Two Conductivity Calibration Methods

Standards vs Reference

In many production environments, conductivity calibration is treated as a routine task — something that needs to be completed to satisfy quality requirements, but rarely receives much attention beyond that.

A sensor is removed from the process, sent to a laboratory, calibrated, and reinstalled. Production is stopped, documentation is updated, and operations move on.

Over time, however, this familiar workflow begins to raise questions. Why does calibration require so much downtime? Why do results sometimes differ after reinstallation? And is laboratory calibration always the most appropriate approach for sensors operating continuously in production processes?

There are two fundamentally different methods for performing conductivity calibrations. One method is by using a standard, which is a liquid solution with a known conductivity value. The other is by comparison with a reference instrument such as the Insatech Insacal Conductivity Meter described on this site.

When choosing your methodology, you need to take several things into consideration, including accuracy requirements, process conditions, and the impact on production.

Calibration Using Liquid Standards

Calibration using liquid standards require that you have calibration expertise in order to properly perform the calibration, since multiple factors – e.g. temperature and contamination – will influence results and, more specifically, your calibration uncertainty.

To conduct the calibration, the sensor you want to test must be removed from the process. This in itself introduces a variety of problems in terms of closing down parts of the process, re-sanitising the loop, risk of contamination, etc.

But most importantly, it can be very hard to recreate the environment and install conditions in the laboratory, and if the conditions vary too much, this can render the calibration useless. Calibrating by way of standards can therefore be difficult and costly work.

Calibration Using Reference Equipment

IAn alternative calibration method is comparison with reference equipment, such as Insacal Conductivity Meter. One of the main reasons for using reference equipment is that it can be used at-line in order to calibrate in-line instruments.

This means that you do not need to remove the unit under test (UUT) when you calibrate and therefore do not have to re-sanitise the loop after the calibration. Furthermore, the calibrator is placed in the same environment as the UUT, which means you do not have to worry about recreating environment and install conditions.

Overall, performing good calibrations with the Insacal Conductivity Meter is easy and requires very little training. In addition, carrying out calibrations of multiple loops become very cost effective, especially when done at-line or using an Insatech T9 Calibration Tank.

Why use Reference-Based Conductivity Calibration?

Using reference equipment such as the Insacal Conductivity Meter simplifies the calibration workflow and reduces several of the challenges associated with standards-based calibration.

By calibrating at-line or in-line, calibration can be performed without removing sensors from the process, eliminating the need to recreate laboratory conditions and reducing the risk of handling errors and contamination. This results in more consistent calibration results and a workflow that is easier to integrate into daily operations.

To better understand the challenges addressed by reference-based conductivity calibration, we have outlined the most common conductivity calibration challenges and how they can be reduced in practice.

Explore common conductivity calibration challenges

Related resources

Insacal Conductivity (EC-) Meter

Our Condutivity Meter validate and calibrate your inline conductivity sensors directly in production — without stopping the process, removing sensors, or introducing uncertainty.
Available in several models, for both low and high conductivity applications, ranging from a PRO to a handheld version.

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