TITLE AND REFERENCE NO: AUTHOR:

TURBIDITY METER CALIBRATION

PROCEDURE CMU/CH-14/PRO/07 NTIKUBITUBUGINGO ETIENNE

AUTHORISATION:

This Procedure is issued under the authority of:

Name Mr Jean Bosco VUNINGOMA

Title Ag. Director of Chemical Metrology Unit

Date of approval 15/09/2022

Effective date 01/10/2022

DOCUMENT CONTROL

CONTROLLED DOCUMENT Watermarked

Instructions for use:

1. The content of this procedure is controlled and shall not be copied.
2. All changes and amendments to be made on this documents shall be kept in track
changes.
3. The use of this document is allowed only to the athorized personnel.
4. The use of this document outside RSB is not allowed unless authorized.

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0. CONTENTS AND RECORD OF CHANGES

0.1 Table of Contents

0. CONTENTS AND RECORD OF CHANGES ........................................................................... 2
0.2 Distribution/Circulation .............................................................................................................. 2
1. PURPOSE............................................................................................................................... 2
2. SCOPE 2
3. REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 3
4. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS .................................................................................................... 3
5. PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES ............................................................................................... 4
6. PROCEDURE DETAILS .......................................................................................................... 4

0.1 Record of changes

Changes made during review of this procedure will be maintained in electronic format as track changes
of the revised document.

0.2 Distribution/Circulation

This document is uploaded on RSB server and the original copy (master copy) is kept by the staff of
Chemical Metrology Laboratory and is the only controlled document. The approved uploaded copy on
Metrology server is accessed online by authorized personnel.

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of th is ca lib ra t ion p ro ce d ure is to d e scrib e the process d o ne whe n ca lib ra t ing
turbidity me t e rs u sin g reference solutions and reference turbidity meter.

2. SCOPE

This procedure is applicable to all types of turbidity meter models and the calibration is done in
the range of 0 to 1000FNU.

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3. REFERENCES

3.1 RS ISO 7027-1 Water-Quality Determination of Turbidity-Part 1: Quantitative Methods

3.2 ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration
laboratories
3.3 Operational/instruction manuals for the calibration items
3.4 EA-4/02: - Expression of the Uncertainty of Measurement in Calibration
3.5 JCGM 100: 2008 Evaluation of measurement data — Guide to the expression of uncertainty in
measurement, 1st Edition, September 2008.

4. TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

4.1. Definitions of Terms Used

Nephelometry: is a turbidity measurement method/procedure of diffuse radiation and applies to
solutions of low turbidity; for drinking water for example. It is used for turbidity range of 0.05 to 400NTU.
It is a method where the instrument measures the scattered light from the sample at a 90o angle from
the incident light.
Turbidimetry: is a turbidity measurement method/procedure for measuring the attenuation of a
radiation for highly turbid solutions; waster water for example. Turbidity measured by that method is
expressed as Formazin Attenuation Unit(FAU) and the results typically range between 40 and 4000
FAU. In this method, the instrument measures the decrease in transmitted light through a sample at an
angle of 180o to the incident light.
Note: Although the methods measure turbidity differently, the units are equivalent i.e
1NTU=1FTU=1FAU=1FNU.

4.2. Abbreviations and symbols

4.2.1 NTU: Nephelometric Turbidity Unit
4.2.2 FTU: Formazin Turbidity Units
4.2.3 FAU: Formazin Attenuation Units
4.2.4 FNU: Formazin Nephelometric Units
4.2.5 UUT Unit Under Test
4.2.6 oC Degree Centigrade for Temperature
4.2.7 Rh Relative humidity of the room in %

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5. PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1 It is the responsibility of the staff of Chemical Metrology Laboratory to make sure that this
procedure is understood and remains adequate for its intended use. The staff of Chemical
Metrology Laboratory is also responsible for revision of this procedure. The unit director’s duty is to
check and approve this procedure. It is the responsibility of QMSO to monitor the implementation
of this procedure and to upload it on NMD server.
5.2 it is the responsibility of everyone involved in maintenance, calibration, handling and storage of
standards and equipment covered by this calibration procedure to:
a) Follow the steps as stated in this procedure completely;
b) Take all reasonable care to prevent damage or deterioration of the equipment under test at
any stage of the prescribed process;
c) Ensure that the equipment under calibration which is not fit for use is clearly identified and
properly stored until it is returned to the client.

6. PROCEDURE DETAILS

6.1 Standard, tools and equipment required

a) Turbidity meter reference solutions
b) Distilled water.
c) Small beakers
d) Reference turbidity and its accessories
e) Lint-free tissues or paper towel.
f) Thermometer to record CRM ambient temperature
g) Data logger to record environmental conditions
6.2 Pre-calibration Requirements
6.2.1 Inspect the instrument for any physical defects and note its status in the measurement data sheet
or calibration raw data book.
6.2.2 The room conditions must be in the ranges below:

ITEM MINIMUM MAXIMUM

Ambient temperature 20oc 30oc
Relative humidity 40% 70%

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6.2.3 Carry out a function check and take note of any defects.
6.2.4 In case of major defects, consult the client before further action.
6.2.5 Condition the UUT by putting it in the calibration environment for a b ou t 2 h o u r s
o r a s sp e cif ie d b y t h e m a n u f a c t u r e r in its operational manual.

