CONDUCTIVITY METERS

A conductivity meter measures an aqueous solution's ability to

carry an electrical current.

(Copyright Hach Company, Loveland, CO)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Distilled water is a poor electrical conductor. The substances (or

salts) dissolved in the water determine how conductive the
solution will be. As the number of dissolved ions increases, so does
the solution's ability to carry an electrical charge. This electrical
charge is what allows a conductivity meter to measure the
conductance of a solution.
The conductivity meter reports conductance as the inverse of
a resistivity measurement. Resistivity is measured in ohms/cm, so

conductivity is measured in mhos/cm. A mho is the same as an

ohm, and is defined as the Siemen (S), a unit of conductivity.

(Copyright Hach Company, Loveland, CO)

EQUIPMENT DESIGN
As seen in the animation, a conductivity meter consists of a probe
that measures conductivity. A small electrical current flows
between two electrodes set a certain distance apart, usually
around 1 cm. If there is a high concentration of ions in the
solution, the conductance is high, resulting in a fast current. The
electrical current is slower and gives a smaller reading when a
lower concentration of ions is present.

Many manufacturers produce different probes to measure the

conductance of a solution. It is difficult to measure the exact
conductance of a solution with an amperometric probe.
Conductivity meters must be calibrated to provide accurate
results.
One of the most common designs for a conductivity meter is the 4
ring probe system. This is apotentiometric system that provides an
alternating current across all four rings. As seen in the animation,
the probe is placed into a solution and the current flowing from
ring 1 to ring 4 produces a voltage across rings 2 and 3. The
amount of current is directly related to the ionic concentration of
the solution, which means the voltage is also dependent on the
concentration of dissolved ions in the solution. A voltmeter in the
probe registers this voltage and sends the result to the
conductivity meter, where it is translated into the conductance of
the liquid.
A conductivity meter has the ability to measure the amount of
totally dissolved solids (TDS) in a solution, in units of parts per
million (ppm) or milligrams per liter. The standard correlation
between the TDS measurement of a solution and the conductivity
measurement is: TDS (ppm) x 2 = Conductivity (S).
Note that a conductivity meter only infers the actual number of
ions in a solution by measuring the electric charge of a solution. A
conductivity meter is not a direct measurement of the actual
number of ions contained in the sample.

(Copyright Hach Company, Loveland, CO)

USAGE EXAMPLES

Conductivity meters are used heavily in agriculture to measure the

salinity levels of surface water and of soil samples. Shown here is
a conductivity meter being used to measure the quality of water in
a wastewater treatment facility. In addition to conductivity, this
particular meter can be used to measure pH and dissolved oxygen.

(Copyright Hach Company, Loveland, CO)

Shown here is a conductivity meter that can measure the
conductance of up to 100 samples of plant material and analyze
the measurements with available data processing equipment.

(Copyright Reid & Associates, Durban, South Africa)

Damage to plant cellular membranes is a common response to a
stress. This damage leads to leakage of electrolytes from the cells

of stressed tissues. By measuring this leakage with a conductivity

meter, an operator can reliably indicate the severity of the stress
on a plant.

ADVANTAGES

Available as a controller or an analyzer to be implemented into process s

Able to make a sampling measurement in less than one second.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Hach Company, Loveland, CO
Reid & Associates, Durban, South Africa

REFERENCES
Hanson, B. R., and K. Kaita. "Response of Electromagnetic
Conductivity Meter to Soil Salinity
and Soil Water
Content." Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering 123
(1997):
141-143. Print.
McPherson, Lori. "Correlating Conductivity to PPM of Total
Dissolved Solids." WATER
Engineering & Management 142 (1995):
31-33. Print.
McPherson Lori. "How Good Are Your Values for Total Dissolved
Solids." Chemical Engineering
Progress 91 (1995): 58-59. Print