectSetFunction
7. ChooseSchedulerandpressenter
8. MovethecursordowntoselectSetTransfer
9. ChooseInactiveandpressenter
10. MovethecursordowntoselectFailSafe.SelectNo.
11. MovethecursoruptochooseActivationandpressenter
a. SelectHoldOutputsandpressenter
b. SelectSetOutmodeandpressenter
c. SelectHoldOutputsandpressenter
d. SelectSetchannelsandpressenter
e. ChooseNoneandpressenter(measuredvaluewillbeoutputona420mAloop)
f. PresstheBackbutton
g. SelectRunDays(Choosethedaysoftheweekyouwantautoflushcycletorun.Ensure
dateandtimearecorrectoncontrollerbeforesettingthis)andpresstheBackbutton
h. Choosestarttime(enteredin24hourtimeusingup/down/left/rightkeys)andpressenter
i. Chooseinterval(Timeof0999minutesinbetweenflushes)whichisenteredinwith
up/down/left/rightkeysthenpressthebackbutton.
j. Chooseduration(flushcyclelengthof0999seconds)byenteringindesiredtimeusing
theup/down/left/rightkeysandpressenter.
k. ChooseOffDelayandsetitto0seconds.
l. PresstheHomebuttontoreturnbacktothemeasurementscreen.

Theflushcyclelengthandintervalshouldbedeterminedaccordingtotheamountofsolidsbuiltupin
thesystem.

DeterminingCorrelationofTurbidityMeasurementtoSuspendedSolids
Measurementoftotalsuspendedsolids(TSS,nonfilterableresidue)isimportantinmanyindustrial
samples.Chemicalorphysicalchangesintheprocessmayresultinfilterbreakthroughoranincreasein
turbidityofclarifiereffluentleadingtoprocesscontaminationorviolationofadischargepermit.Thus,
themonitoringofsolidsyieldscriticalinformationabouttheefficiencyandqualityofanindustrial
process.Solidsanalyses,usuallycompletedbygravimetricmethods,canofferchallengesincluding:

Itmaybedifficulttoobtainarepresentativesample.
Thegravimetricanalysisprocedureistimeconsumingtypicallytakingtwotofourhoursormore
tocomplete.
Indeed,thegravimetricsolidstestwilltelltheoperatorthereisaprocessproblembut,bythe
timetheoperatorknowsthis,theproblemcannotbecorrectedeasily.Thisleadstocostlydown
timeandrepairstofixtheproblem.
 20

Techniquesinsamplingandmeasurementareimportantinthegravimetricprocedure.
Thesamplingproceduremustbeconsistentfromonetimetothenextinordertoobtainuseful
andreliableresults.
Thesamplemustbelargeenoughandsufficientlywellmixedtomakesureitisrepresentative.
Agrabsampleismerelyaspotcheckoftheprocessataparticularpointintime.Agrabsample
willnotprovideinformationaboutthedirectionofmovementofthesolidswithintheprocess
itself,whichisakeypieceofknowledgeforrecoveryoftherespectiveprocess.

Itisreasonabletowanttouseasurrogatemethodforsolidstesting.Measurementofturbiditywitha
SurfaceScatterTurbidimeterhasbeenusedinavarietyofindustrialsamplesasasurrogatefor
gravimetricsolidsdetermination.Howeveranacceptablecorrelationwillnotalwaysbefound.A
laboratoryprocedure,describedbelow,hasbeendevelopedtodeterminewhetheranacceptable
correlationcanbeestablishedbetweenturbidityandsolidsonagivensample.Theprocedure,Hach
Method8366,isavailableforfreedownloadfromtheHachCompanywebsite:www.hach.com.

Itwillbeimpossibleinnearlyallsamplestomakeaquantitativeconversionfromturbiditymeasurement
inNephelometricTurbidityUnits(NTU)tomg/Lofsolids.However,itisusuallypossibletoestablish
sufficientcorrelationinmostsamplestobeconfidentthattrendsinturbiditymeasurementare
representativeoftrendsinsolidscontent.

Conventionalturbidimetersemployasingledetectorpositionedat90fromtheincidentlightpath.
Measurementwiththesingledetectorwillbecomelesssensitiveifsolutionsarehighlycolored,contain
lightabsorbingparticles(i.e.activatedcarbon)orareveryturbid.Eachoftheseconditionswilldecrease
theamountofscatteredlightwhichcanreachthedetector.Theyarenegativeinterferencesthe
measuredturbiditywillbelow.Turbidimeterswithmultipledetectorsusedincombinationtypically
provideaccuratemeasurementseveninthepresenceofcolor,lightabsorbingparticlesorhighturbidity.
Multipledetectorsystemswillextendtheturbiditymeasurementrangesaswell.Thesetypesof
instrumentsarecommonlyreferredtoas"ratioinginstruments.

