Patent ID: 6936156

Claim:
An automated process for monitoring water quality comprising: providing a system for monitoring water quality, the system comprising a plurality of ion-selective electrodes and probes combined in a single flow train for multi-constituent analysis of a plurality of samples and a recirculation pump for optionally recirculating samples and reagents; rinsing and gas purging the system for monitoring water quality; self-testing and calibrating the probes; recording calibration data; rinsing and gas purging the system; optionally notifying an operator of the system if the operational parameters of the probes do not meet prespecified criteria; introducing sample to be tested into the system; optionally adding buffer or ionic-strength adjusting solution to the probes; monitoring water quality by measuring the analytes in the sample with the probes; recording the measurements; optionally conducting a second measuring step adding appropriate solution to dilute the sample in the probes or create a spike, measuring the analytes to be determined in the sample, and recording the water-quality measurement; optionally recalibrating the system after a number of samples are measured to detect drift of probe calibration parameters; and producing or transmitting a computer file to record the results of the monitoring process.