Choosing the Right TOC Analyzer for Water Purification Projects

As end users continue to refine, update, or replace processes to be more efficient, meet new regulations, and deliver improved product quality to their customers, they demand more from their utilities team, especially for water quality and confirmation of the absence of all contaminants. This process control is even more critical for users of pure and ultrapure water—pharmaceutical, microelectronics, and power—as any deviation in water quality can have major impacts on the water system and the final product/energy generation. A critical contaminant in these environments is total organic carbon (TOC), and TOC analyzers for water projects help teams monitor it without losing sight of system performance.

Need for increased speed and tighter control of water quality

As the utility teams address the critical need of TOC control for end users, system engineers, and fabricators of water purification skids also need to find analytics solutions that are efficient and cost-effective. In order to achieve this, system fabricators often employ solutions that can support:

Use of industry-accepted suppliers

Reduced overall project costs

Ease of integration, startup and operation

Advanced features that offer distinct advantages

Ease of service and maintenance

Five Considerations for Selecting a TOC Analyzer for Your Project

Use of Industry-Accepted Suppliers

It is crucial for system fabricators to choose a partner who not only has technology that is widely accepted, but one who works closely with industry organizations to understand industry needs while also providing technical expertise. This allows the system designers to standardize on their design, while not worrying about project delays due to waiting for customer approvals for TOC analyzers and associated equipment.

Reduced Overall Project Costs

On-line, continuous TOC analyzers with the available ability to pair with multi-channel transmitters reduce monitoring costs for process analytics. With the connection of multiple sensors to a single transmitter, multiple measurement points can be monitored, thus reducing cost per measurement. In addition, multi-channel capability lowers installation costs, replacement parts, and associated maintenance costs.

Ease of Integration, Startup and Operation

Typically, TOC analyzers have to be manually configured for initial setup, software updates, and replacement. This can be very time-consuming, especially when there are multiple sensors in a project. Additionally, if multiple users or technicians are involved in the installation and programming, the risks of inconsistent configuration or programming errors are high. A process that streamlines this operation and minimizes errors saves resources and time that can be assigned to more valuable work.

Advanced Features that Offer Distinct Advantages

Beyond the basic function of measurement, TOC analyzers should allow fabricators to offer value-added features that can target the key client objectives—cost reduction and better water quality monitoring. Whether it is cost savings in installation, startup, or during maintenance, these features should provide ease of use and predictive indicators for upcoming service and repairs. This allows users to efficiently schedule resources, rather than scramble to address issues at the last minute.

Ease of Service and Maintenance

In addition to these features, system fabricators and their clients should have advanced technical support available to promptly address technology, application, and after-sales issues. Having support available on-site or remotely, no matter where the installation takes place, can result in significant time and resource savings while also providing a high-quality user experience.

Identifying Measurement Requirements

While keeping these client needs in mind, system engineers with a strong understanding of industry guidelines and the required measurement points and processes can choose TOC analyzers that are well-suited to their clients’ water systems. Depending on the industry and process being monitored, TOC monitoring is required at specific measurement points as described in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

Water Requirements in the Pharmaceutical Industry

In the pharmaceutical industry, companies must adhere to local and/or global pharmacopeia compendial regulations that dictate the chemical composition of water allowable for use in manufacturing products. This could be the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), European Pharmacopeia, Japanese Pharmacopeia, Chinese Pharmacopeia, Indian Pharmacopeia, or the pharmacopeia of other relevant countries.

Figure 1: Water treatment stages in a pharmaceutical water system.

One of the key contaminants to control as per the regulatory requirements is TOC, and it needs to be controlled not only during the water purification process but also in the water loop with the points of use. The USP encourages the use of on-line TOC instrumentation in Chapter <643> for product control and for additional process and sys tem control. Typical measurement points for TOC along with other regulated parameters are shown in Figure 1.

Water Requirements in the Power Industry

For water used in power generation, operators must be aware of water quality in the steam/water cycle to make sure turbine manufacturers’ warranty requirements are met. Additionally, water quality is crucial for the control of corrosion and deposition throughout water systems to ensure a safe working environment, as well as the longevity of turbines, pipes, boilers, and valves.

