Trending Tech Company - OptiEnz Sensors
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Technology
OptiEnz Sensors has developed breakthrough technology for making real-time decisions – biosensors based on a combination of enzymes and fiber optic technology providing real-time continuous measurement results with the same accuracy as laboratory equipment. OptiEnz measures a broad range of organic chemicals including sugars, alcohols, hydrocarbons and solvents.
OptiEnz Sensors, LLC, is a biotech company that produces innovative biosensors for continuously measuring organic chemical concentrations in water and aqueous solutions. The technology is based on fundamental research on enzymatic sensor tips by the company’s founder and CTO, Dr. Ken Reardon. Reardon, a professor and researcher at Colorado State University (CSU), recognized a significant need for a device that could measure the concentration of chemical contaminants in food and water—a device that could take these measurements rapidly, accurately, and inexpensively. Although traditional laboratory sampling methods can yield very accurate measurements, they are also complex, time-intensive, expensive, and—most importantly—they do not provide continuous in-place measurements. Building on his years of research experience in biosensor technology and bioremediation, Reardon decided to combine his knowledge of biosensors and bacterial enzymes to produce a better tool for measuring contaminants in water.
Products
OptiEnz Sensing System
The OptiEnz sensing system consists of a optical transceiver connected to a sensor probe via a fiber optic cable. The sensor probe contains the sensor tip that makes the continuous measurements of the specific organic chemical in the water or aqueous solution. The optical transceiver receives information from the sensor probe that it converts to continuous concentration measurement data. That data is transmitted to the OptiEnz Viewer via USB for analysis, to a SCADA system via a 0-5V or 4-20mA interface for process automation, or via a wireless interface to provide alert level information.
OptiEnz Viewer
The OptiEnz Viewer provides a Windows PC-based graphical user interface that can be customized to display concentration measurements from up to six sensors probes. The PC connects to the optical transceiver via a USB port. The OptiEnz Viewer provides for configuration of the optical transceiver and calibration of the sensor probe. Measurement concentration data is displayed in a numerical readout format with “red yellow green” level alerts providing notification of thresholds being exceeded. The OptiEnz Viewer also provides graphs for more detailed analysis.
Optical Transceiver
The optical transceiver is a transmitter and receiver instrument that measures the output of the sensor probe and provides concentration data via a USB, 0-5V, or 4-20mA interface. The USB interface is intended for use with the OptiEnz Viewer application on a Windows PC. The 0-5V and 4-20mA interfaces are used to interface with a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for control of production equipment in operating environments. The optical transceiver is software configurable, using the OptiEnz Viewer, enabling customization for the specific organic compound to be measured.
Sensor Probe
The sensor probe provides the mechanical housing necessary to access a pipe, vessel, or reactor for various industry applications. The probe contains enzymatic sensor tips (one per organic chemical to be measured), a reference sensor for measuring background oxygen, and a temperature sensor. The sensor probes do not need to be replaced however the enzymatic sensor tips on the probes have a one-month lifetime and then require replacement via a quick connect attachment.
In-line Monitoring
The sensor probe is mounted directly in a pipe, vessel, or reactor in order to monitor concentration data directly at the source of the water or aqueous solution. Direct in-line continuous monitoring provides immediate results and enables real-time decisions for process control.
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Taxonomy
- Water
- Technology
- Monitors
- Sensor Systems
- IT
- Water Monitoring
- Data & Analysis