MODEL 54e pH/ORP | SECTION 6.0 |
| THEORY OF OPERATION |
SECTION 6.0
THEORY OF OPERATION
6.1 THE pH SENSOR ASSEMBLY
The pH measurement is accomplished by means of a measuring electrode (usually made of glass) which develops a potential directly related to the hydrogen ion concentration (pH) of the solution in which the elec- trode is immersed. A second electrode, called the ref- erence electrode, is necessary to complete the electri- cal circuit and to serve as a constant reference poten- tial against which the potential of the glass electrode can be compared. Together, the two electrodes com-
prise the pH sensor.
designed to avoid blocking of the internal liquid junc- tion. It is essentially a complete electrode within an electrode outer body, using two liquid junctions.
A
The Glass Electrode
The glass electrode is a
The Reference Cell
The purpose of the reference cell is to maintain a sta- ble reference potential regardless of a change in sam- ple pH. The cell is comprised of the reference elec- trode, reference fill solution and porous reference junc- tion. The reference cell also serves to complete the voltage measuring circuit. Within the reference elec- trode, a silver chloride element is surrounded by a con- centrated potassium chloride solution. The internal ele- ment maintains electrical contact with the pH sensitive glass electrode through the porous liquid junction (a
The external wood reference junction and the gelled reference fill solution provide protection for the internal reference electrode to prevent contamination from harsh chemical environments. The internal liquid junc- tion can become blocked if the process contains any material that reacts with the filling solution to form a precipitate. The
The Temperature Compensation Element
In addition to the glass electrode and reference cell, a third element required in the pH measurement system is the temperature compensation element. Its purpose is to compensate for "apparent" pH changes due to the pH response of a glass electrode increasing with tem- perature. At values around 7 pH, the variation with tem- perature is zero. Thus, no compensation is required at 7 pH. The error caused by varying temperatures is greater at high/low pH values; in other words, as you move away from a neutral pH of 7. This compensation is done automatically by the Model 54e pH/ORP unless specifically disabled.
The Preamp
Because of the high resistance of the glass measuring electrode, a preamplifier must be used to transform the extremely low level, high impedance signal to a low- impedance signal. The Model 54e pH/ORP includes a switchable preamplifier that may be used if the dis- tance to the pH sensor is less than 15 feet. When longer runs of cable are necessary, the preamp can be located in the pH sensor itself or in a remote junction box. Either design allows transmission of the pH signal long distances without suffering degradation or inter- ference from outside voltage sources.
6.2 CONTINUOUS SENSOR DIAGNOSTICS
The Model 54e pH/ORP verifies the integrity of the glass and reference segments of the pH sensor by con- tinuously measuring the impedance between each segment and the solution ground.
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