A device or instrument used to measure oxygen in an amount of unit volume of water is called Dissolved Oxygen Meter. This measuring meter has many uses and applications in laboratories of wide industry sectors. Let’s try to gather more information about this wonderful oxygen testing meter.

Dissolved oxygen meter is one of important instruments used in laboratories today. As this testing instrument can measure the amount of dissolved oxygen in a specific amount of volume of water, this device is much useful in variety of applications including sewage treatment plant works, river monitoring, fish farming, water treatment plants, effluent activated sludge process and many other fields where water quality is considered an important factor.

Before going further it is essential for us to know about Dissolved Oxygen. Dissolved Oxygen can be explained as physical distribution of oxygen in water. Atmosphere and photosynthesis are the major factors and sources of dissolved oxygen in water. Waves and flowing water mix the air and water while aquatic plants produce oxygen as a by-product during photosynthesis. The amount of dissolved oxygen that can be present mainly depends on the water temperature, salinity and atmospheric pressure. Additionally, the amount of dissolved oxygen can increase with a decrease in temperature of the water and can increase with an increase in atmospheric pressure.

The various types of Dissolved oxygen meter are:

• Galvanic Sensor Oxygen Meter: does not use an external voltage and the difference between the anode and cathode is greater than 0.5 volts. These are more stable and accurate when compared to the Polarographic oxygen meters.


• Polarographic (Clark Cell Method) Sensor Oxygen Meter: use an external voltage keeping the potential difference between the anode and cathode to less than 0.5 volts.


• Optical Fluorescence Oxygen Meter: are extremely suitable for long-term measurements in groundwater as it is not sensitive to contaminants or for that matter, aging.

Ranges and accuracies offered are the key specifications to look at while purchasing an oxygen meter. Portable handheld equipment’ is very handy at location points. Permanent setups are useful in laboratories. There are various Dissolved oxygen meter manufacturers that products quality products but we should know what the typical features a dissolved oxygen meter should possess. These features are:

• Self-Calibration


• Battery Packs


• Event Triggers


• Filters

The technical data that a portable oxygen meter should be able to capture is:

• Oxygen range: 0.01 mg/l – 2000 mg/l


• Automatic temperature compensation


• Resolution: 0.01 mg/l


• Temperature range: 0 – 50 C


• Automatic air pressure compensation


• Correction for salinity

Following are the uses of Dissolved Oxygen Meter:

• Pollution control in rivers and lakes


• Analysis of boiler feed water for industries


• Waste water treatment plants


• Ionic concentration measurement for pharmaceutical companies


• Analysis of drinking water

Further, it is somewhat difficult to mention enough details about operational instructions for each of the many kinds of meters. It is advisable to read the instructions that come with the Dissolved Oxygen Meter to understand how it works and how to use it properly. To accurate reading it is essential to ensure that the meter has been properly calibrated and the sensor and meter have been properly maintained. Other similar meters are Ph Meters and Wood Moisture Meter.

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About the Author:
Maria John is a professional courses counselor with TIPA, an vocational training institute in Delhi.

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