Becausetheseinterferencesarelikelytobepresentinmanyindustrialsamples,alaboratoryratioing
instrumentshouldbeusedinmoststudiesofsuspendedsolidsversusturbidity.Oncethesamplehas
beenstudied,andfoundthatturbiditymeasurementcanserveasasurrogateforsolidscontent,thenext
stepistodetermineifaninstrumentsuchastheSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimetercanbeusedfor
processcontrolmeasurements.

Note:RefertoHachCompanypublication7061,TurbidityScience,foradetailed
explanationoftheratioingtechnique.ItcanbedownloadedfreeofchargefromtheHach
Companywebsite:www.hach.com.

Obtainingarepresentativesamplemaybethemostimportantconsideration.Thesamplemustbe
homogeneous.And,thegrabsamplemustcomefromtheactualprocessstream.Effortstoestablisha
correlationonacontrivedsample(laboratorysynthesized,laboratorysimulated,etc.)willnotbe
successful.Samplevariablesmaydeterminethetypeofinstrumentappropriateforuseandthesample
conditioningstepswhichmaybenecessarypriortomeasurement.

Theturbidimeterideallyshouldhavewidemeasurementrangesothesamplecanbemonitoredwithout
dilution.Dilutionsmaybeused.However,samplesrequiringdilutionwilltakemoretimetomeasure.
 21

Accordingly,theresponsetimetochangeswillincrease.And,dilutionswillnotalwaysberepresentative
oftheoriginalconcentrationasparticlessuspendedatthehigherconcentrationbydissolveasthe
dilutionincreases.

Thesampletobeusedinthecorrelationstudymustfitseveralcriteria:

Thesamplemustbemiscibletothepointthatdilutionsofthesamplecanbemade.
Viscoussamplesmaybedifficulttomonitorbecauseentrainedgasbubblescannotbeeasily
removed.
o Gasbubblesscatterlightandcauseafalsehighturbidityreading.
o Degassingbyuseofvacuummaybeineffective.
o Degassingbyuseofultrasoundmaysimplyfracturethegasbubblesandfurtheraggravate
theinterference.
Thesamplecannotpossessanyexcessivelybuoyantparticles.
Samplescannotbefiltered.(Thiswouldnotbearepresentativesample.)
Eachsampleissitespecific.Thus,correlationestablishedonasamplefromonesitemaynotbe
applicabletoasamplefromanothersiteeitherwithinthesameplantorbetweenplants.
Ifpossible,themostconcentratedlevelofsampleshouldbeobtainedtogainanunderstandingof
theupperrangemeasurementcharacteristicsofthesampleunderinvestigation.
Sampletemperatureiscriticaltoasuccessfulcorrelation.
o Thelesssensitivethesampleistotemperature,themoreconsistentthecorrelationwillbe
overtime.
o Atemperatureprofileforthesampleshouldbeusedtodeterminewhethertemperaturewill
leadtochangesinthecompositionofasamplethatcouldleadtoerroneousresults.
o Ifthenatureofasampleistemperaturesensitive,thiscorrelationmaybecomemoredifficult
toaccomplishoritmayevenbeimpossibletodetermine.
o Ideally,sampletemperatureduringturbiditymeasurementcorrelationstudyshouldbethe
sameasthetemperatureoftheprocessstream.
o Temperaturechangesmayaffectthesolubilityorsettlingcharacteristicsofparticlesin
suspension.
Sampleconstituentsshouldbewelldefined.
o Onemustknowwhatisinthesample,thechemicalreactionsinthesamplethatcanchange
itscharacteristicsandtheconditionsofthesamplethatindicateaprocessproblem.
o Oneshouldknowwhatthresholdvalueisrequiredforprocesscontrol.
o Themoreoneknowsaboutthesampleofinterest,theeasieritwillbetodetermine
correlationbetweenturbidityandsolidsmeasurements.
o Themostconcentratedlevelofsampleshouldbeobtainedsothefullresponserangeofthe
correlationcanbeconfirmed

Itmaybeimpossibletoachieveacorrelationonsamplesnotmeetingoneormoreoftheabovecriteria.
Onceasampleisidentifiedassuitableforinvestigation,theprocedurefordeterminingthecorrelation
betweenturbidityandtotalsuspendedsolidscanbesortedintofourmajorsteps:

1.Sampledilution.SeveraldilutionsofthesamplemustbepreparedtocoverthepossiblerangeofTSS
forthegivensample.Thesedilutionsaretobemadewithturbidityfreewater.Thesamplemustbe
wellmixedwhenmakingdilutions.Nonaqueoussolutionsmustuseacolorless,particlefreesolvent
thatmatchesthechemicalandphysicalcharacteristicsofthesample.Themostconcentratedsample
 22

willprovidethebroadestrangeofdilutionsandgivewidestrangeofcorrelationfortheparticular
application.

2.DeterminingtheTotalSuspendedSolidsofeachsampledilution.Thegravimetricdeterminationof
eachofthedilutionsofthesamplemustbedetermined.Caremustbetakentouseconsistent
methodologythroughouttheentiresetofsamples.

