Swimming Pool Water Monitoring via Chemical Manipulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for measuring swimming pool water quality, particularly chlorine species and other substances, are often unreliable, time-consuming, or expensive, and struggle to accurately distinguish between different types of chlorine species.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that includes a detection unit with sensors to measure pool water properties, a manipulation unit for applying chemical reagents or other manipulations, and a processing unit to analyze data before and after manipulations, such as dechlorination, to determine chlorine species and other substance concentrations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If spectral measuring is used to detect chlorine species and biomass substances concentrations, then measurement capability is provided, but reliability deteriorates because some substances are difficult to spectrally distinguish from substances of interest
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary manipulation of the water sample by adding chemical reagents that selectively react with target substances (chlorine species, cyanuric acid, biomass) before measurement. This preliminary chemical treatment modifies the substances into forms that are more easily and reliably distinguished by the detection unit, resolving the spectral overlap issue while maintaining measurement capability
Solution Approach 2:
Chemical reagents are introduced as intermediary substances that mediate between the target analytes and the optical detection system. These reagents react with chlorine species, cyanuric acid, and biomass to produce intermediate compounds with distinct spectral characteristics, enabling reliable differentiation without sacrificing measurement productivity
2Measurement precision
If manipulation units are added to apply chemical reagents and measure water response, then measurement accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manipulation unit is designed to perform multiple functions: storing various chemical reagents, dispensing them into water samples, mixing the reagents with samples, and controlling the reaction process. This multi-functional integration achieves high measurement accuracy for multiple parameters (chlorine, cyanuric acid, biomass) without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the manipulation unit (chemical treatment) with the detection unit (optical measurement) into an integrated monitoring system. The processing unit coordinates both manipulation and detection operations, combining what could be separate systems into a unified device that achieves high precision while managing complexity through integrated control
3Speed
If current optical measuring methods are used, then measurement speed is maintained, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to distinguish different types of chlorine species
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the chemical parameters of the water sample by adding reagents that selectively react with different chlorine species (hypochlorous acid, hypochlorite ions, chloramines). These parameter changes transform the chlorine species into distinct intermediate compounds with different spectral signatures, enabling reliable differentiation while maintaining rapid measurement speed through automated processing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides accurate and efficient measurement of swimming pool water quality parameters, including chlorine species, cyanuric acid, and biomass, improving reliability and reducing costs by analyzing the response of pool water to manipulations.
Implementation Method 1
Measuring spectral properties of SP water may be used to detect/determine various water quality related properties such as chlorine species and/or biomass substances concentrations
Implementation Method 2
The one or more manipulations may include at least dechlorination of the SP water or at least one sample from the SP water
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, units and methods for monitoring water of at least one swimming pool (SP) by: obtaining non-manipulation data of the SP water or one or more samples thereof before/without applying any manipulation to water of the SP sample(s) thereof; applying at least one manipulation over the SP water or one or more samples thereof; obtaining manipulation data of the SP water indicative of responsivity of the SP water or one or more samples thereof to each manipulation applied thereto, using one or more sensors; and analyzing the non-manipulation and manipulation data to determine one or more characteristics of the SP water including for example concentration of one or more substances in the SP water. In some embodiments, at least one manipulation may include dechlorination of the SP water.