Criticality of pH meter in Manufacturing Industries

Technology has become a part of our lives in such a way that today it is completely impossible to imagine a life without technology. The developments in the field of science and technology has now penetrated our lives so well that at times we are not even aware of a mere fact that the methods and ways of science and technology are indispensable for our existence. In the present wake of such hardcore dependence on science, its tools, principles and practices etc, it is hard to believe that we require a tool such as pH meter. Even if you have never heard of this tool before, you should know that it governs various parts of our lives and no matter from which field you hail from, your life will be easier and better if you would use a pH meter.

The main significance of pH meter is to measure the extent of acidity or alkaline of a given liquid substance. The construction of a digital pH meter is done in such a way that a special glass rod or a probe is connected with the digital meter and it helps in telling whether a substance is acidic or alkaline and that too, till what extent. Given below is the type of industries which would find the pH meter very resourceful and pragmatic. The industries are:

Scientific testing and labs etc.

Spas and Pools

Ecological testing

Agricultural industry

Boilers and cooling towers

Wine producing plants and coffee applications

For water testing and water treatments

The present day digital pH meters have an expanded and broad utility. Often, not just the manufacturing industries, but also researches require the use of pH meter for their various research purposes. The research field may vary as per the interest are of the researcher, but pH meter will be useful while researching various fields, such as biological, agricultural, chemical, environmental and a lot more. In fact, any type of manufacturing industry, pH meter does have a significant role to play.

A system's pH electrodes require periodic maintenance to clean and calibrate them. The length of time between cleaning and calibration depends on process conditions and the user's accuracy

and stability expectations. Overtime, electrical properties of the measuring and reference electrode change. Calibration in known-value pH solutions called buffers will correct for some of these changes. Cleaning of the measuring sensor and reference junction will also help. However, just as batteries have a limited life, a pH electrode's lifetime is also finite. Even in the 'friendliest' environments, pH electrodes have to be replaced eventually.

Wiring requirements for pH electrodes tend to be even more severe than thermocouple wiring, demanding very clean connections and short distances of wire (10 yards or less, even with gold-plated contacts and shielded cable) for accurate and reliable measurement. As with thermocouples, however, the disadvantages of electrode pH measurement are offset by the advantages: good accuracy and relative technical simplicity.

The following conditions are hazardous to measurement (glass) electrodes: high temperatures, extreme pH levels (either acidic or alkaline), high ionic concentration in the liquid, abrasion, hydrofluoric acid in the liquid (HF acid dissolves glass!), and any kind of material coating on the surface of the glass.