APERA INSTRUMENTS TN400 Portable Turbidity Meter Instruction Manual

APERA INSTRUMENTS TN400 Portable Turbidity Meter Instruction

OVERVIEW

Thank you for purchasing Apera Instruments TN400 Portable Turbidity Meter (hereafter referred to as the instrument).

The instrument uses infrared light emitting diode (LED 860±30nm) as the light source and 90° scattering method, which is compliant with ISO 7027 and DIN EN 27027 standards for the determination of turbidity for water solutions. TN400 allows you to measure turbidity in a reliable and simple manner wherever you are.

Main features and functions

• Large TFT color screen with clear on-screen instructions for easy operation.
• Average measurement mode automatically takes 10 sets of readings consecutively and display the average. It improves the accuracy of the measurement, especially suitable for sample solutions with rapid settling and continuous measurement changes.
• U.S. EPA certified, non-toxic, easy-to-use polymer standard calibration solutions
• Rugged design, suitable for use in harsh environments.
• Everything comes in a carrying case, including accessories such as calibration solutions, sample vials, and more.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Technical Parameters

Measuring Method| ISO 7027 and DIN EN 27027

compliant nephelometric method (90°)

---|---
Light Source| Infrared light emitting diode (860±30nm)

Measuring Range

| 0 – 1000 NTU, automatic range selection: 0.01 – 19.99 NTU

20.0 – 99.9 NTU 100 – 1000 NTU

Accuracy| ≤ ±2 % of reading + stray light
Repeatability| ≤ ± 1% of reading or 0.02 NTU (FTU), the greater of the two
Resolution| 0.01 / 0.1 / 1 NTU (FNU)
Stray Light| ≤0.02 NTU (FNU)
Calibration Standards| AMCO Polymer or Formazin Solution: 0, 20, 100, 400 and 800 NTU (FNU)
Detector| Silicon photovoltaic
Measurement Mode| Normal measurement and average measurement mode
Display| TFT color screen
Sample Vials| Φ25×60 mm, high borosilicate glass with lid
Sample Volume| 18 ml
Power Supply| 4× AA Alkaline Batteries

Operating Condition

| Temperature: 0 to 50°C（32°F to 122°F）；Relative humidity： 0 – 90% at 30°C, 0 – 80% at 40°C, 0 – 70% at 50°C, no

condensation

Storage Condition

| Instrument: -40 to 60°C (-40 to 140°F) Calibration Solution: 5 to 30°C (41 to 86°F)
Instrument sealing

grade

| IP67
Certificates| CE and RoHS
Limited Warranty| 2 years
Dimension and Weight| Meter: (90×203×80) mm/385g Test Kit: (310×295×110) mm/1.5kg

INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION

Instrument Overview

1. Flip cover of the sample vial holder (Close the cover when measuring)
2. Housing
3. Display
4. Keypad
5. Battery cover
6. Dust proof plug (Take off the plug when measuring)
7. Sample vial holder
8. Calibration vials or sample vials
9. Positioning mark (Align the mark with the mark on the calibration vial or sample vial)

Meter and Accessories

Display Mode

Keypad

l  The meter will automatically shut off 10 mins after last key press

| l  In measurement mode: press to enter calibration mode

l  In calibration mode: press to exit calibration mode

l  In measurement mode: long press to switch measurement units NTU-FTU

| l  In measuring mode: Short press the key to perform single-shot measurement; long press the key to perform continuous measurement

l  In calibration mode: press the key to confirm the calibration.

|

l In calibration mode, press the key to select standard solution.

Power Supply

1. The instrument adopts 4 pieces of AA alkaline battery. Make sure there is no mixture of new & old batteries or different models of batteries.
2. Battery capacity indication Battery capacity icon: please replace new batteries when icon displays to ensure measuring accuracy; when icon displays, the battery must be replaced, otherwise the instrument cannot work properly. To extend battery life, user can setup auto-power off timer in Parameter Setup P6 according to usage requirements
3. Use the screwdriver to remove the four screws on the battery cover and open the battery cover. Insert 4 pieces of AA alkaline battery. Please make sure the polarity is correct. Put on the battery cover and screw tightly.

