TOC Monitoring at Airports

GO Systemelektronik supplied the measurement technology for monitoring the TOC contamination of de-icing agents in the run-off surface water of the Salzburg Airport in Austria.

© 2021 Salzburger Flughafen GmbH

Salzburg Airport has set itself the goal of adapting the drainage of surface water from parking areas and runways to the latest requirements. During the course of this project, test fields for alternative drainage methods were installed.
For the continuous measurement or rather online monitoring of the expected contamination (TOC) of the surface water of the northern parking areas of the airport a UV/Vis spectrometer system of the company GO Systemelektronik was installed. Furthermore, an application-specific calibration of the parameter TOC was calculated, which was especially adapted to the local water matrix. TOC levels can be particularly elevated during the winter season due to the use of glycol-based de-icing agents that are used for aircrafts and runways. Therefore, an automatic switchover between summer and winter operation was also implemented.

The BlueBox Controller is the heart of the measuring system configuration. It collects all measurement data and makes them available via the integrated modem in the BlueGate Cloud Data Service.
An ISA UV/Vis spectrometer is connected to the BlueBox via an optical fibre. The measuring head of the UV/Vis spectrometer is made of stainless steel 1.4404 and is ATEX certified (standard ATEX class III). It can therefore be used in hazardous areas. In addition to TOC measurement, the sensor enables the simultaneous determination of a large number of other parameters. An extension of the calibration by the parameter Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) or other parameters relevant for the operator would easily be possible.

On the airport premises, the ISA measuring head was installed in a shaft where the surface water of the runways and also the de-icing areas converge. The spectrometer monitors the TOC load of the surface water, which is elevated especially in winter due to de-icing operations. The sensor head is embedded in a recess so that the optical windows do not fall dry even at low water levels. The brush for automated cleaning is attached to the sensor from the outside. The brush control module, the BlueBox Controller as well as the spectrometer electronics are mounted on the surface in an outdoor housing.
This allows all service tasks to be carried out outside the shaft except for any manual cleaning that may be necessary.

The individual parameters are measured every 5 minutes and automatically transmitted to the BlueGate Cloud Data Service, so that the measured data are available at any time and from any location via browser. In addition to providing the data, the connection also allows remote maintenance to make changes to the settings if necessary. Thanks to the availability of the data and the possibility of remote maintenance, the ideal time for on-site maintenance operations can be determined. This ensures that the system is always in perfect working order.

The project was realized in cooperation with our Austrian distribution partner XAMGACOM GmbH.

XAMGACOM GmbH
Schubertstraße 188
A-3970 Weitra
Telephone: +43-664-1634256
E-mail: office[at]xamga.at