Vitens Automated Water Laboratory

This system has been featured in the following news articles:
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Introduction

In 2004 Labman Automation built and installed a sophisticated automated water laboratory for Vitens in Holland (www.vitens.nl). In conjunction with Viro, the project managers (www.viro.nl) and Kiestra, the microbiology automation providers (www.kiestra.nl), an entirely new laboratory with state of the art automation is now providing high quality water analysis. The water testing process runs completely automated overnight whilst the lights are out...

Sample Registration

Incoming bottles of various types (glass, polypropylene, polyethylene) and with various caps are bar code read at one or several input conveyors. Data is matched with the LIMS or similar database so as to identify the required tests. Bottles are moved by conveyor under or over corridors and into chilled rooms or enclosures for temporary storage. Spare and special samples are placed into buffer lanes for any manual retrieval required or 24-48 hr storage before disposal. Bottles registered into the system are tracked continuously allowing any intranet link to look for individual samples, view a buffer/workstation status or watch the progress of the entire system. Cordless bar code readers allow users to de-register samples anywhere, fast track individual bottles and enter test waters. Labman has built machines to assist in organic laboratory type tests where throughput is high enough. Typically samples are de-registered and tested manually. Sampled plastic bottles are emptied and crushed. Acidified water is neutralised with marble chips before being drained.

Microbiology

Microbiological samples often have a limited life. Labman separates samples into timed zones within the buffers to allow the priority samples to be automatically processed first. The MES (Manufacturing Execution System) controls the flow of bottles to the de-capper/shaker units and the manually attended Legionella filtration stations. Ecoli and associated testing is undertaken on a Labman/Kiestra unit that automatically fills, cools, pipettes sample, lids and labels petri dishes. Completed dishes are automatically incubated ready for manual or vision system colony counting.

Inorganic Chemistry

A chilled buffer storing inorganic chemistry destined samples passes bottles via a de-capper to one of several completely automated units as required. These tests include; oxygen, pH, temperature, colour, turbidity, hardness, conductivity, NH4/PO4 in a Konelab, NO2,F,Cl,NO3,SO4,,KMnO4,UREA offline sample preparation, and ICP MS/AES sample preparation. A BOD system including the five day incubation and retest is available with enough floor space. Work is underway on other tests such as for dirty waters, settling cones, digestions and suspended solids. Labman has developed, integrated and tested many chillers, pumps, stirrers, filter changers, cappers, bar code readers, sample re-heaters and similar devices. We have software interfaced to many analytical instruments and written automated calibration and test protocols.

Water laboratories are embracing the latest automation to enhance their services. Large capital laboratory projects are now able to show much better cost savings with integrated automated systems.

Labman is designing, building and installing sample registration, transport and analysis machines in Europe’s potable water laboratories.

Changing the analysis environment to reflect factory production processes allows the scientists the freedom to concentrate on their customers most immediate needs. Routine analysis results that fall within their norms are processed cost effectively and profitably. Samples requiring investigation are flagged much earlier than before. Alerts, re-sampling and investigative science can become the real focus of the staff.

Use Labman’s skills to build the automated laboratory systems your business requires. Starting with a blank sheet Labman will develop the automation layout and analysis protocols to suit today and tomorrow’s throughput. Typically individual automated stations can handle up to 200 samples a shift. Entire laboratories can handle many thousand samples a day. For instance the Labman / Vitens water laboratory handles 2000 potable water samples a day.