3.Measuringtheturbidityofeachdilution.Thesamemethodologyofsamplepreparationand
measurementmustbeconsistentforallturbidityreadings.Forexample:Eachdilutionmustbe
invertedthesamenumberoftimesandthetimebetweenmixingandmeasurementmustbe
consistentthroughouttheprocedures.

4.Thecorrelationbetweentheturbiditymeasurementsandthegravimetricmeasurementsofthe
dilutionsisdetermined.Agraphshouldbepreparedinwhichtotalsuspendedsolidsinmg/Lare
displayedonthexaxisandrespectiveturbidityisdisplayedontheyaxis.Aleastsquares(astatistical
methodtoverifytherelationshipanddeterminetheactualturbidityofasampletowithinacertain
degreeofaccuracy)relationshipcanthenbedetermined.Acorrelationcoefficientof0.9orgreater
indicatesaworkablerelationshipofturbiditytoTSSformostsamples.Bygraphicallyplottingthis
relationship,onecandeterminethesensitivityofthecorrelationinordertogainconfidenceinthe
correlation.Thegreatertheslopeofthiscorrelation,thegreaterthesensitivityofturbiditytoTSSand
thebetterthecorrelationwillbeonthesample.

1.3 140

130
1.2

120

1.1

Suspended Solids, mg/l

110
Turbidity, NTU

1 100

90
0.9

80

0.8
70

0.7 60
12:00:00 AM 3:00:00 AM 6:00:00 AM 9:00:00 AM 12:00:00 PM 3:00:00 PM 6:00:00 PM
Time

NTU mg/L

Figure18:Demonstrationofthecorrelationofturbidityandsuspendedsolids
 23

1.3

1.2

1.1

Turbidity, NTU
1
R2 = 0.9889
NTU
0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135
Solids, mg/l

Figure19:Determiningcorrelationofsolidsinmg/ltoturbidityinNTU

Figure18illustratesadatasetrepresentedasalinegraph(top)andalsoasascattergraph.Whilethe
linesinthefirstgraphdontappeartohavegoodagreement,thescattergraphillustratesquitegood
agreementwithanR2=0.9889.

Aturbidimetercanbeusedasasurrogatemeasureofsuspendedsolidsifsampleandinstrumental
variablescanbeproperlycontrolled.Thekeystoobtaininganaccurateandreliablerelationshipbetween
turbidityandtotalsuspendedsolidsare:

1.Thesamplemustbeatruerepresentationofthesamplestreamfromwhichitcame.
2.Alldilutionsmustbetreatedthesamethroughoutthestudy.
3.Consistentpreparationandmeasurementtechniquesmustbeusedoneachdilution.
4.Awellmixedsampleanddilutionsoftheoriginalsamplemustbeusedinallsamplemanipulations
(pipetting,measuringturbidity,transferringtosamplecells).
5.Environmentalconditionsmustbeconsistentthroughoutthetesttoreducevariabilityinthe
instrumentsandinthesample.Whenpossible,thetemperatureofdilutionsshouldbethesameas
thesamplewillbeintheprocessenvironment.Dilutionwatershouldalsobethesametemperature
asthesample.
6.Thecorrelationstudymustbedoneinatimelymanner.Thelongerittakestoperformthecorrelation
study,themorechanceexistsforthesample,instrument,orenvironmentalchangestooccur.
Establishingacorrelationcanbetimeconsuming.However,theresultcansavenotonlytimebuta
significantamountofproductandprocessdowntime.Theresponsetoaprocessupsetismuchfaster
andtheupsetiscorrectedmorerapidly,resultinginevengreatersavingsintime,laborandproduct,if
acorrelationisestablished.

TheEffectofColorInterferenceUsingtheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter
Themeasurementofturbidityfromuntreatedsourcewatersamplessuchasasurfaceorgroundwater
sourcemayhavesomecolorinthem.Colorinwatercauseslighttobeabsorbed.Thus,colorinwateris
anegativeinterferenceinturbiditymeasurements.HachCompanymanufacturesanumberofmultiple
detector(ratio)laboratoryandprocessturbidimeters,whichareeffectiveincompensatingforinfluence
ofcolor.

 24

Thesingledetectordesigns,includingtheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter,aresusceptibletocolor
interference.However,toestablishtheissueconclusively,testshavebeencompletedtoanswerthe
questionofwhethercoloraffectsturbiditymeasurementontheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeterandto
whatdegree4.Theresearchwasconductedtodeterminetheeffectofcoloronturbiditymeasurement
usingtheHachSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter.

Fivecolorstandardswereusedinthisstudy:green,red,yellow,blueandbrown.Thebrowncolorwas
madefromteaandisveryrepresentativeofseveraltypesofrealsamples(untreatedsourcewaterfrom
surfaceorgroundwaterandwastewater).Thesesamplestypicallycontainhighlevelsofdissolved
organicmaterialssuchastanninandligninthatimpartateacolortothewater.Theotherfourcolors
camefromcommonfooddyes.

