Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that are made of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in various structural configurations. Hydrocarbons are the primary constitute of oil, diesel fuel and gasoline.
WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT?
Hydrocarbons are used in various industrial applications and can contaminate natural waters through leaks in underground pipes, spills, improper disposal or leaching from landfills. These organic compounds pose environmental contamination risks and human health risks if exposed through drinking water. In the event of spills, various national agencies have established tolerable levels of hydrocarbon fractions in drinking water. Guidelines have been developed for a number of substances including ethylbenzene (300 µg/litre), m-xylene, o-xylene and p-xylene (500 µg/litre). Measurement of hydrocarbons may also be required for industrial manufactures discharging petroleum contaminated water to municipal wastewater treatment plants.
HOW WE MEASURE
Real Tech’s sensor utilizes fluorescence measuring principles with LEDs to excite hydrocarbons that fluoresce and emit light which allows for very low-level detection. Temperature and turbidity compensation allow for accurate and reliable measurement. Benefiting from long-life UV LED lamps, only minimal maintenance or operator intervention is needed. Measurement can be expressed as oil and/or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The bypass style sensor is ideal for locations where the sample stream is pressurized or the water presents potential for hard fouling due to high mineral content as this sensor can be equipped with an automatic chemical cleaning system that is very effective against mineral deposition related fouling.
Real Tech has the solutions to help our clients get the information they need, when they need it. Discover our real-time monitoring solution here.
Real-time detection in water.