Method and Apparatus for TOC Monitoring of Purified Water

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of determining the total organic carbon content (TOC) of a purified water stream in a water purification apparatus having at least a first pump, a first conductivity sensor, an oxidiser, and an oxidiser recirculation circuit having a dedicated second pump, the method comprising at least the steps of: (a) using the first pump to pass a water supply stream through the water purification apparatus, including through the first conductivity sensor and the oxidiser, to provide a purified water stream available for dispense; (b) using the first conductivity sensor to measure a first conductivity value of the water supply stream prior to the oxidiser; (c) stopping the first pump; (d) using the second pump in the oxidiser recirculation circuit to recirculate the water in the oxidiser only through the first conductivity sensor and the oxidiser a plurality of times, (e) using the first conductivity sensor to measure a second conductivity value of the recirculated water; and (f) calculating the TOC of the water in the oxidiser prior to step (d), from the first and second conductivity values.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.