Thesameprocedurewasthenusedforthecollectionofdatafromallthecoloredstandardsaswasused
forthemeasurementofacolorlessFormazinstandard,whichprovidedthebaselineforzero
interference.Datafromthestudydemonstratecolordoescausesomeinterferencewithturbidity
measurement.TheseresultsaresummarizedinFigures19and20.Theerrorinturbidityisnegativein
allthegreen,red,yellow,andbluespikedsolutions.Themagnitudeoferrorbetweenthesurfacescatter
andtheratioinginstrumentisminimal.Theaverageerrorwas12.4percentforthesurfacescatterand
8.6percentfortheratioinginstrument,anintrainstrumentdifferenceinerrorofonly3.8percent.See
Figure20.Thisistheaverageerroroverallcolor,spikedstandardsintherangeof20to1000NTU.The
brownspikedstandardshadpositiveerrorinbothinstruments.TheSurfaceScatterhadanaverageerror
of12.13percentandtheratioinginstrumenthadanaverageerrorof24.31percentoverallbrown
spikedFormazinstandards.Inthecasewiththeteacoloredsamples,theSurfaceScattermeasurement
errorwaslessthantheerrorwiththeratioingturbidimeter.

4
TheoriginalstudywascompletedusingtheHachSurfaceScatter6TurbidimeterandtheHachRatioXRTurbidimeter.The
effectofcolorontheseinstrumentsisafunctionoftheopticaldesign(thenumberandplacementofthedetectors,response
characteristicsofthedetectors,colortemperatureofthelightsource(wavelengthoftheincidentlight)inbothinstruments
andamathematicalalgorithmintheRatioXR.CurrentproductionmodelsofthesetwoinstrumentsaretheSurfaceScatter
7scTurbidimeterandtheHach2100ANLaboratoryTurbidimeter.Engineeringstudiesduringdevelopmentofthe2100AN
wereconductedtodocumentresponsecharacteristicsofthe2100ANvs.theRatioXR.Thesestudiesconfirmednearly
identicalresponsecharacteristicsofthetwoinstruments.TheRatioXRcontains90o,transmittedandforwardscatter
detectors.The2100ANcontainsvirtuallythesamedetectorsinthesamelocationplusoneadditionaldetectora
backscatterdetectorthathasaprimarypurposeofrangeexpansiontopermitmeasurementofturbidityupto9999.9NTU
(10,000)inthelaboratory.ThephysicalandmechanicalchangestheSurfaceScatter7fromtheSurfaceScatter6wasstrictly
anelectronicupgradeofcontrollerfunction.Theopticalconfigurationlightsource,detectors,angleofdetectionare
identicalbetweenthetwoinstrumentdesigns.
 25

Surface Scatter Error Ratio Turb. Error
30
25
20
15
10

Average Error
5
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25

Figure20:Averageerroroverallstandardsforeachtypeofcolor.
Bluesimpartedthelargestnegativeerrorandbrownimpartedapositiveerrorinturbiditymeasurement.

Surface Scatter Error Ratio Turb. Error

16

14
Absoute value of all errors

12

10

0
20 100 500 1000
Formazin standard, NTU

Figure21:SummaryoferrorsforFormazinspikedwithred,blue,green,oryellowdyes.

Theamountofcolorinterferenceonturbiditywasalsofoundtobedependentonthetypeofcolor
causingtheinterference.Wavelengthsresponsibleforbluecolor(650700nm)causedthemost
negativeinterferencewithbothturbidimetersandthosewavelengthsemittingyellowcolor(350450
nm)hasthesmallesteffectonturbiditymeasurements.Thebrowncolor(<500nm)hadverystrong
positiveinterferenceonturbiditymeasurementwithbothinstruments.Errorsinturbiditymeasurement
didnotchangemuchovertherangeofstandardstestedregardlessofwhichinstrumentwasused.
Whenalltheerrorsforallthecolorswereaveragedtogether,theyallranwithin4percentofeachother
throughouttheFormazinrangetested.

 26

10
9
8

Difference in Percent Error

7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
20 100 500 1000
Formazin Standard, NTU

Figure22:DifferencesinerrorbetweenSurfaceScatterandRatioturbidimeters.

Overall,colorcausessomeinterferenceinturbiditymeasurementswhethertheratioinglaboratory
instrumentorthesurfacescatterinstrumentwasused.Howeverthesurfacescatteryieldedvery
comparableresultstotheratiolaboratoryinstrumentonallthecoloredFormazinstandards.Both
instrumentsreadwithinfivepercentofeachotherthroughoutthisstudy.Inconclusion,ithasbeen
generallyacceptedthatcolordoescausesomesmallinterferencewhenusingaratioturbidimeter,when
comparedtoatypicallynonratiodetectordesign.However,whenthesurfacescatterdesignisused,its
performancewascomparabletoaratioturbidimeterdesignontheminimizationofcolorinterferences.
Further,thedesignultimatelywillretainadequatesensitivitytoturbiditychangesinthepresenceof
color,regardlessofrespectiveabsorbancewavelengths.Sincethesurfacescattertrackssoclosetothe
laboratoryratioingturbidimeter,itcouldbeusedforthemeasurementofturbidityofcoloredsolutions
withahighdegreeofaccuracyandconfidence.

TheEffectofCarbonUsingtheSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter
Aswithcolor,lightabsorbingparticlessuchascarbonareanegativeinterferenceinturbidity
measurement.Typically,thebestmeanstocompensateforthepresenceoflightabsorbingsubstances
ismeasurementwithamultipledetectorratioinginstrument.Consideringtheforgoingdiscussionon
effectofcoloronasurfacescatterinstrument,itisreasonabletoquestiontheinfluenceofparticlessuch
aspowderedactivatedcarbon,PAC.AstudywiththeSurfaceScatterinstrumentdeterminedlight
absorbingparticlessuchasPAChaveasimilarinfluenceonmeasurementaccuracyaswithconventional
laboratorysingledetector,90detectionsystems.Figure22illustratesSurfaceScatterTurbidimeter
responselevelingoffatapproximately12mg/lofactivatedcarbonwhilealaboratoryratioinginstrument
continuestorespondtoconcentrationsofnearly4000mg/l.

 27

50

45

40

35

30

Ratio XR
NTU
25
Surface Scatter 6

20

15

10

0
0 500 1000 2000 4000 5000 8000
mg/l Activated Carbon

Figure23:ResponsecomparisonofaSurfaceScatterTurbidimeterandalaboratory
RatioTurbidimetertoactivatedcarbonturbidityinwater

Calibration
Onlinemeasurementofturbidityisoflittlevalueifaccuracycannotbeestablished,reestablishedand
provenbymeansofprimaryandsecondarystandards.TheSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimetercalibration
curve,whilenotperfectlylinearisquitegood.Thecurvecanbemathematicallymodeledtoproducea
highdegreeofaccuracyovertheentirerangeoftheinstrumentwithcalibrationasdescribedbelow.A
twopointcalibrationisperformedwithazeroturbiditypointforthefirstpointandaFormazinbased
calibrationstandardtosetthesecondpointofthecalibration.Thezeropointisperformedusingthe
ZEROELECTRONICSoptionduringcalibration.Thesecondpointcanbesetusingoneoftwo
recommendedFormazinturbiditystandards:400NTUor4000NTU.Thestandardclosesttothe
expectedrangeofmeasurementofthesampleforagivenapplicationshouldbeused.Thatis,ifthe
samplewillbeconsistentlylessthan2000NTU,astandardof400NTUshouldbeused.Ifthesamplecan
oftenexceedorisconsistentlygreaterthan2000NTU,calibrationshouldbeperformedwiththe4000
NTUsolution.

 28

SS7 Formazin Curve

4000.00

3500.00

Normalized SS7 Turbidity (NTU)

3000.00

2500.00
SS7 #1
SS7 #2
2000.00
SS7 #3

1500.00

1000.00

500.00

0.00
0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000
Theoretical Turbidity (NTU)

Figure24:CalibrationCurveofthreeSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimetersvs.Ideal.

Followingcalibrationprocedurescarefullyisessentialtoestablishingthisaccuracy.

CalibrationoftheSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimeterisbasedonFormazin,theprimaryturbiditystandard.
Calibrationisaccomplishedbyinsertingacalibrationcupintotheturbidimeterbodyandfillingthecup
withastandardFormazinstocksolution.ForbestperformanceuseeitherFormazinorStablCalstabilized
Formazinstandardsforcalibration.Itisrecommendedthatalternativecalibrationstandardssuchas
highlysphericalnearmonodispersedstandards(e.g.SDVBorPSLmaterials)notbeusedforcalibration.
Thesestandardsarecomposedprimarilyofverysmall(0.1to0.5m)particles.Particlesofthatsize
causeamonodisperseconditionresultinginanunbalancedscatteroftheincidentlightmostofthe
bluelightscattersforwardandtheremainderofthelightscattersmoresymmetrically.

