Re: My New Watercooling Pics
For those to lazy to click the link
For those to lazy to click the link
What in the world are microSiemens per centimeter (µS/cm)?
These are the units for electrical conductivity (EC). The sensor simply consists of two metal electrodes that are exactly 1.0 cm apart and protrude into
the water. A constant voltage (V) is applied across the electrodes. An electrical current (I) flows through the water due to this voltage and is proportional
to the concentration of dissolved ions in the water - the more ions, the more conductive the water resulting in a higher electrical current which is
measured electronically. Distilled or deionized water has very few dissolved ions and so there is almost no current flow across the gap (low EC). As an
aside, fisheries biologists who electroshock know that if the water is too soft (low EC) it is difficult to electroshock to stun fish for monitoring their
abundance and distribution.
Up until about the late 1970's the units of EC were micromhos per centimeter (µmhos/cm) after which they were changed to microSiemens/cm (1
µS/cm = 1 µmho/cm). You will find both sets of units in the published scientific literature although their numerical values are identical. Interestingly, the
unit "mhos" derives from the standard name for electrical resistance reflecting the inverse relationship between resistance and conductivity - the higher
the resistance of the water, the lower its conductivity. This also follows from Ohm’s Law, V = I x R where R is the resistance of the centimeter of water.
Since the electrical current flow (I) increases with increasing temperature, the EC values are automatically corrected to a standard value of 25°C and the values are then technically referred to as specific electrical conductivity.
All Lake Access conductivity data are temperature compensated to 25°C (usually called specific EC). We do this because the ability of the water to
conduct a current is very temperature dependent. We reference all EC readings to 25°C to eliminate temperature differences associated with seasons
and depth. Therefore EC 25°C data reflect the dissolved ion content of the water (also routinely called the TDS or total dissolved salt concentration).
These are the units for electrical conductivity (EC). The sensor simply consists of two metal electrodes that are exactly 1.0 cm apart and protrude into
the water. A constant voltage (V) is applied across the electrodes. An electrical current (I) flows through the water due to this voltage and is proportional
to the concentration of dissolved ions in the water - the more ions, the more conductive the water resulting in a higher electrical current which is
measured electronically. Distilled or deionized water has very few dissolved ions and so there is almost no current flow across the gap (low EC). As an
aside, fisheries biologists who electroshock know that if the water is too soft (low EC) it is difficult to electroshock to stun fish for monitoring their
abundance and distribution.
Up until about the late 1970's the units of EC were micromhos per centimeter (µmhos/cm) after which they were changed to microSiemens/cm (1
µS/cm = 1 µmho/cm). You will find both sets of units in the published scientific literature although their numerical values are identical. Interestingly, the
unit "mhos" derives from the standard name for electrical resistance reflecting the inverse relationship between resistance and conductivity - the higher
the resistance of the water, the lower its conductivity. This also follows from Ohm’s Law, V = I x R where R is the resistance of the centimeter of water.
Since the electrical current flow (I) increases with increasing temperature, the EC values are automatically corrected to a standard value of 25°C and the values are then technically referred to as specific electrical conductivity.
All Lake Access conductivity data are temperature compensated to 25°C (usually called specific EC). We do this because the ability of the water to
conduct a current is very temperature dependent. We reference all EC readings to 25°C to eliminate temperature differences associated with seasons
and depth. Therefore EC 25°C data reflect the dissolved ion content of the water (also routinely called the TDS or total dissolved salt concentration).
Comment