Water quality monitor for recovered spacecraft water

A total organic carbon (TOC) analysis system based on ultraviolet absorption is described. The equation for measuring the intensity of the absorbed radiation of the organic substances, which is based on the Lambert-Beer law, is given; the intensity of the absorption is proportional to the concentration of the solution. The operation of the UV-Absorption analyzer, which utilizes a split beam, two wvaelength method, is studied. The influences of the cell path length and specific compounds in the solution flowing through the cell on absorbances is discussed. The performance and response of the analyzer is evaluated; good correlation is observed between the absorption value and TOC. The advantage of the UV-Absorption as compared with the UV-Oxidation are examined.