ALS Environmental are delighted to unveil our amazing new Calculators feature on our website. This is an interactive tool that can be used by our customers and fellow scientists alike to perform standard industry required calculations. This functionality is a great way to provide our clients with a better understanding of their results, whilst also enhancing our online service offering.

The first section in Calculators is all about conversions. This covers all different types of conversions and the various units your values can be, from the miniscule to the massive. While a basic calculation it forms the basis of our understanding of chemistry and numeracy.

You can also determine the hardness of your water using Calculators by just entering a calcium and magnesium result (the two most common minerals that make water 'hard'). This can be a significant consideration in deciding the best water treatment to use. Using these values you are then able to evaluate Hardness as Calcium and Total Hardness as Calcium Carbonate.

Ionic Balance is an invaluable tool in checking your analytical results. The total cations (positively charged ions) in your sample should be in balance with the total anions (negatively charged ions). Sediment and pH can affect this balance, as well as the ions listed, so in a typical water sample an ionic balance of ±10 is considered a pass and this feature will indicate this for you.

Trade Effluent (Mogden Formula) is used to work out the charges of the trade effluent discharge requiring treatment. The formula was named after the Mogden Waste Water Treatment Works in West London and is used by water companies across the UK to calculate the charges for treating trade effluent. The aspects of this formula and its applications can be quite complex the team at ALS have simplified this for our customers.

Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) is the section on the next tab. The Langelier Index is a measure of the saturation degree of calcium carbonate in water. It is calculated using the pH, alkalinity, calcium, total dissolved solids and the temperature of the sample. The Langelier Index is used by water companies for stabilising water to control both internal corrosion and the deposition of scale. 

Christopher Law, Inorganic Chemistry Operations Manager, comments:

At ALS we pride ourselves on continually improving the service we provide to our clients. The addition of the Calculators feature to our website is another step on our journey to providing a total laboratory solution to all of our customers.

The Ryznar Stability Index is the final calculator within our feature. The Ryznar Stability Index (RSI) attempts to correlate an empirical database of scale thickness observed in municipal water systems to the water chemistry. Like the LSI the RSI has its basis in the concept of saturation level. The pH, total dissolved solids, calcium, bicarbonate and temperature are all required to calculate the Ryznar Index.

If you require any more information on the above, you would like to Request a Quote or for any other analytical enquiry, please contact your Customer Service Co-Ordinator or Contact us on 02476 421 213.