METER CALIBRATION

Preparation for Calibration

Calibration Point
The instrument has 5 calibration points: 0 NTU, 20 NTU, 100 NTU, 400 NTU, and 800 NTU. Among them, 0 NTU point uses AMCO 0.0 NTU calibration solution or laboratory distilled water, and the remaining 4 calibration points use AMCO polymer solutions. Note that the cap of the 0.0 NTU solution vial can be unscrewed. After the solution is invalidated, users can replace the 0.0 NTU calibration solution or use fresh laboratory distilled water. The AMCO 0.0 NTU calibration solution refill can be purchased from the supplier; For the remaining 4 calibration solutions, their vial caps cannot be opened. Simply dispose the solutions after they are expired and buy new ones from your supplier to replace. See the detail in Section 6 Replacement Parts

Replace zero turbidity solution

• Open the vial cap, pour out the original solution, add 1/2 distilled water, screw on the cap and shake the vial to rinse it off and pour out the water. Repeat it 3 times. Shake off the distilled water in the vial. Pour in new AMCO 0.0 NTU calibration solution or fresh laboratory distilled water and close the vial cap.
• AMCO 0.0 NTU calibration solution has 6 to 12 months of shelf-life, distilled water is only valid for a couple of days. AMCO 0.0 NTU solution is provided in the default kit. For purchase details, please refer to Section 6 Replacement Parts.

Clean vial surface

Apply a small drop of silicone oil on the surface of the vial and wipe it off with a lint-free cloth to evenly distribute the silicone oil on the surface in order to cover smudges and scratches, which helps light scattering. But please pay attention to the following points

1. The silicone oil applied should not be too much. After wiping with lint-free cloth, please wipe with filter paper or high-quality tissue paper to clean off. Excessive residual silicone oil on the vial surface will affect the measurement accuracy.
2. It’s not necessary to use silicone oil for each calibration and measurement. Apply silicone oil every several days or once a week. In between, just clean the surface with filter paper or high-quality tissue paper.
3. Clean the calibration vial and sample vial together and keep the steps and actions consistent to achieve same degree of cleanliness.
4. Stability of calibration solutions
5. The U.S EPA approved AMCO polymer standard calibration solution is very uniform and stable. It does not precipitate, drift or condense. Generally, it can be used directly without shaking or flipping the vial (to make the solution even). For AMCO polymer calibration

solutions that have not been used for a long time, slowly flip the vial twice and let it stand for 2 minutes. Be careful not to shake the solution vigorously, as this will create air bubbles which will destabilize the measurement; For 0.0 NTU calibration solution, do NOT shake or flip. If using Formazin calibration solution, as it tends to precipitate easily, each time users must flip and shake the vial to make the solution even. But sediment can still occur during tests and would make the measurement unstable. Users need to have rich experience handling Formazin calibration solutions.

Calibration Procedure (Take 0 NTU and 20 NTU as an example)

1. Instrument warm up (only required for low-range or high-accuracy measurement): Power on the instrument, set parameter P2 (continuous measurement time) to 5 times. Long press to start continuous measurement (don’t insert the vial), then wait for 3 to 5 minutes
2. Open the flip cover and place the 0.0 NTU calibration vial. Align the arrow on the vial lid with the one on the sample vial holder and close the flip cover.
3. Press to enter the calibration menu, the cursor is at 0 NTU. Press to start calibration.
4. After calibration is done, press to confirm. The instrument will return to the calibration menu (see Diagram on the right side). The OK sign indicates that 0 NTU has been calibrated and prompt to calibrate 20 NTU.
5. Place the 20.0 NTU calibration vial in the sample vial holder, press to start 20 NTU calibration. After calibration is done, press to confirm. The instrument will return to the calibration menu (see diagram on the right side). The OK sign indicates that 20 NTU has been calibrated.
6. If you want to continue to calibrate 100, 400 and 800 NTU, place the 100 NTU calibration vial in the sample vial holder and press to calibrate. After calibration is done, press to confirm; repeat the steps to calibrate 400 NTU and 800 NTU. After calibration is done, press to return to measurement mode.
7. Press to exit calibration mode, the instrument will return to measurement mode as shown in Diagram on the right side.

Notes for Calibration

Calibration point verification: The calibration point can be verified after the calibration is completed. If the calibration point has a large error, enter the calibration mode and repeat the calibration. For calibration point accuracy, users can refer to the following standards

Calibration point selection: The instrument has been calibrated at full range before leaving the factory. Users can select 2 or more points as needed to calibrate, as long as the target measurement range is in between of the two calibration points. In calibration setup mode, press   or to select the calibration point.

Low turbidity calibration requirement

• For low turbidity measurements (measurement less than 2 NTU), please test 0.0 NTU calibration solution. If the accuracy is not meeting your requirements, calibrate the instrument at 0.0 NTU and 20.0 NTU before test; then use 1# or 2# vial for measurement.
• Using the same sample vial to calibrate and measure can eliminate the error caused by different vials, thus achieving higher accuracy. For example, add laboratory distilled water to 1# vial for zero-point calibration and then add sample solution to 1# vial for measurement. Note that the test vial should be rinsed thoroughly when changing solutions.
• High turbidity calibration requirement: For turbidity measurement greater than 2 NTU, it is recommended to calibrate once a week, or to test a calibration solution close to the sample solution. If the error is large, the instrument needs to be recalibrated
• The instrument does not automatically recognize the calibration solution. If the wrong solution is selected for calibration, the measurement will be completely wrong. To fix this problem, simply re-calibrate the meter selecting the correct calibration solutions.
• Place the instrument on a flat and level surface. Do not hold the instrument in hand while operating.
• If using Formazin standards for calibration, please make sure to use freshly made Formazin standard to ensure calibration accuracy.