While a variety of parameters are measured and monitored in water treatment as well as the water/steam cycle, TOC is a key parameter to continuously monitor due to its corrosive and fouling effects on the process. High TOC in treated water, when fed into the water/steam cycle, can lead to lower pH due to organic breakdown. This leads to corrosion and damage of critical plant assets. These organics can also deposit on heat-exchanging surfaces, reducing thermal efficiency and increasing the cost of power generation. Moreover, TOC can foul the resin in the condensate polisher, thus reducing its effectiveness and requiring frequent regeneration.

Figure 2. Typical measurement points for TOC in power plants

In water treatment, organics will foul RO membranes, reducing their life and time to maintenance. It is crucial to monitor TOC at the end of the treatment process, so that organics from the treated water do not enter into the water/ steam cycle and damage plant equipment.

TOC in the system not only impacts the life of plant equipment, but also the profitability of the plant. A shutdown for maintenance may be necessary for extended periods of time to address damage to plant equipment. Typical measurement points for TOC in power plants to ensure proper monitoring and control to avoid such incidents are shown in Figure 2.

On top of these TOC monitoring points in a typical power plant, there are additional measurement points required if the plant is a cogen facility. In cogen plants, the steam after the turbine is usually sent to the manufacturing facility that the plant is powering and is used for production processes. The steam condensate is then returned to the cogen plant, and passes through the condensate polisher in the water/steam cycle before continuing to be used in the cycle. This condensate usually carries some TOC contamination from the production process, and it is critical to monitor this contamination to ensure it does not exceed limits and cause damage in the water/steam cycle.

Table 1: General point of distribution/point of use water quality levels.

Water Requirements in the Microelectronics Industry

A vast amount of water is consumed in production in a microelectronics facility, and needs to be free from contaminants to meet the exact purity required for maximum production yield. The water supply must function without any downtime to avoid interruptions in the manufacturing process, which requires continuous on-line monitoring of water quality.

TOC is one of the key parameters to ensure water quality in such a facility, since it can cause damage to the product being manufactured and lead to considerable losses. The critical nature of this measurement is evident from the multiple sample points during the water treatment process for TOC (Figure 3) and the very low acceptable limits (Table 1).

Figure 3: Microelectronics applications in ultrapure water (UPW) production, distribution and use.

TOC Analyzers for Water Projects

TOC analyzer selection for water projects

As leaders in pure water analytics, METTLER TOLEDO Thornton collaborates with industry leaders and regulatory bodies to share expertise and gather feedback on monitoring needs. This drives innovation, leading to products like TOC analyzers and transmitters that meet critical client needs and offer features simplifying system integration.

METTLER TOLEDO Thornton’s TOC analyzers provide real-time, on-line monitoring for a comprehensive view of water quality trends. Using UV oxidation and advanced conductivity measurement, they accurately measure TOC without reagents or chemicals and have few moving parts, reducing operational and maintenance costs. Designed to meet diverse technical and budget needs, they effectively address various industry measurement requirements.

While other TOC analytical equipment available to system fabricators provide a measurement every six minutes, the METTLER TOLEDO Thornton series of TOC sensors provide a measurement response in 60 seconds and updates every second. This allows for an unprecedented level of transparency regarding the water quality, and the ability to react quickly to any out of specification event.

These sensors connect to either the M300 or M800 transmitters based on needed capabilities. The M800 supports up to four sensors and uses Intelligent Sensor Management (ISM) for plug-and-play with various sensor types (pH/ORP, conductivity, DO, TOC) on one transmitter. It also offers Profibus DP communication, reducing cabling, streamlining data collection, and minimizing system footprint for a more efficient, cost-effective design.

Conclusion

METTLER TOLEDO TOC analyzers provide a powerful solution to effectively manage water quality and offer unique features to benefit both the fabricator and end user:

Use of industry-accepted suppliers

With technical expertise and high accuracy measurement

Reduced overall project costs

With a variety of solutions offered to meet technical and budget needs

Ease of integration, startup and operation

With TCT software and plug and play simplicity

Advanced features that offer distinct advantages

To meet clients’ objectives, including ISM technology

Ease of service and maintenance

With ISM predictive diagnostics

In addition to these advanced capabilities, METTLER TOLEDO provides technical and after-sales support globally, with trained service experts available to support the system fabricator team through all stages of the process - installation, commissioning, preventive maintenance, and troubleshooting. This ability, combined with TOC analyzers tailored to meet water system design needs, allows METTLER TOLEDO to be a valuable and reliable partner aligned with system fabricator goals.

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Choosing the Right TOC Analyzer for Water Purification Projects

Need for increased speed and tighter control of water quality