Coagulant dosing is traditionally determined according to results from
jar-tests or operator's experience, which often lead to overdosing or
-insufficient dosing. In this study, the feasibility of applying an op
tical monitoring technique to determine chemical dosage and to monitor
the coagulation performance in water treatment plants were assessed.
To examine the applicability of the monitor under various operation co
nditions, series of batch trials in the field were conducted to explor
e the effects of turbidity, pH and rapid mixing intensity on the effec
tiveness of coagulation. The performance was directly reflected in the
output ratio of the monitor, which proved to be an effective index fo
r the flee size and its settling velocity. Therefore, we consider that
the optical monitor is an useful instrument in monitoring coagulation
in water treatment. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All r
ights reserved.