OBS501 Smart Turbidity Meter with ClearSensor
®
Technology
18
FIGURE 7-8. Place and secure mounting fixture
8. Operation
8.1 Turbidity Units
Conceptually, turbidity is a numerical expression in turbidity units (TU) of the
optical properties that cause water to appear hazy or cloudy as a result of light
scattering and absorption by suspended matter. Operationally, a TU value is
interpolated from neighboring light-scattering measurements made on
calibration standards such as Formazin, StablCal
®
, or styrene divinylbenzene
(SDVB) beads. Turbidity is caused by suspended and dissolved matter such as
sediment, plankton, bacteria, viruses, and organic and inorganic dyes. In
general, as the concentration of suspended matter in water increases, so will its
turbidity; as the concentration of dissolved, light-absorbing matter increases,
turbidity will decrease.