Turbidimeter

A turbidimeter comprising:

• a sensor apparatus that includes a housing having first and second receptacles formed through respective first and second walls of said housing, means for establishing and incident light beam within said housing, said means for establishing including a light source module that is releasably engaged with said first receptacle, said module including a lamp and a lamp holder that extends from said first wall exteriorly of said housing and carries said lamp such that said lamp is located at least partly inside said housing, a test liquid holder removably received by said second receptacle for positioning a liquid to be tested in the path of said incident light beam, and means disposed in said housing for sensing light scattered by said test liquid, and generating a signal representative of the amount of light scattered by said test liquid;
• an optical block separate and distinct from and mounted within said housing and communicating with said first and second receptacles for directing said incident light beam through said holder, said optical block including a first, vertical passageway that communicates with said second receptacle for accommodating said test liquid holder and a second transverse passageway that transmits said incident light beam to said test liquid;
• and
• port means formed through at least a bottom of said optical block;
• an electrical power source for energizing said light source module and said means for sensing and generating, said module including means for electrically connecting said lamp with complementary means disposed in said housing, which complementary means are electrically connected to said power source to provide electrical power to said lamp;
• an analyzer apparatus that includes means, responsive to said generated signal, for determining the turbidity of said test liquid and means, responsive to said means for determining, for indicating the turbidity of said test liquid;
• and
• drain means formed in said housing and a float valve means for normally closing said drain means, said float valve means being raised by liquid that leaks form said holder through said port means to allow said water to discharge through said drain means.

A turbidimeter comprising:

• a sensor apparatus that includes an exterior housing having first and second receptacles formed through respective first and second walls of said housing, means for establishing an incident light beam within said housing, said means for establishing including a light source module that is releasably engaged with said first receptacle, said module including a lamp and a lamp holder that extends from said first wall exteriorly of said housing and carries said lamp such that said lamp is located at least partly inside said housing, a test liquid holder removably received by said second receptacle for positioning a liquid to be tested in the path of said incident light beams, and means disposed in said housing for sensing light scattered by said test liquid, and generating a signal representative of the amount of light scattered by said test liquid;
• an optical block separate and distinct from and mounted within said housing and communicating with said first and second receptacles for directing said incident light beam through said holder, said optical block including a first, vertical passageway that communicates with said second receptacle for accommodating said test liquid holder and a second transverse passageway that transmits said incident light beam to said test liquid;
• an electrical power source for energizing said light source module and said means for sensing and generating, said module including means for electrically connecting said lamp with complementary means disposed in said housing, which complementary means are electrically connected to said power source to provide electrical power to said lamp;
• a backwash sensor having means for directing a second incident light beam at a backwash test sample and means for detecting the light transmitted through said backwash test sample and generating a signal representative of said light transmittance;
• and
• an analyzer apparatus including means responsive to said means for sensing and generating and said means for detecting and generating for selectively determining the turbidity of said test liquid and the transmittance of light through said backwash test sample, and means, responsive to said means for determining for selectively indicating the turbidity of said test liquid and the percentage of light transmittance through said backwash test sample.