TURBIDITY MEASUREMENT

Sample Vial Handling

1. 6 sample vials are included in the test kit. The cap is marked with 1# to 6#, and the bottom of the vial also has the same number. The number of the vial and the cap should always be the same. *Pay attention that 1# and 2# vials are only for low turbidity solution measurement. (< 2 NTU)
2. The vial has been rigorously cleaned and sterilized. They can be used directly for the first time. For subsequent uses, follow the steps below to perform a thorough cleaning.

• Clean the sample vial inside and outside with detergent → rinse with distilled water or deionized water multiple times → Rinse the vial twice with the sample solution → Pour the sample solution into the vial → Close the cap

Measurement Preparation

1. Collect sample solution in a clean container, fill sample solution to the 4/5 position of the sample vial (approximately 18ml), see Diagram-4, tighten the vial cap.
2. Before measuring, gently shake the sample vial to make sample solution even and wait for air bubbles to disappear, see Diagram-5, wait for 2–5 minutes until bubbles eliminate.
3. Wipe the sample vial surface with a microfiber cloth. Ensure that the vial is dry, clean and free from smudges.
4. Apply 1 drop of silicone oil on the surface of the vial. Wipe with a microfiber cloth to obtain an even distribution over the entire surface in order to eliminate scratches and smudges and improve light scattering, see Section 4.1(c) for details.

Measurement Modes

Normal Measurement Mode

Press button, the display shows progress bar (see Diagram-6). It will display measured value after 10 seconds. Please press button again for repeated measurement

Average Measurement Mode

Long press button, release it until you hear a beep, then the instrument enters average reading mode. In this mode, the instrument will perform 10 times of continuous measurement, displaying 1 data every 8 seconds, and will display the average value at the end, see diagram 6. The average measurement mode can be used for observing the stabilizing process of turbidity, and can also be used for testing rapid-settling solutions.

Notes for Measurement

Keep the sample stable : After the vial is placed into the sample cell, it is recommended to wait for 1 to 2 minutes before calibration, as the solution will experience some shaking when the vial moves, which may affect measurement accuracy.

Sample vial cleaning requirement: Sample vials must be rigorously cleaned and free from smudges or scratches. When wiping, user should grip the cap and bottom to avoid leaving fingerprints on the surface of the vial. Its surface should be applied with a drop of silicone oil be wiped with a lint-free cloth. After that, please clean with filter paper or high-quality tissue paper. See section 4.1(c) for details.

Mixing and Degassing: Samples should not be vigorously shaken or vibrated. It is recommended that users gently shake the sample vial to make solution evenly distributed. Air bubbles in solution will cause big error to turbidity measurement. So, the vial should be left stand still for 2 to 5 minutes to eliminate potential air bubbles before measuring. We recommend using the same mixing procedure and the same waiting time for degassing before comparing measurements

Other Requirements

• On the premise of ensuring evenly distributed samples, sample solution should be measured immediately to prevent temperature changing and precipitates from affecting measurements.
• Avoid sample dilution for measurement as much as possible.
• Avoid operating under direct sunlight.
• Do not pour solution into the sample vial holder. Sample vials must be used for measurement.
• Please do not wash the sample vial holder as it may damage the optical structure

REPLACEMENT PARTS

solution

| 0.0 NTU/100mL| 1 bottle
T200-1| 20/100/400/800 NTU

AMCO polymer

| Compatible with

TN400&TN480

| 4 bottles
T500-3| Sample vials with lid| Φ25×60mm，1# – 6#| 6 pcs
TN400-S3| Silicone oil| 10mL| 1 bottle

WARRANTY

We warrant this instrument to be free from defects in material and workmanship and agree to repair or replace free of charge, at the option of APERA INSTRUMENTS any malfunctioned or damaged product attributable to the responsibility of APERA INSTRUMENTS for a period of TWO YEARS for the instrument from the delivery

This limited warranty does NOT cover any issues due to:

• Accidental damage, improper use, normal wear and tear, transportation, storage, failure to follow the product instructions, unauthorized modifications or repair, and other external causes or actions beyond our reasonable control.

APERA INSTRUMENTS (Europe) GmbH Wilhelm-Muthmann-Straße 18 42329 Wuppertal, Germany Contact: info@aperainst.de Website: www.aperainst.de Tel. +49 202 51988998

References

• Apera Instruments

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