Airport Success Story
Background:
An airport was looking for a reliable on-line method of measuring COD or BOD of their de-icing run off. Their goal was the precise/reliable measurement to determine whether the run off can be discharged directly to the city wastewater plant or if they had to dilute the runoff first to meet their discharge permit. Airports use Propylene Glycol, which can be poisonous to animals, the environment and in higher concentrations will cause the bacteria in a wastewater plant to go dormant or die
Problem:
The EPA has a strict discharge permit that regulates what COD or BOD concentrations can be discharged during a given six-hour window. Propylene Glycol is a sticky substance and it is very easy to contaminate samples causing false readings and slow response. False readings and slow response can cause the customer to waste money by missing their discharge window. Several methods of detecting run off on-line were considered, UV persulfate TOC was slow and maintenance intensive. Most high temperature TOC analyzers use small furnace inserts and catalysts, which have to be replaced every three months. On-line BOD was also looked at but other airports that use this technology claim it takes 4 - 5 hours per week to maintain and is inaccurate. All of the above also need pre-filtration to prevent plugging of the sample lines
Solution:
The QuickTOC, TOC analyser was chosen and was installed at the outlet of the airport catch basins for several reasons. The QuickTOC using a 1200 Degree C. furnace completely oxidizes the sample without a catalyst. The injection needle of the dispenser system has an inside diameter of 0.8 mm which prevents clogging and after each sample the injection needle is immediately flushed with distilled water. This prevents cross contamination resulting in slow response or false readings. The total maintenance time is less than 5 minutes per week.
Conclusion:
The only analyser that could meet the city's strict requirements was the LAR, QuickTOC. The unit was commissioned on November 14, 2003.
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