ChemScan® Process Analyzer

Applied Spectrometry Associates, Inc., 

Waukesha, WI
 

The ChemScan is a process analyzer using ultraviolet spectrometry and special software to detect dissolved nutrients, organics, and metals in municipal or industrial water and wastewater plants for on-line, real-time monitoring.

• The ChemScan analyzers can be applied to various municipal water and industrial processing plants,     saving money due to low maintenance times and on-line monitoring, either in plant or remote locations.
• ChemScan analyzers require only a few hours each month for maintenance, including the time required for preparation of reagents. Very little time is require for calibration verification or adjustment and no time is required for recalibration

• Applied Spectrometry Associates (ASA), Inc is successfully commercializing water analyzers originally designed under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract sponsored by NASA at Kennedy Space Center.  
• ASA is offering four models of its ChemScan(r) Process Analyzers.  ASA bought the manufacturing rights from Biotronics Technologies, Inc., also of Waukesha. Biotronics worked with the KSC Biomedical Office under the SBIR contract to develop the original analyzer for the Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) program.   
• Commercially, ChemScan Process Analyzers are used to measure multiple chemicals at municipal drinking water treatment plants and municipal wastewater treatment plants, as well as industrial water chemistry processes.  
• Typical applications for process analyzers are characterized by large flow volumes, a dynamic chemical matrix and a substantial motive to obtain real-time chemical analysis information.  
• In 1998 ASA added a new model to its product line, the ChemScan UV-2150 Process Analyzer, offering improved reliability and reduced operation and maintenance cost for automatic analysis of ammonia or phosphate in water. This model contains many of the features of earlier versions, including the use of multiple wavelength ultraviolet-visible light absorbance for analysis.
• The use of multiple wavelengths for analysis makes it possible to eliminate sample conditioning steps and to simplify sample reagent additions that would otherwise be required. Operating and maintenance costs are greatly reduced with this product, without sacrificing accuracy or reliability.  
• Over 100 ChemScan systems have been installed at industrial and municipal facilities, including multiple parameter systems at major cities like Austin, Texas; Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Gainesville, Orlando and Tampa, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles; New York City, Phoenix, Arizona; and Seoul, South Korea.

• The KSC Biomedical Office desired a water chemistry analyzer to provide on-line, real-time monitoring of plant nutrients in hydroponic solutions and the biomass processing reactors in the Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) program. The instrument was to be capable of detecting, identifying, and quantifying the macronutrients (P, K, Ca and Mg) absorption spectra.
• NASA's Advanced Life Support (ALS) project has been working on bioregenerative life support for future long duration space flights and permanent bases in space.

Return to NASA SBIR Success Listings