Proceedings of ISSS 2008

International Conference on Smart Materials Structures and Systems

July 24-26, 2008, Bangalore, India

ISSS-2008/SX-XX

Water Quality Monitoring Instrument to Measure pH, Chlorine

& Turbidity using RGB Color Sensor
Naveen Shamsudhin and Ramamoorthy Luxman
Department of Instrumentation & Control Engineering
National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli, India

ABSTRACT
This paper reports a novel, low cost, water quality measuring instrument AQUAMON for pH, dissolved chlorine &
turbidity. The innovative design employs a combination of RGB color sensor ICs & darlington phototransistors for
photodetection. pH & chlorine concentration is determined by detecting the color change of the sample produced by
adding standard reagents using Agilent HDJD SR722 QR999 Analog Color Sensor. The RGB color information
from the sensor is processed by the microcontroller to map appropriate pH & chlorine concentration. Turbidity is
measured using a transmissive setup consisting of LED and darlington phototransistor (L14G3) calibrated in
nephelometric units. The instrument features a LCD Display for readout and soft-touch buttons for screen
navigation, rugged light weight metal casing. The device features build-in manual & auto calibration. The fabricated
device has been tested and calibrated with standard commercially available instruments. The measurable pH range is
from 4.0 to 11.0, and chlorine concentration measurement is centered around 0.5 ppm which is the threshold for
water suitability for use. Turbidity measurements are resolved to 1 NTU with a range of 0-25 NTU. The device is
designed for field use in swimming pools, reservoirs & tanks. It also fulfills the urgent need of user friendly field
kits for regions affected by disasters like tsunami, earthquakes, etc.
Keywords: Water Quality Monitoring, pH measurement, chlorine measurement, turbidity measurement, RGB
Color Sensors, Colorimetry.

1. INTRODUCTION
The need of a low cost, user friendly, field kit for water quality measurement has led to the development of this
instrument AQUAMON for measurement of pH, free chlorine & turbidity. The measurement mechanism works on
the principle of colorimetry. Most of the field test kits are color based where a chemical is added to the water sample
and from the color change, the concentration of the measurand is determined. Mostly, the color change is not easy to
discern and consequently difficult to map the correct value of measurand from the color chart. AQUAMON utilizes
an embedded RGB Color Sensor to detect the color change accurately and display the measured value on a LCD
Display.
Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles (suspended solids) that are generally
invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. The measurement of turbidity is a key test of water quality1.
Controlled chlorination of water is essential for swimming pools, reservoirs, drinking water tanks, etc for
disinfection and for removing taste & odour. Free chlorine (dissolved gas Cl2, hypochlorous acid HOCl, and/or
hypochlorite ion OCl-) concentration between 0.2 to 0.5 ppm is acceptable for human use or consumption2. As for
pH the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that public water systems maintain pH levels of
between 6.5 and 8.5. AQUAMON has a measurement range of 0.1 to 1.0 ppm for free chlorine and 4.0 to 11.0 for
pH.

2. DESIGN
For measuring suspended particulates (turbidity) in the swimming pool water, we employ a light source (white LED)
and a light detector (L14G3 phototransistor) which is placed parallel with respect to the source beam. When white
light passes through the water sample the suspended particulates scatter the light in all directions (3600
spherically).The scattered light at 1800 is detected by the phototransistor. The intensity of this detection depends on
properties of the particles such as their shape, color, and reflectivity. The detected light is then converted to voltage
with the help of the phototransistor. The analog voltage is digitized by the ADC and fed to the microcontroller which
computes the turbidity in nephelometric units after initial calibration.

Fig 2.1. Transmissive Color Detection Principle3

For free chlorine & pH measurements, we make use of a RGB color sensor (Agilent HDJD-S722-QR999). This
color sensor is a high performance, small in size, cost effective light to voltage converting sensor. The sensor
combines a photodiode array and three trans-impedance amplifiers in a single monolithic CMOS IC solution. With a
Red (R), Green (G) and Blue (B) color filters coated over the photodiode array, the sensor converts R, G, B light to
analog voltage outputs. The sensor is packaged in a 5x5x1 (mm) surface mount QFN-16 package3.

