Ammonia Analyzer for Wastewater

The MS3500 is the first ammonia analyzer for Raw Waste Water. Its rugged construction and design allows it to reliably measure Ammonia at the very front end of a waste water treatment plant, giving the operator a level of control and knowledge presently unknown to the industry. It is used to:

• Monitor Raw Wastewater Intakes
• Detect high loads of ammonia at the intake
• Optimize the use of compressors and blowers in the aeration lanes
• Analyze ammonia at the effluent
• Analyze ammonia in the aeration lanes
• Identify sources of ammonia discahrges

Features and Benefits

• No sensor cleaning
• Works at Raw Waste Water Inlets
• No filters needed
• Minimum maintenance (every 3 to 6 months depending on water quality)
• Stable and reliable measurement
• Not affected by fouling, turbidity and suspended solids in a typical application
• Reagent costs less than $100 per year
• Does not block
• Alarms to SCADA and other communications interfaces

The MS3500 features on Dutch Television

In July 2019 the MS3500 ammonia analyzer featured on Dutch Television as part of a documentary on innovative water treatment technologies. Thanks to the support of our Dutch distributor, Technische Alliantie, the MS3500 has now been seen by tens of thousands of people all over the Netherlands.

The video describes how the ammonia analyzer is used to measure levels of ammonia in a wastewater plant, using a contactless technology, based on the e-nose sensor and Henry's Law.

"This is a great advantage for the operators who don't need to worry about expensive cleaning routines associated with traditional ISE sensors."

System Introduction

The problem and the opportunity

Ammonia levels at the intake can change a lot from day to day and from hour to hour. No instrument to date is able to measure ammonia at the raw wastewater inlet (soon after the screens) without an extensive maintenance regime or filtration system. If there was an instrument able to measure ammonia levels soon after the screens operators could:

• Improve the overall outgoing water quality
• Save on electricity costs
• Reduce chemical usage
• Optimize their process
• Identify serial offenders

Principle of Operation

The MS3500 utilizes a contactless measurement technique based on Henry’s Law, sensing headspace gases or volatiles in the sampling tank provided, and provides a measurement system with very low maintenance requirements.

Thanks to the clever design and technology the sensor never touches the water. This results in no sensor cleaning , reduced drift, virtually no fouling and very low maintenance.

The MS3500 is accurate to low ppm concentrations and its wide dynamic range allows it to be used in a wide variety of environments. Using minimal reagents and consumables the running costs of the system are very low.

The MS3500 is accurate from 1 to 200 ppm and its wide dynamic range allows it to be used in many applications.

A sample of gas is then taken from the headspace, passed through the sensor and the response analyzed to provide a concentration in ppm of the ammonia in the water (Fig. 2).

What does the MS3500 Ammonia Analyzer actually measure?

The MS3500 measures the concentration ammoniacal nitrogen in wastewater, as given by the sum of NH3 and NH4

How often does the instrument provide a reading?

The standard instrument gives a measurement every 60 minutes. This time will be cut to 30 minutes or less with the next generation sensors we are testing at the moment (July 2020)

What is the reported value?

The reported value, in ppm, is the sum of NH3 and NH4. What is the principle of operation

How is the MS3500 calibrated?

The instrument is factory calibrated, no user calibration is required, and is validated on-site.

What is the required maintenance? Is it expensive?

The instrument requires a service every 6 months, including a sensor replacement, as part of an inexpensive service pack. This is part of a sensor replacement scheme which can be discussed with Multisensor or your distributor.

Sodium hydroxide might need to be replaced every 3 months, the cost should be less than £100 per year.

What is the warranty?

Every instrument comes with 1 year warranty from the shipment date

What is the main difference between the MS3500 and other ammonia monitors?

The MS3500 is the only ammonia analyzer in the market that can reliably work at the intake of a wastewater treatment plant. It can do this thanks to its contactless technology and to its robust sampling system, which is not prone to blockages, even in difficult applications

Why should I measure the ammonia levels at the intake?

By measuring the levels of ammonia at the intake you can optimise the removal, avoid problems in case there is a huge peak and potentially improve the energy costs.

How difficult is the installation of the system?

The installation of the MS3500 is very straightforward: you just need to connect power and position the instrument at the intake. The enclosure can be mounted on a frame and the tubing for sample in and out does directly into the wastewater channel

Why does the MS3500 not block?

The MS3500 acquires its sample through the use of auto-sampler technology combined with e-nose detection techniques. This means that the sample tubes are high diameter, the sample lines a pre purged before a sample is taken and no pump components are in contact with the waste water.