 29

1.DetectorAssembly 3.Lightsourceassembly
2.CalibrationCup 4.Turbidimeterbody
Figure25:InsertingtheCalibrationCup

Thecalibrationsequenceisasfollows:
1. PreparetheFormazinstandardsolutionatthedesiredNTUvalue.
a. Forhighrangemeasurement:Ifmeasurementsareexpectedtobeprimarilygreaterthan
2000NTU,calibrateusingthe4000NTUstandardsuppliedwiththeinstrumentatfull
strength.Itonlyrequiresvigorousmixing(byinvertingthebottlerepeatedly)beforeuse.
b. Forlowerrangemeasurement:Ifmeasurementsareexpectedtobeprimarilylessthan2000
NTU,dilutethe4000NTUstandardtothedesiredconcentration.Usedemineralizedwater
fordilution.HachCompanyrecommendsthedilutionbenolowerthan400NTU5.Dilutions
mustbemadejustpriortouse.DiluteFormazinsolutionsareunstableandshouldbe
discardedwhencalibrationiscomplete.A400NTUStablCalTurbidityStandard,Catalog
Number7121649,eliminatestheneedtopreparedilutions.
2. Turnoffsampleflowtotheinstrumentanddraintheturbidimeterbody.Insertthecalibration
cupintothetopofthebody.
3. FromtheMainMenuofthecontroller,selectSENSORSETUPandconfirm.
a. Ifmultiplesensorsareattachedtothecontroller,chooseSELECTSENSOR>SS7SETUPand
confirm.
b. SelectCalibrateandconfirm.
c. SelectthePERFORMCALmenuentryandconfirm.
d. SelecttheActive,HoldorTransferoutputmodeandconfirm.

5
Thereasondilutionslowerthan400NTUarenotrecommendedisduetothegeometryofthecalibrationcup.The
calibrationcupcontainsonlyabout500ml,thusitisveryshallow.Ifdilutionsgreaterthan400NTUareused,incidentlight
willreachthebottomofthecalibrationcupandbereflectedbacktothedetectorthuscreatingameasurementerror.
 30

4. EntertheSTDVALUE.Confirmtocontinue.Asindicatedabove,formeasurementgreaterthan
2000NTU,usingthe4000NTUFormazinStockSolutionissuggestedsoenter4000asthe
standardvalue.Formeasurementlessthan2000NTU,a400NTUdilutionissuggestedsoenter
400asthestandardvalue.
5. FollowthedisplaypromptsandpourtheFormazinstandardsolutionintothecylinder,allowingit
tooverflow.Onlyallowthesolutiontostandlongenoughtoallowbubblesonornearthesurface
todissipate.
6. Closethesampleunitdoortightly.Confirmtocontinue.
7. TheTURBvaluedisplayedisthestandardvaluedeterminedusingthegainfromtheprevious
calibration.Waitatleastoneminutebutnolongerthan2minutes.
8. Confirmtoacceptandcontinuewiththecalibration.
9. Ifnoselectionismadeforasetperiodoftime,thescreenwillprompttoremixthestandardto
avoidachangeinthevalueofthestandard.OpentheSS7scanddiscardtheoldstandardfrom
thecalibrationcup.Refillthiscupwithanotheraliquotofwellmixedturbiditystandard.Close
thedoor.
10. Confirmtocalibrate.Whenthecalibrationiscompletedsuccessfully,thedisplaywillshowGOOD
CAL!andthenewcalibrationgainvalue.Confirmtoacceptthecalibration.
11. Followthepromptandentertheinitialsoftheuserperformingthecalibration.Confirm.
12. ThecontrollerwillpromptforNEWBASELINE*.ConfirmtoestablishanewbaselineorpressBACK
toexit.
13. Removethecalibrationcylinderfromthebody.Theinstrumentisnowcalibrated.
14. Closethedrainvalveandrestorethesampleflow.Ifnoverificationisperformed,thedisplaywill
prompttoreturntomeasurementmode.Confirmtocontinuemeasurements.

*Thisreferstoestablishingavalueforasecondarystandard,theStandardPlateusedtoperiodicallycheckcalibrationofthe
instrument.SeeSecondaryStandard,below.

Onceanoperatorisfamiliarwiththesequence,theprocedurecanbecompletedinaboutfiveminutes.
Informationaboutthemostrecent12calibrations(date,time,user,calibrationsolution,slopeorgainof
thecalibration)isstoredandavailableforreview.

SecondaryStandard
Aperiodiccheckofcalibrationisimportantandeasilyaccomplishedbycomparingmeasurementsfrom
theSurfaceScatter7scTurbidimetertomeasurementsofalaboratoryinstrumentwhichalsohasbeen
Formazincalibrated.Whenthisisimpractical,aStandardizationPlateKit(asecondarystandard),
availableasanoptionalaccessory,maybeused.Twoplatesareincludedinthekit,0100and01000
NTU.Theplatesareuncalibratedwhenshipped.TheirvaluemustbeestablishedoneachSurface
Scatter7scTurbidimeterfollowingaFormazincalibrationoftheinstrument.Thisvalue,onceestablished
isrecheckedandifnecessaryresetfollowingeachcalibrationoftheinstrumentwithprimarystandard.
Thestandardizationplatesareconstructedofanopaquebacking,aclearglasscoverandacenterportion
ofGelexSecondaryStandardtosimulatelightscatteringfromasample.Gelexisastablematerial
consistingofmetaloxideparticleslockedinagel.Aswithallscientificmeasurements,theproperuseof
standardsisextremelyimportant.Foracomprehensivediscussionofturbiditystandards,refertoHach
literaturenumber7045,TurbidityStandards.ItcanbedownloadedfreeofchargefromtheHach
Companywebsite:www.hach.com.
 31