Fig 2.2 L14G3 darlington phototransistor8

Fig 2.3 RGB Color Sensor3

Using standard samples of pH varying from 4.0 to 11.0, addition of reagent Universal Indicator RankemTM results in
a color change. Similarly for free chlorine measurement, the reference sample is treated with ChloroTexTM indicator
in the ratio 10:1. The color of the reference solution is expressed in terms of Red, Green and Blue components. A
sample with unknown pH(/free chlorine), after reaction with the reagent, the unknown color is mapped to the nearest
pH(/free chlorine) reference value using a least distance formula. Visualizing the RGB components of a color as the
3 co-ordinates of the spatial frame, the reference solutions may be interpreted as fixed points in space. The unknown
solution will have the pH(/free chlorine value) of the point nearest to it in space.

dist = ( Ru Rr ) 2 + (Gu Gr ) 2 + ( Bu Br ) 2

Ru , Gu & Bu are the unknown color sensor values

Rr , Gr & Br are the reference color sensor values

Fig 2.2. Block Diagram of Measurement Setup

The choice of the microcontroller AVR ATMEGA 8 was primarily due to the in-built 6 channel 10 bit ADC, and
the availability of numerous software tools. We have programmed, burned & debugged the ATMEGA 8 in ANSI-C
using AVRStudio IDE and WINAVR tools. Subroutines were written for calibration & conversion for turbidity
measurements, lookup table and conversion algorithm for pH and chlorine measurements.
5 DPST button switches are used to provide a user friendly interface. The buttons are provided for Power ON/OFF,
pH Measurement Menu, Chlorine Measurement Menu, Turbidity Measurement Menu and for Selection. The water
sample is taken in a transparent culture tube with a screwable cap, the sample may then be inserted firmly into the
device holder firmly.

3. FABRICATION

Fig 3.1. Assembly of the PCB, Sensor Setup & other Circuitry in the Casing. Note the black cavity to block out stray light into
the sensor arrangement.

The electronic components ( Microcontroller ATMEGA8, Quad Opamp LM 324, potentiometers, voltage regulators,
etc ) were soldered onto 2 different 4 x 3 General Printed Boards. Power was supplied using two separate 12 V
Batteries regulated to 5 V using LM7805 for the RGB Sensor and the Microcontroller for safety of the sensor.
The sample holder for the sample was made of thermocol as shown in Fig 4.1. The LED-RGB Sensor combination
was placed orthogonal to the LED-phototransistor combination which allowed for a single holder for the trimeasurement system. The casing was made of iron and enamel spray painted. Holes were drilled on the top metal
panel for fixing the push buttons, LCD Display and the sample holder.

4. CALIBRATION & MEASUREMENT

4.1 pH Measurement:

Calibration : Calibration values have been hard coded into the microcontroller. The RGB analog voltages
from the color sensor have been used to create a lookup table to match the pH with the color of the solution
after addition of Universal Indicator. There is no need for field calibration of AQUAMON.

Measurement Range : 4.0 to 11.0 pH

Test Solution : The test solution is prepared by adding the Universal Indicator RankemTM to the water
sample in the ratio 1:20. Depending on the pH of the water sample, there is a corresponding change in color
of solution.

Output : There is a change in 3 analog outputs of the color sensor corresponding to the colored solution.
The signal range is from 0 to 5 volt.

AQUAMON Indication & Display : The pH corresponding to the nearest reference sample is displayed on
the LCD Screen. The resolution of the instrument is 0.5 units of pH.

4.2 Chlorine:

Unit of Measurement : PPM (parts per million) of dissolved chlorine.

Calibration : Calibration values have been hardcoded into the microcontroller. The RGB analog voltages
from the color sensor have been used to create a lookup table to match the pH with the color of the solution
after addition of ChloroTex. There is NO need for field calibration of AQUAMON.

Measurement Range : 0.1 to 1 ppm

Test Solution : The test solution is prepared by adding the ChloroTexTM reagent to the water sample in the
ratio 1:10. Depending on the dissolved chlorine content of the water sample, there is a corresponding
change in colour of solution. Standard chlorine samples have been created using repeated dilution
procedure after dissolving a single pellet of Sodium DiChloro Iso Cyanurate (NaDCC) in 1 litre of distilled
water.

Output : There is a change in 3 analog outputs of the color sensor corresponding to the colored solution.
The signal range is from 0 to 5 volt.

AQUAMON Indication & Display : AQUAMON displays the suitability of use of the water sample
depending on the dissolved chlorine concentration.

