Water Terms & Glossary

Commonly Used Water Terms A - F

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A
ACID A substance which releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. Most acids will dissolve the common metals, and will react with a base to form a neutral salt and water.
ACTIVATED CARBON A granular material usually produced by the roasting of cellulose base substances, such as wood or coconut shells, in the absence of air. It has a very porous structure and is used in water conditioning as an adsorbent for organic matter and certain dissolved gases. Sometimes called "activated charcoal."
ADSORBENT A substance which has the capacity to adsorb.
ADSORPTION The process in which matter adheres to the surface of an adsorbent.
ALKALINITY The quantitative capacity of a water or water solution to neutralize an acid. It is usually measured by titration with a standard acid solution of sulfuric acid, and expressed in terms of its calcium carbonate equivalent.
ANION A negatively charged ion in solution, such as bicarbonate, chloride, or sulfate.
ANION EXCHANGE An ion exchange process in which anions in solution are exchanged for other anions from an ion exchanger. In demineralization, for example, bicarbonate. chloride. and sulfate anions are removed from solution in exchange for a chemically equivalent number of hydroxide anions from the anion exchange resin.
AQUIFER A layer or zone below the surface of the earth which is capable of yielding a significant volume of water.
ATOM The smallest particle of an element that can exist either alone or in combination with similar particles of the same element or a different element.
ATTRITION The process in which solids are worn down or ground down by friction, often between particles of the same material Filter media and ion exchange materials are subject to attrition during backwashing, regeneration, and service.
B
BACKWASH The process in which beds of filter or ion exchange media are subjected to flow opposite to the service flow direction to loosen the bed and to flush suspended matter (collected during the service run) to waste.
BACTERIA Unicellular micro-organisms which typically reproduce by cell division. Although usually classified as plants, bacteria contain no chlorophyll.
BASE A substance which releases hydroxyl ions when dissolved in water. Bases react with acids to form a neutral salt and water.
BED The ion exchange or filter media in a column or other tank or operational vessel.
BED DEPTH The height of the ion exchange or filter media in the vessel after preparation for service.
BICARBONATE ALKALINITY The alkalinity of a water due to the presence of bicarbonate ions (HCO3-).
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND The amount of oxygen consumed in the oxidation of organic matter by biological action under specific standard test conditions. Widely used as a measure of the strength of sewage and waste water.
BRINE A strong solution of salt(s), such as the sodium chloride brine used in the regeneration of ion exchange water softeners; also applied to the mixed sodium, calcium, and magnesium chloride waste solution from regeneration.
C
CALCIUM One of the principal elements making up the earth's crust; its compounds. when dissolved, make the water hard. The presence of calcium in water is a factor contributing to the formation of scale and insoluble soap curds which are a means of clearly identifying hard water.
CAPACITY An expression of the quantity of an undesirable material which can be removed by a water conditioner between servicing of the media (I.e., cleaning. regeneration or replacement), as determined under standard test conditions. For ion exchange water softeners, the capacity is expressed in grains of hardness removal between successive regenerations and is related to the pound of salt used in regeneration. For filters, the capacity may be expressed in the length of time or total gallons delivered between servicing.
CARBON DIOXIDE A gas present in the atmosphere and formed-by the decay of organic matter; the gas in carbonated beverages; in water it forms carbonic acid.
CARBONATE The CO3 ion.
CARBONATE ALKALINITY Alkalinity due to the presence of the carbonate ion.
CARBONATE HARDNESS Hardness due to the presence of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates and carbonates in water; the smaller of the total hardness and the total alkalinity.
CATION An ion with a positive electrical charge, such as calcium, magnesium and sodium.
CATION EXCHANGE Ion exchange process in which cations in solution are exchanged for other cations from an ton exchanger.
CAUSTIC Any substance capable of burning or destroying animal flesh or tissue. The term is usually applied to strong bases.
CAUSTIC SODA The common name for sodium hydroxide.
CHELATE To form a complex chemical compound in which an ion, usually metallic, is bound into a stable ring structure.
CHELATING AGENT A chemical compound sometimes fed to water to tie up undesirable metal ions, keep them in solution, and eliminate or reduce the normal effects of the ion.
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND The amount of matter, both organic and inorganic, in a water or waste water which can be oxidized by boiling with a strong oxidizing acid under standard test conditions, and expressed as the equivalent amount of oxygen; often used as a measure of the strength of sewage and waste water; includes materials not oxidized in the BOD test, and thus does not correlate with BOD.
CHLORINE A gas, C12, widely used in the disinfection of water and an oxidizing agent for organic matter, iron, etc.
CHLORINE DEMAND A measure of the amount of chlorine which will be consumed by organic matter and other oxidizable substances in a water before a chlorine residual will be found; the difference between the total chlorine fed and the chlorine residual.
COAGULANT A material, such as alum, which will form a gelatinous precipitate in water, and cause the agglomeration of finely divided particles into larger particles which can then be removed by settling and/or filtration.
COAGULANT AID A material which is not a coagulant, but which improves the effectiveness of a coagulant, often by forming larger or heavier particles, speeding the reactions, or permitting reduced coagulant dosage.
COAGULATION The process in which very small, finely divided solid particles, often colloidal in nature, are agglomerated into larger particles;
