Conductivity Sensors & Transmitters

Conductivity Sensors & Transmitters

Conductivity sensors and transmitters provide continuous measurement of a liquid’s ionic conductivity as a foundational indicator for process control, product monitoring, water quality monitoring, and leakage or contamination detection. Because conductivity responds quickly to changes in dissolved ion concentration, it is often used as an early-warning parameter in both utility systems (including ultrapure water) and process environments, as well as in CIP regimes and hygienic applications.

Endress+Hauser’s conductivity portfolio spans conductive (contacting) sensors, four-electrode variants for wide ranges, and toroidal/inductive sensors for challenging or high-conductivity media. Conductive sensors apply an AC voltage across electrodes and measure resulting current; four-electrode designs reduce polarization effects that can degrade accuracy in high-ion conditions; and toroidal sensors use transmission and reception coils to measure induced currents in the medium, enabling robust measurement where coatings or aggressive chemistries are common.

The benefits are primarily operational: improved detection of concentration changes, more stable quality indicators, and reduced downtime associated with undetected carryover or contamination. Matching sensor principle to the conductivity range improves accuracy and repeatability, while digital transmitter processing supports scalable integration into control systems. Calibration standards and certified cell constants further improve traceability and confidence in measurement performance.

Typical applications include pure and ultrapure water monitoring with conductive sensors, high-conductivity product streams and utilities (such as acids, bases, brines, and many food & beverage media) with toroidal sensors, and wide-range scenarios such as phase separation monitoring with four-electrode sensors. Conductivity measurement is also commonly deployed for CIP verification, rinse endpoint detection, and general water monitoring across multiple industries.

System design typically considers process connection standards, hygiene or hazardous-area requirements, temperature compensation strategy, and the desired signal architecture (single-parameter vs multiparameter). Compact sensor-transmitter combinations can reduce installation footprint in production areas, while multiparameter transmitter platforms enable shared infrastructure for multiple liquid-analysis loops when consolidation is valuable.

At Eastern Controls, We are proud to be the exclusive authorized sales and service representative for Endress+Hauser.