Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) is a measure of the combined concentration of all dissolved substances in water, including minerals, salts, and metals. In many industrial water systems, managing TDS levels is important for protecting equipment, maintaining process efficiency, and reducing operating costs. When TDS climbs too high, scaling and corrosion risk increases, and system performance begins to deteriorate.

TDS controllers address this by continuously monitoring dissolved solids concentration and automatically triggering blowdown or makeup water supply to keep TDS within an acceptable range. This automated approach maintains consistent water quality without requiring operators to manually test and adjust the system, reducing both labour requirements and the risk of TDS excursions going unnoticed.

In cooling towers, TDS control is particularly important. As water evaporates, dissolved solids concentrate in the remaining water. Without blowdown control, TDS rises until scaling and fouling become significant problems. A properly set TDS controller automates the blowdown process, maintaining the correct concentration ratio and protecting heat exchange surfaces.

Boilers and RO plants also benefit from TDS monitoring. In boiler systems, high TDS can lead to carryover and scaling in the heat transfer surfaces. In RO systems, monitoring TDS in the permeate provides an indication of membrane performance and helps identify when membranes may need attention.

TDS controllers from Emvees are compatible with automated control systems and can be integrated with existing plant instrumentation. Clear display and alarm functions give operators visibility of water quality status and flag any significant changes that require investigation.