New Self-Cleaning Analyser Improves Airport’s Water Management

A highly advanced, self-calibrating Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analyser from instrumentation specialist HACH LANGE (UK) is helping Manchester Airport to effectively monitor runoff whilst drastically reducing instrument maintenance requirements.

The Airport is the fourth largest in the UK and handles more than 22 million passengers a year. With flights to 225 destinations worldwide, the airport operates around the clock and HACH LANGE’s Biotector B7000 analyser is helping to protect the environmental performance of this busy airport.

As a result of extremely low temperatures over Christmas, the airport used more than 600,000 litres of de-icing liquid, such as glycol on aircraft, and acetates on runways, paths and standing areas, which created a challenge for the airport’s Water Services Engineer, Mark Stewart. He explained: “The liquid can be washed away by rain and snow into the airport’s main drainage system so it is paramount that we have the necessary analysis on-site to monitor the situation. This is because high volumes of different contaminants, such as glycol, will have a significant effect on the subsequent wastewater treatment process.

“The B7000 was selected following excellent performance in independent trials and has now been permanently installed to measure the TOC of run-off prior to the treatment process. Previously installed instrumentation required much higher levels of service and calibration so the B7000 represents a more cost-effective solution.

“Very high levels of organic material, such as glycol, can have an adverse effect on water quality monitoring equipment but we have found the B7000 to be extremely resilient in this respect, and overall it has proved very reliable.”

Contaminated water is passed to a local wastewater treatment facility before being discharged into the Manchester Ship Canal.

Explaining the many other applications for the B7000, HACH LANGE’s Ian Smith said: “This analyser is extremely robust and flexible; it can measure TOC, COD, BOD, TC, TIC or VOC in water and waste water (even when oil and grease are present) and can operate with up to 30% chloride and 12% calcium sludge. Consequently, it is ideal for use across many industries where inlet and outlet monitoring of wastewater conditioning is required, for organic and inorganic carbon measurement in process waters and for monitoring cooling water, boiler water or surface water. It is self-cleaning, performs complete oxidation through its Two Stage Advanced Oxidation technology and has an extremely low maintenance requirement; no further calibration is necessary between six-monthly services.”

Please visit www.hach-lange.co.uk for further product information.