COLLOID Very finely divided solid particles which will not settle out of a solution; intermediate between a true dissolved particle and a suspended solid which will settle out of solution. The removal of colloidal particles usually requires coagulation to form larger particles which may be removed by sedimentation and/or filtration.
COMPENSATED HARDNESS A calculated value based on the total hardness, the magnesium to calcium ratio, and the sodium concentration of a water. It is used to correct for the reductions in hardness removal capacity caused by these factors in cation exchange water softeners. No single method of calculation has been widely accepted.
CONDUCTANCE A measure of the ability of a solution to carry electricity; the reciprocal of the electrical resistance. The unit of condw~tance is the mho (reciprocal ohm).
CONDUCTIVITY The quality or power to carry electrical current; in water, the conductivity -. is related to the concentration of ions capable of carrying electrical current.
CORROSION The destructive disintegration of a metal by electrochemical means.
CYCLE A series of events or steps which ultimately lead back to the starting point, such as the exhaustion-regeneration cycle of an ion exchange system; sometimes incorrectly used in reference to a single step of a complete cycle.
D
D.I. or DI Abbreviation for deionization.
DEIONIZATION The removal of all ionized minerals and salts (both organic and inorganic) from a solution by a two-phase ion exchange procedure. First, positively charged ions are exchanged for a chemically equivalent amount of hydrogen ions. Second, negatively charged ions are removed by an anion exchange resin for a chemically equivalent amount of hydroxide ions. The hydrogen and hydroxide ions introduced in this process unite to form water molecules. The term is often used interchangeably with demineralization.
DEMINERALIZATION The removal of ionized inorganic minerals and salts (not organic materials) from a solution by a two-phase ion exchange procedure; similar to deionization, and the two terms are often used interchangeably.
DIALYSIS The separation of components of a solution by diffusion through a semi-permeable membrane which is capable of passing certain ions or molecules while rejecting others.
DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE The difference in pressures at two points in a water system; may be due to differences in elevation, or to friction losses or pressure drops due to resistance to flow in pipes, softeners, filters or other devices.
DISINFECTION A process in which pathogenic (disease-producing) bacteria are killed; may involve disinfecting agents such as chlorine, or physical processes such as heating.
DISSOLVED SOLIDS The weight of-matter in true solution in a stated volume of water; includes both inorganic and organic matter; usually determined by weighing the residue after evaporation of the water at 105 or 180?C.
DISTILLATION The process in which a liquid, such as water, is converted into its vapor state by heating, and the vapor cooled and condensed to the liquid state and collected; used to remove solids and other impurities from water; multiple distillations are required for extreme purity.
E
EFFICIENCY The ratio of output per unit input; the effectiveness of performance of a system; in an ion exchange system, often expressed as the amount of regenerant required to produce a unit of capacity: such as the pounds of salt per kilogram of hardness removal.
ELECTRO DIALYSIS A process in which a direct current is applied to a cell to draw charged ions through ion-selective semi-permeable membranes. thus removing the ions from the solution.
ENDPOINT The point at which a process is stopped because a predetermined value of a measurable variable is reached; the endpoint of an ion exchange water softener service run is the point at which the hardness of the softener effluent increases to a predefined concentration. often 1.0 grain per gallon; the endpoint of a filter service run may be the point at which the pressure drop across the filter reaches a predetermined value; the endpoint of a titration is the point at which the titrant produces a predetermined color change. pH value. or other measurable characteristic.
EQUIVALENT PER MILLION A unit of concentration used in chemical calculations, calculated by dividing the concentration in ppm or mg/l by the equivalent weight.
EXHAUSTION The state of an ion exchange material in which it is no longer capable of effective functioning due to the depletion of the initial supply of exchangeable ions; the exhaustion point may be defined in terms of a limiting concentration of matter in the effluent. or in the case of demineralization. in terms of electrical conductivity.
F
FILTER Specifically. a device or system for the removal of solid particles (suspended solids); in general. includes mechanical. adsorptive. oxidizing and neutralizing filters.
FIXTURE UNIT An arbitrary unit assigned to different types of plumbing fixtures. and used to estimate flow rate requirements and drain capacity requirements.
FLOCCULATION The agglomeration of finely divided suspended solids into larger. usually gelatinous. 'particles; the development of a "floc" after treatment with a coagulant by gentle stirring or mixing.
FLOW CONTROL A device designed to limit the flow of water or regenerant to a predetermined value over a broad range of inlet water pressures.
FLOW RATE The quantity of water or regenerant which passes a given point in a specified unit of time. often expressed in gallons per minute.
FLUORIDATION The addition of a fluoride compound to a water supply to produce the concentration desired for the reduction in incidence of dental caries.
FLUSH TANK A tank or chamber in which water is stored for rapid release to flush a toilet or water closet.
FLUSH VALVE A self-closing valve designed to release a large volume of water when tripped.
FOULING The process in which undesirable foreign matter accumulates in a bed of filter media or ion exchanger. clogging pores and coating surfaces. thus inhibiting or retarding the proper operation of the bed.
FREE AVAILABLE CHLORINE The concentration of residual chlorine present as dissolved gas, hypochlorous acid or hypochlorite, not combined with ammonia or in other less readily available forms.
FREEBOARD The vertical distance between a bed of filter media or ion exchange material and the overflow or collector for backwash water; the height above the bed of granular media available for bed expansion during backwashing; may be expressed either as a linear distance or a percentage of bed depth.

