An Automatic “Wet” Chemical Analyzer for Process Monitoring and Control

Abstract

An instrument has been developed which can sample a process stream, prepare the sample for analysis by the addition of required reagents, titrate the mixture to an electrically determined end point, record the results in either digital or analog form, dispose of the sample, and repeat the cycle indefinitely.

An output signal can be made available for use in process control or to operate high or low concentration alarms.

Time required for a complete analysis cycle varies between 3 and 10 min depending on the complexity of the analysis.

Normal precision expected with the instrument is a standard deviation of 0.01 ml of titrant. Much better results are possible under certain circumstances.

Successful results have been obtained with both simple and complex analytical problems, i.e., mercaptan sulfur in gasoline and “Bayer liquors.”

The instrument is designed so that by the selection of the proper plug-in units and the proper programming almost any volumetric laboratory procedure can be duplicated with better precision and accuracy than is normally obtainable in the laboratory.