AUTOMATIC MONITORING AND CONTROL OF THE SURFACTANT CONTENT IN AQUEOUS PROCESS SOLUTIONS

摘要

The invention relates to a method for automatically testing and controlling the surface-active contents in aqueous solutions used in a process. According to said method, the following operations are carried out under control of a program: a) a sample having a predetermined volume is extracted from the aqueous solution; b) solids contained in said sample are optionally removed; c) said sample is optionally diluted in water at a ratio which is predetermined or determined based on the result of a preliminary determination; d) the surface-active contents is determined by selective adsorption, by electrochemical or chromatographic approach, by dissociation into volatile components, by stripping of said volatile components and their detection, or by addition of a reactive agent which modifies the interaction of said sample with an electromagnetic radiation proportionally to the surfaceactive contents and by measuring the variation of said interaction; e) the result of said determination is stored on a data medium or used as a base for further computation and/or the result of said determination or of further determinations is transmitted to a remote place from where it is possible to take action in the course of the determinations. Measurements for monitoring the bath can be carried out automatically based on predetermined criteria or on demand from a remote place. The inventive method reduces the personnel required for controlling and monitoring the bath and increases process safety.