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Water Terms & Glossary

Commonly Used Water Terms A - F

ACID

ACTIVATED CARBON

ADSORBENT

ADSORPTION

ALKALINITY

ANION

ANION EXCHANGE

AQUIFER

ATOM

ATTRITION

BACKWASH

BACTERIA

BASE

BED

BED DEPTH

BICARBONATE ALKALINITY

BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND

BRINE

CALCIUM

CAPACITY

CARBON DIOXIDE

CARBONATE

CARBONATE ALKALINITY

CARBONATE HARDNESS

CATION

CATION EXCHANGE

CAUSTIC

CAUSTIC SODA

CHELATE

CHELATING AGENT

CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND

CHLORINE

CHLORINE DEMAND

COAGULANT

COAGULANT AID

COAGULATION

COLLOID

COMPENSATED HARDNESS

CONDUCTANCE

CONDUCTIVITY

CORROSION

CYCLE

D.I. or DI

DEIONIZATION

DEMINERALIZATION

DIALYSIS

DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE

DISINFECTION

DISSOLVED SOLIDS

DISTILLATION

EFFICIENCY

ELECTRO DIALYSIS

ENDPOINT

EQUIVALENT PER MILLION

EXHAUSTION

FILTER

FIXTURE UNIT

FLOCCULATION

FLOW CONTROL

FLOW RATE

FLUORIDATION

FLUSH TANK

FLUSH VALVE

FOULING

FREE AVAILABLE CHLORINE

FREEBOARD