A REPORT ON

ANALYSE DIFFERENT PH CONTROL

MEASUREMENT TECHNIQUES USED IN
INSTRUMENTATION
FOR
CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT-2
PAPER: INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL IN TEXTILE PROCESSING
PAPER CODE: PE TT 401 A

Submitted by
Snehasis Ghosh
Roll No:11001422032
Registration No:221100110169
Course: B.Tech. in Textile Technology
Semester: SEM-4

Govt. College of Engg. & Textile Technology, Serampore

Serampore, Hooghly-712201

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 INTRODUCTION
In various industrial processes, maintaining precise control over pH levels
is crucial for ensuring optimal conditions and efficient production. pH, a
measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, plays a vital role in
processes ranging from water treatment and chemical manufacturing to
food and pharmaceutical production. To achieve accurate and reliable pH
control, instrumentation systems employ diverse measurement techniques.
These techniques are designed to monitor and adjust pH levels in real-
time, contributing to enhanced product quality, process efficiency, and
overall operational safety.

What is pH:

pH is a measure of how acidic or basic a substance or solution is. pH is

measured on a scale of 0 to 14. On this scale,

1. pH value of 7 is neutral, which means it is neither acidic nor basic.

2. pH value of less than 7 means it is more acidic.

3. pH value of more than 7 means it is more basic.

pH = - log[H+]

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 Requirments of PH Control in Instrumentation

The requirement for pH control in instrumentation is driven by the critical

role that pH plays in various industrial processes. pH, a measure of the
acidity or alkalinity of a solution, influences the chemical and biological
reactions that occur in many applications. Maintaining optimal pH levels
is essential for the following reasons:

Process Optimization: Chemical Processes: In industries such as

chemical manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals, specific
pH conditions are often required for chemical reactions to proceed
efficiently. Control of pH ensures that the desired products are formed
with maximum yield and purity.

Quality Control:Food and Beverage Production: pH control is crucial in

food and beverage industries to maintain the desired taste, appearance, and
shelf life of products. It also plays a role in controlling microbial growth
and ensuring food safety.

Biological Processes:Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals: Many

biological processes, including fermentation and enzymatic reactions, are
pH-sensitive. Precise pH control is necessary for the optimal growth of
microorganisms, production of bioactive compounds, and the
effectiveness of pharmaceutical processes.

Water Treatment:Municipal and Industrial Water Treatment: pH control

is vital in water treatment processes to ensure the effectiveness of
coagulation, flocculation, and disinfection. It also helps prevent corrosion
in pipes and equipment.

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Different techniques of PH control in Instrumentation
The methods for measuring pH fall roughly into the following four categories:

 Indicator methods
 Metal-electrode methods (including the hydrogen-electrode method,
quinhydrone -electrode method and antimony-electrode method)
 Glass-electrode methods
 Semiconductor sensor methods

Then, each measuring method is explained briefly.

Indicator methods
This category basically includes two methods: One involves comparing the
standard color corresponding to a known pH with the color of an indicator
immersed in the test liquid using buffer solution. The other method involves
preparing pH test paper which is soaked in the indicator, then immersing the
paper in the test liquid and comparing its color with the standard color. This
method is simple, but prone to error. A high degree of accuracy cannot be
expected.

Table below gives the various indicators in use and their working range in pH
units

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Advantages of pH indicators:

 Quick, inexpensive and easy.

 Quickly determine the nature of the sample, whether it is acidic or basic.
 Saving time and money produces quick results.
Disadvantages of pH indicators: -

 The sample solution should be colourless enough to clearly observe indicator

colour changes.
 An indicator is not functional above its pH range because the indicator does
not change colour at these pH values.
 If the substance or sample is contaminated, the colour may be incorrect.
 Measure pH with low accuracy, they only indicate the acidity or alkalinity of
the sample and not the exact pH.

Metal-electrode methods

There are mainly three types of method in this category:

I. Hydrogen-Electrode Method
II. Quinhydrone -Electrode Method
III. Antimony-Electrode Method

Hydrogen-Electrode Method :

A normal hydrogen electrode can be set up by bubbling pure hydrogen gas at a

pressure of one atmosphere through a solution of an acid in which activity of
hydrogen ions is unity. For detection of the electrode potential of this electrode
a plate of an inert metal like gold or platinum is so placed that it dips partly in
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the acid and hydrogen gas bubbles on it at a slow rate. A platinized platinum
plate is preferred as it permits the equilibrium value of potential to be reached
quickly. When the two electrodes are coupled together to form a galvanic cell,
the electrodes which has stronger tendency to lose electrons into external
circuit acquires the negative polarity and becomes the negative pole.

Advantages of Hydrogen Electrode:

(i)It is a fundamental electrode to which all measurements of pH are ultimately

referred.

(ii) It can be used over the entire pH range.

(iii) It gives no salt error.

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Disadvantages of Hydrogen Electrode:

(I)It cannot be used in presence of air, dissolved oxygen, oxidising or reducing

agents.

(ii) The platinum black coating deteriorates and hence it should be renewed
from time to time. Sometimes it is poisoned due to the presence of compounds
like alkaloids, sulphides, cyanides arsenic and antimony salts.

(iii)Difficult to maintain the pressure of the hydrogen gas at a fixed value due
to mechanical difficulties.

(iv) It is not easy to get pure hydrogen.

Quinhydrone -Electrode Method:

When quinhydrone is added to a solution, it separates into hydroquinone and

quinone.Because quinone’s solubility varies depending on the pH value of the
solution, pH can be determined from the voltage between a platinum and
reference electrode.Although this method is simple, it is seldom used today,
because it does not work when oxidizing or reducing substances are involved,
or when the test solution has a pH above 8 or 9.