HighTurbidityMeasurementOptions
Onesizedoesntfitall.WhiletheSurfaceScatter7sciswellsuitedforawiderangeofapplications,itis
notidealforall.Oneofthedrawbacksisthesamplemustbedeliveredtotheanalyzer.Inmany
environmentalandindustrialsamplesitisdesirabletouseasensorwhichcanbeimmerseddirectlyinto
awaterway,channel,orintoapipe.Figure26illustratesthevarietyofinstrumentsavailablefromHach
Companyforhighturbidityand/orsuspendedsolidsmeasurement.Allofthesensorslistedareinthe
familyofHachsmartsensorsandutilizethesc100,sc200andsc1000controllers.ContactyourHach
Companyrepresentativeforinformationaboutanyoftheseproducts.

 32

ForInsertioninPipes ForImmersioninOpenTanks SampletoSensor
Application Range
Inline Highline TSSsc tline tsline hsline TSSsc SS7
Wastewater
FinalEffluent 0to30mg/Lor0to1000NTU
InfluentSuspendedSolids 1to1.5g/L
Filtrate/Centrate 1to2g/L
MixedLiquorSuspendedSolids 1to5g/L
ReturnActivatedSludge 1to25g/L
WasteActivatedSludge 0to2%or0to20g/L
Primarysludge(settledsludge) 0.5to10%or5to100g/L
Anaerobicdigestedsludge 1.5to7%or15to70g/L
Gravitythickenedsludge 2to10%or20to100g/L
Mechanicallythickenedsludge 3to8%or30to80g/L
DrinkingWater
0to4000NTU
SourceWaterMonitoring
0to10000NTU
0to4000NTU
InfluentPressurizedRawWater
0to10000NTU
ClarifierEfficiency 0to20NTU
Filterbackwash:MonitorProcess 0to1000NTU
FilterBackwash:Return 0to20NTU
IndustrialWater
BoilerandCoolingWaterPetrochemicalPulpandPaper
DAFOilInWaterSeparatorsPetrochemical
MakeupWater:Power,Pulp&Paper,Petrochemical
LimeAddition:Petrochemical,Mining,Pulp&Paper
StormWater:Pulp&Paper,Petrochemical
Wastewater(activatedsludge):Power,Pulp&Paper
Petrochemical,Food&Beverage
White&BlackLiquorApplications:Pulp&Paper

Figure26:HachCompanyhighrangeturbidityandsuspendedsolidsinstruments
33

 34

ThelateCliffordC.Hach,founderofHachCompany,wasagraduateofIowaState
University.Widelyrespectedinthewateranalysisindustryasaninventor,progressive
innovatorandresearchscientist,Mr.Hachheldnumerouspatentsandmanyofhispapers
appearedintechnicalindustrypublications.

HachCompany'stechnicalstaffatthemodernresearchfacilitiesinLoveland,Coloradoand
Ames,Iowacombinesdedicatedchemists,engineersandtechniciansfocusedonthe
developmentofappliedanalysestomeetmunicipal,industrialandagriculturalanalytical
needs.Specialemphasisisplacedondevelopingthemostpracticalandeconomical
approachestomethods,reagentformulations,instrumentsandequipmentforanalysis.








 35

AppendixA:SurfaceScatter7Specifications

Range 0to9999NephelometricTurbidityUnits(NTU)
Accuracy 0.1NTUor5%from0to2000NTU,whicheverisgreater;10%from2000to
9999NTU
Resolution 0.01NTUbelow100NTU;0.1NTUbetween100to9999.9NTU
Repeatability 1.0%or0.04NTU,whicheverisgreater
ResponseTime Initialresponsein45seconds
SampleFlow 1.0to2.0L/min(15to30gal/hr)
SampleTemperature SS7:0to50C(32to122F);SS7/HST:0to70C(32to158F),intermittent70
to80C(158to176F)(anoptionalheatexchangerisavailabletoreduce
sampletemperature)
AmbientTemperature 0to50C
Humidity 5to95%noncondensing
PowerRequirements 100to230VAC,50/60Hz,autoselecting;40VA
InstallationCategory CategoryII
SampleInletFitting 3/4inchNPTfemale
OverflowDrainFitting 1inchNPTfemale

BodyDrainFitting 3/4inchNPTfemale

AirPurgeFitting 3/4inchcompressionfitting;050SCFHairflowcleaninstrumentair
Enclosure NEMA12plasticinstrumentenclosure
Mounting Wallmount
Dimensions (SampleUnit)64.2x67.5x19.0cm (25.3x26.6x7.5in.)

