If you’ve ever had an application that uses Reverse Osmosis (RO), such as in a renal ward, you probably understand the damaging effect that chlorine can have on RO membranes, but did you know that…
…Pi has a security system that can alert you to any free chlorine present and can actually prevent the contaminated water from reaching the membranes at all?
The most common source of water for corporate buildings, hospitals and industrial processes, is standard mains water. This water typically contains chlorine, added by municipal water companies, for its disinfection properties. For any system that requires RO membranes, if the water source is mains water, it is common to have carbon filters positioned before the membranes. The carbon filters are designed to remove any chemicals in the water that might be damaging to the RO membranes, including chlorine.
Our HaloSense Zero chlorine controller measures the water coming out of the carbon filters before it reaches the RO membranes. Any free chlorine breakthrough from the carbon filters is detected by the system, which will set off an alarm and can also be configured to automatically shut off valves to prevent the contaminated water from reaching the RO membranes.
The HaloSense Zero effectively acts as a security measure to ensure that if there is a breakthrough of chlorine, the system can be shut down to prevent damage to the RO membranes. This can help to extend the lifetime of the expensive RO membranes and save the customer money.
The removal of chlorine is even more important in hospital systems where the water is supplied to renal wards. In this case the HaloSense Zero chlorine analyzer not only protects the RO membranes, but it can also help to save lives. If any chlorine was to break through the carbon filters and make it past the RO membranes as well, it could endanger the lives of renal patients in the hospital. The HaloSense Zero chlorine system is a fantastic safety feature, providing an extra line of defence against the potential hazard.
The HaloSense Zero consists of a sensor designed to measure the absence of chlorine connected to a CRONOS® or CRIUS® controller. The sensor can detect even very low levels of free chlorine, while the CRONOS® or CRIUS® controller acts as the brains of the system, interpreting data from the sensor. In the event that any free chlorine is detected, the analyzer will send an alarm signal and can automatically shut off valves to prevent chlorine from reaching the RO membranes.
So why aren’t you using this system already? Are there any catches?
The only catch is that the HaloSense Zero can’t measure combined chlorines in the water. Typical mains water in most countries contains a mixture of free chlorine and combined chlorine which is what the HaloSense Zero is designed to detect and help protect the RO membranes against.
The ingenious HaloSense Zero chlorine analyzer will even periodically check the responsiveness of the sensor automatically, to ensure that the sensor is still reacting correctly when free chlorine is present. It does this by switching between the post-carbon filter water and chlorinated mains water using a 3-way solenoid valve controlled by a programmed timer.
If you are using a carbon filter before your RO membranes to remove the chlorine, probably the only reason you aren’t using this system already is simply that you haven’t heard of it before. The Pi HaloSense Zero chlorine system is just one of Pi’s innovative solutions to water treatment problems.
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