Note: Quinhydron solution of a certain pH is sometimes used to check whether

an ORP meter is operating normally. The principle of the quinhydron electrode
is applied in such a case.

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A calomel electrode often replaces the normal hydrogen electrode. The
complete cell can be represented as:

Hg | Hg2Cl2 (s), KC1 saturated || H*

(unknown) Q. QH2 | Pt

In this cell the oxidation takes place on

the calomel electrode while reduction
takes place at the quinhydrone electrode.
Using reduction electrode potential
values, we have

pH= (0.4576- Ecell)/0.0591

Advantages of Quinhydrone Electrode:

(i) It has a low resistance.

(ii) Equilibrium is reached quickly.

(iii) Its use is not affected by dissolved oxygen. (iv) It can be used for micro-
determinations.

Disadvantages of Quinhydrone Electrode:

(i) It can be used for determining pH values less than 8 only.

(ii) The solution to be tested gets contaminated.

(iii) It suffers from salt error defect.

(iv) It cannot be used in presence of oxidising and reducing agents.

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Antimony-Electrode Method:

Thismethod involves immersing the tip of a polished antimony rod into a test
solution, also immersing a reference
electrode, and measuring pH from the
difference in potential between them.
This method was once widely used
because the apparatus is sturdy and
easy to handle. However, its
application is now quite limited
because results vary depending on the degree of polish of the electrode, and
reproducibility is low.

Note: This method is now used only in cases where a high degree of accuracy
is not required (only for industrial use) and the test solution contains F-.

Advantages of Antimony-Electrode Method:

I. Easy to be used cheep and durable.

II. It can be used for determination of pH of volatile acids (H2CO3).

Disadvantages of Antimony-Electrode Method:

I. Can only be used within pH range 2-8, at lower pH Sb 2O3 dissolves and
at higher pH Sb° dissolves.
II. It can not be used in presence of oxidizing, reducing agents.
III. It can not be used in presence of complexing agents e.g.taratric acid
because it gives antimony tartarate complex.
IV. It can not be used in presence of noble metals which will be displaced by
antimony.
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 Glass-electrode methods
The glass electrode method uses two electrodes, a glass electrode and reference
electrode, to determine the pH of a solution by measuring the voltage
(potential) between them.This method is the one most commonly used for pH
measurement, since the potential quickly reaches equilibrium and shows good
reproducibility, and because the method can be used on various types of
solutions, with oxidizing or reducing substances having very little impact on
the result.

The glass electrode method is widely used, not only in industry but also in
many other fields.

JIS states, “Since measurement using a hydrogen electrode, as described in the

definition section, is not necessarily appropriate, measurement using a glass
electrode is recommended for industrial pH measurement.

EG = EG0-0.0591 log [H+]

= E+ 0.0591 pH

where EG is the potential of the electrode and E° is

a constant for the given glass electrode

The glass electrode consists of a glass bulb with a

long neck and is made of a special type of glass of
relatively low melting point. A solution of 0.1 M
HCl saturated with quinhydrone is filled up in the
bulb. A platinum wire is inserted into the solution for making the electrical
contact as shown in Fig.

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The glass bulb containing the solution is then dipped in the beaker containing
the solution whose pH is to be determined. For determining the pH of the
solution, the above half-cell is joined with a reference electrode. The E.M.F. of
such a cell can be determined by a potentiometer.

Advantages of Glass Electrode:

(i) It can be used for solutions having pH values 2 to 10. With some special
glass, measurements can be extended to pH values up to 14.

(ii) It is immune to poisoning.

(iii) It is simple to operate.

(iv) The equilibrium is reached quickly.

Disadvantages of Glass Electrode:

(i) In this electrode, the bulb is very fragile and therefore has to be used with
great care.

(ii) As the glass membrane has a very high electrical resistance, the ordinary
potentiometer cannot be

used for measuring the potential of the glass electrode. Thus, the electronic
potentiometers are used.

(iii) Standardization has to be carried out frequently.

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 Semiconductor sensor methods
The semiconductor pH sensor, whose development started around
1970, replaces a glass electrode with a semiconductor chip. This
sensor, known as an ion sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET), is not
only resistant to damage but also easily miniaturized. Miniaturization
allows the use of smaller amounts of sample for measurement, and
makes it possible to perform measurements in very small spaces and
on solid state surfaces. This sensor promises useful applications in
measurement in the fields of

biology and medicine.

Advantages of Semiconductor Sensor

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 I. It is used for wide variety of applications such as cheese making, pool
maintenance, to grow healthier plants by measuring soil pH, stain
removal etc.
II. The meters provide numerical value of the pH directly.
III. pH meters are very accurate and provide exact pH value with the help of
pH sensors.
IV. It helps in determining how much acidic or basic any substance is.

Disadvantages of Semiconductor Sensor

I. They are very expensive.

II. pH meters are required to be calibrated.

CONCLUSION

Theanalysis of various pH control measurement techniques in instrumentation

reveals a diverse range of methods employed to monitor and regulate pH levels
across different industries.As industries continue to evolve, it is essential for
professionals in the field of instrumentation to stay abreast of emerging
technologies and advancements in pH measurement. The continuous
improvement in accuracy, reliability, and efficiency of pH control techniques
contributes not only to the optimization of industrial processes but also to the
overall quality and safety of the products being produced.

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 REFERENCES

 https://www.horiba.com/int/water-
quality/support/electrochemistry/the-story-of-ph/ways-of-
measuring-ph/
 www.google.com
 Slideshare.net

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