MaterialsofConstruction
StandardModel HighSampleTemperature
PolypropyleneTurbidimeterbody Polypropylene Turbidimeterbody
NeopreneTubing NeopreneTubing
PolypropyleneFittings PolypropyleneFittings
PVCBulkheads PolypropyleneBulkheads
Teflontape Teflontape
CPVCtrapassembly

 36

AppendixB:SummaryofUSEPAMethod180.1DesignRequirements

USEPAMethod180.1isapplicabletoturbiditymeasurementsintherangeof0to40NTU
andstipulatesthefollowingdesigncharacteristics:

LightSource:Tungstenfilamentlampoperatedatacolortemperaturebetween2200
and3000K.
Distancetraversedbyincidentlightandscatteredlightwithinthesampletubenotto
exceed10cm.
Angleoflightacceptancebydetector:Centeredat90totheincidentlightpathandnot
toexceed30degreesfrom90.Thedetector,andfiltersystemifused,shallhavea
spectralpropertybetween400and600nm

 37

AppendixC:USEPAAcceptanceLetter

 38

AppendixD:ReplacementPartsandAccessories

ReplacementParts
Description Cat.No.
Brush,cylinder,size2 68700
Calibrationcup,SS7sc 4502100
DrainValve 4507300
FormazinStockSolution,4000NTU,500ml 246149
StablCalTurbidityStandard,400NTU,500ml 7121649
StablCalTurbidityStandard,800NTU,500ml 2660549
StablCalTurbidityStandard,1000NTU,500ml 2660649
LightSourceAlignmentTemplate 4507600
WallMountingkit 4424700
LightSourceShieldAssemblies(2x) 4529900
DetectorAssembly 7122100
LampAssembly,SurfaceScatter7sc 4503400
TubingReplacementKit 4669100
Accessories
AutoFlushKit(120V) 4669212
AutoFlushKit(220V) 4669222
BubbleTrap/HeadRegulator 4668000
CableExtensionforSensor,7.6m(25ft) 5796000
Latch,replacement,SS7 4499300
Manual,SS7sc,English DOC026.53.00769
Manual,SS7sc,Chinese DOC026.80.00769
Manual,SS7sc,Japanese DOC026.81.00769
Manual,SS7sc,Korean DOC026.84.00769
QuickReferenceDocument DOC016.53.00769
PowerCord,125VAC,10A,1.83m(6ft) 4630600
PowerCord,250VAC,10A,1.83m(6ft) 4630800
StandardizationPlateKit,uncalibrated,includes0100and01000NTUplates 2351300
SunShield,sc200Controller 9220600
UpgradeKit,ConvertingStandardSS7sctoaSS7scHST(HighSampleTemperature) 4500043


Index
2100ANLaboratoryTurbidimeter.............24
A/Dconverter...........................................10
activatedcarbon.......................................26
airpurge....................................................10
alarmrelays...............................................14
analogoutputs..........................................14
AutoFlushKit............................................16
averagelightpath.......................................5
broadcrestedweir......................................7
bubblerejection........................................12
BubbleTrap/HeadRegulator....................13
calibrationsequence.................................28
CleanWaterAct..........................................9
colorinterference.....................................25
colortemperature.......................................8
Corrosivesamples.......................................7
detectorassembly.......................................8
digitaloutputs...........................................14
flowmultiplier...........................................15
flowrate....................................................10
formazin....................................................26
frazzleice....................................................9
GelexSecondaryStandard.......................29
goingblind...................................................6
gravimetricsolidstest...............................20
heatexchanger.........................................17
HighSampleTemperature........................15
lightabsorbingparticles............................26
lightsourcealignmenttemplate.................9
lightsourceassembly............................9,10
lightscattering................Seenephelometric
maximumtotallightpath...........................9
Modbus.....................................................15
moistairremovalsystem..........................15
LIT2009
HachCompany,1971,1979,1983,1986,1988,1990,2009,2013.Allrightsreserved.
39
Multipledetectorsystems........................20
neoprene...................................................10
nephelometric.............................................4
nonfilterableresidue.....................................
.........................Seetotalsuspendedsolids
PAC...............................Seeactivatedcarbon
peakspectralresponse...............................8
polypropylene...........................................10
practicallowerlimit....................................9
Profibus.....................................................15
pulpprocessing.........................................15
RatioXRTurbidimeter.............................24
ratioing......................................................20
ratioingtechnique.....................................20
recorderoutputs.......................................15
refractedlight.............................................8
RS485........................................................15
SafeDrinkingWaterAct..............................9
samplecooler............................................15
SampleUnit.........................................10,14
SDVBorPSLmaterials...............................27
secondarystandard..................................29
signalaveraging.........................................12
smartsensors............................................14
StablCal.....................................................27
StandardizationPlateKit...........................29
straylight....................................................6
thefloatprocess.........................................7
totalsuspendedsolid................................19
Transientsampleconditions.....................12
turbidityofpurewater...............................6
U.S.EPAmethod180.1...............................9
viewvolume................................................9
whiteliquor...........................................9,15