Chlorine Concentration
< 0.5 ppm
0.5 ppm 0.25 ppm
> 0.5 ppm

Display
Under Chlorinated
Suitable for Use
Over Chlorinated

4.3 Turbidity:

Unit of Measurement : Turbidity of sample is measured in a relative unit called NTU (Nepholemetric
Test Unit).

Calibration : Turbidity measurement is calibrated dynamically using a reference sample ( doubly distilled
water/formazine) which is assumed to have zero turbidity. The calibration need to be done only once after
power on of AQUAMON and it is performed by inserting the reference sample when prompted on the
screen by the LCD Display.

Measurement Range : The measurement range has been fixed from 0 NTU to 25 NTU.

Test Solution : Test measurements have been conducted by adding minute fixed amounts of talcum powder
to doubly distilled water to create turbid solutions. Talcum powder has been used since the fine particles are
of uniform size, remain suspended in the liquid with a large settling time and demonstrate optical properties
which are closely related to natural turbidity substances found in water.

Output : The variation of analog phototransistor voltage output is observed, and it shows a linear change
with increasing particulate matter in the solution. Using the phototransistor coupled with 10 bit ADC
provides a resolution of 5 mV.

Powder sample added (mg)

Output Voltage
(volts)

2.04

2.03

2.02

2.00

1.96

1.73

1.50

1.35

1.22

1.10

10

1.02

11

0.92

AQUAMON Indication & Display : The voltage output (2.04 V) for doubly distilled water(/formazine)
corresponds to 0 NTU. The minimum voltage output (0.92 V) corresponds to maximum turbidity of 25
NTU.

Fig 4.1. Preliminary Test Setup: The RGB color sensor is being highlighted by the transmitted light through the colored solution
The red sample in the test tube has a pH of 4.0.

5. CONCLUSION
Further refinements need to be made in replacing the metal casing with plastic to reduce weight and increase the
sampling & averaging rate of measurement. Turbid samples greater than 25 NTU cannot be measurement using
transmissive optical techniques. The resolution of free chlorine measurement may be enhanced by using a different
reagent. The resolution of pH measurement can be further enhanced by calibrating with reference samples of pH
varying by 0.1. This low cost, lightweight instrument is the perfect solution for a field test kit for measurement of
pH, free chlorine & turbidity of water. AQUAMON provides NGOs & government medical officers with a tool to
quickly assess water conditions in disaster stricken areas. It also assists in the daily maintenance of swimming pools
where the measurement of chlorine & pH are of utmost importance before chlorination.
Embedded colorimetric techniques as demonstrated in AQUAMON has extended to low power CMOS-MEMS color
sensor networks for environmental monitoring10 and other continuous parameter monitoring applications. Using
arrays of concentration dependent color changing materials and optoelectronic sensors, 2-D concentration maps may
be prepared for monitoring & study.

Fig 5.1. The -prototype of the instrument with water samples of different pH

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We express our sincere thanks to Prof. Goldin Bennet (National Institute of Technology Trichy) for introducing the
course Product Design & Development in the undergraduate curriculum. We also thank Dr. Sivakumaran and Mr.
Sampath Kumar (Department of Instrumentation & Control), Dr. L Cindrella (Department of Chemistry) for their
invaluable suggestions. Mr. MK Karthik, Mr. Vinod S & Ms. Jency Varghese (Department of Instrumentation &
Control) helped in component sourcing & fabrication of AQUAMON.

REFERENCES
1. EnviroSensors Turbidity Primer
2. World Chlorine Council Policy Paper on Water Chlorination
3. SRI LANKA Tsunami Situation Report, Dr. Bipin Verma.
http://www.searo.who.int/LinkFiles/Sri_Lanka_SRL_10_Jan_05_SITREP.pdf
4. Agilent HDJD SR 722 Q999 RGB Color Sensor Datasheet.
5. Use of RGB Color Sensor in Colorimeter for better Clinical measurement of Blood Glucose, A.Sivanantha
Raja et all, BIME Journal, in Colorimeter for better Clinical, Volume (06), Issue (1), Dec., 2006.
6. Avago Application Note - AN_5096, HDJD-S722, ADJD-E622 color sensor.
7. Understanding Avago Technologies RGB Color Sensors White Paper.
8. Method & Apparatus for measuring turbidity. US Patent 6184983
9. www.digikey.com
10. www.wikipedia.org
11. Measurements of Photochemical Oxidant Using a Color Sensor Network, Yasuko Yamada et all, NTT
Technical Review, Vol 6, No 2 , Feb 2008.