6.3 Calibration procedure details

The reference solutions are used first, to check if the probe is working well.
Then the calibration procedure is described in the following section:
1. Preliminaries:
a) Clean the probe and beakers to contain turbidity reference solutions
b) Read the turbidity meter operational manual in order to know its measuring range so
as to choose the reference solutions set to use
c) Pour each reference solution in two beakers where one will be used to rinse the probe
of the UUT and another one for calibration purposes. The amount of the reference
solution depends on the UUT as adequate quantity is needed to cover the probe up to
the immersion point or as specified in the UUT operational manual.
d) Pour in another beaker some amount of distilled water
e) Check the temperature of calibration solutions and note it down in the calibration raw
data book or calibration data sheet.
f) Record the starting environmental conditions (Temperature and Humidity).
2. Procedure:
a) Connect the probe to the turbidity meter if necessary and switch it on or following the
operational manual instructions.
b) Set the function of the meter in measurement mode.
c) Rinse the probe in distilled water and then in the rinsing reference solution.
g) Insert the probe in the first solution of the set and record the measurements in the
calibration raw data book or calibration data sheet.
d) Repeat c) and d) for the next reference solution(s) of the set; these are the
measurement data before calibration.
e) Follow the manufacturers instructions as written in the manual for calibration of the
UUT.

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Note:
- For the calibration process, the laboratory staff has always to start by changing from
measurement mode to calibration mode and then follow the meter’s operation manual
instructions.
- Every time the probe is taken out from the reference solution, rinse it with distilled water and
then with the rinsing reference solution before inserting it in the next solution.
- During calibration, the staff has always to check if the environmental conditions are within the
range specified in this procedure.
f) After successful calibration, repeat steps c) and d) and record the measurements
after calibration. Three measurements are recorded to be used in calculation of
uncertainty while their average is reported on the calibration certificate.
g) Record the environmental conditions after calibration
Activities after calibration
- Rinse the probe with distilled water, clean, dry and keep it in the storage solution.
- Affix the calibration sticker on the customer’s equipment

6.4 Uncertainty of measurement calculations

A number of uncertainty contributions are identified and evaluated as below
a. Uncertainty of the measuring process (Type A)
This shall be calculated from n repeated measurements of a sample and the associated
standard uncertainty uA, is of Type A:
𝑠
uA = where s is the standard deviation of a single measurement value TTi
√𝑛

∑𝑖=𝑛
𝑖=1 (𝑇𝑇𝑖 −𝑇)
2
𝑠=√ 𝑛−1
n=1, 2, 3, …, n.

b. Uncertainty due to certified reference material

The standard uncertainty uR associated with the reference standard, TR, shall be calculated from the
respective CRMs Certificates of Analysis by dividing the quoted uncertainty value UR by 2.

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c. Uncertainty due to the display resolution of the calibration item (Type B)

d. Combined and expanded uncertainty of measurement

The combined standard uncertainty of the turbidity value of the measured reference solutions as
indicated by the calibrated item, UC(TT) shall be computed from the following equation;

UC (TT ) = u A2 + uB2 + uC2

The expanded uncertainty of the turbidity measurement values indicated by the calibrated item UC(TT)
shall be computed from the following equation:

U (TT ) = k  UC (TT )
Where k is a coverage factor obtained from t-distribution assuming a 95 % confidence level.

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 Dear customers,

we are happy to announce that the Metrology Service of the Rwanda Standards Board has acquired new capability to
calibrate your portable turbidity meters. This is to inform you that now you can start bringing in your Turbidity meters
for calibration; our Certified Refence Standards allow calibration range from 0 - 4,000 NTU.

POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS FOR THE CALIBRATION OF TURBIDITY METERS

No CUSTOMERS PRODUCT E-Mail TELEPHONE
Belle Image Packaged Drinking
1 BELLE IMAGE GROUP Ltd [email protected] (+250) 781 573 922
Water
2 ELECTROMAX Ltd Huye Packaged Drinking Water [email protected] (+250) 783 420 000
3 BEL & F COMPANY Ltd Safe Packaged Drinking Water [email protected] (+250) 781 055 906
ENTREPRISE URWIBUTSO/ SINA
4 Akandi Natural Mineral Water owner @sinarwanda.com (+250) 788 300 008
Gerard
5 FLOURISH INDUSTRIES Ltd Flourish Packaged Drinking Water [email protected] (+250)788 768 137
Inyange Sparkling Natural Mineral
6 INYANGE INDUSTRIES Ltd [email protected] (+250) 788 161 900
Water
Savannah Packaged Drinking
7 SAVANNAH PLANT (Inyange) [email protected] (+250) 788 161 900
Water
Mukamira Mist Packaged Drinking
8 MUKAMIRA DAIRY Ltd [email protected] (+250) 788 125 007
Water
9 SKOL BREWERY Ltd Virunga Sparkling Water [email protected] (+250) 788 381 640
Municipal Water Utility Company
10 Municipal Water [email protected] (+250) 788 813 536
(WASAC)

Verified and approved by:

VUNINGOMA J. Bosco
Ag. Director, Chemical Metrology Unit.
Digitally signed by
Vuningoma Jean
Bosco