Automated Evaluation of Operation of Electrochemical Sensors for Environmental Monitoring

V. Konstantakos, Th. Laopoulos

Abstract

The present paper describes a novel application of a well known Build-In-Self-Test (BIST) method in order to evaluate the operational condition of a certain type of sensors which are widely used in environmental monitoring instruments (especially in water quality monitoring). It is actually an automated evaluation procedure of the operating conditions of electrochemical sensors (mainly dissolve oxygen and pH sensors for on-line monitoring of water). Such self-validation procedures increase the operating life and the reliability of a sensor, and extend the time-between calibrations or replacements of chemical consumables (electrolyte). The proposed technique is mostly suitable for stand-alone monitoring systems (such as data-loggers or remote stations) which operate continuously in the field of environmental monitoring of water ecosystems (on-line monitoring). This work uses a microcontroller measuring scheme in order to implement the above functionalities and proposes a measuring circuit (that is also described) which is needed to implement such “intelligent features”.

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DOI

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IMEKO TC

TC19 - Environmental Measurements

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