Drinking water utilities across Southeast Asia are increasingly turning to real-time ammonia monitoring to improve chloramination stability, control nitrification risk and maintain compliance with tightening water quality regulations.
Facilities using monochloramines for disinfection face ongoing operational challenges, including maintaining consistent chlorine-to-ammonia ratios, managing system stability and controlling the formation of disinfection byproducts. While laboratory and handheld testing methods provide periodic snapshots of ammonia levels, they often lack the frequency and responsiveness needed for effective process control.
Online ammonia analysers are helping to address this gap by delivering continuous, automated measurements that support more precise chemical dosing and faster operational response.
Meeting regulatory limits with continuous data
One drinking water treatment facility in Southeast Asia was required to maintain effluent ammonia concentrations below 1 mg/L. To improve reliability and operational confidence, the utility installed an online free ammonia analyser capable of delivering frequent, automated readings.
Since its installation in 2018, the system has provided residual ammonia results within 15 minutes, significantly reducing analysis time compared with earlier methods that could take up to two hours. The higher data resolution has enabled operators to respond more quickly to process fluctuations and refine chloramination control.
To further strengthen reliability, the utility installed two analysers in parallel downstream of final treatment and upstream of the distribution network. This configuration supports continuous verification of readings and provides redundancy for critical compliance monitoring.
Improved precision supports operational confidence
According to operational data, the parallel monitoring approach consistently achieved reproducibility better than 0.03 mg/L across the 0–2 mg/L measurement range. This level of precision exceeds typical industry requirements and supports tighter control of ammonia residuals during treatment.
Continuous ammonia data has also helped operators develop and refine chloramination breakpoint curves, supporting optimisation of chemical dosing while maintaining regulatory compliance and protecting distribution system integrity.
Supporting long-term chloramination performance
The monitoring approach demonstrates how real-time ammonia measurement can support utilities reliant on monochloramines by improving process visibility, reducing uncertainty and strengthening compliance assurance.
AMS serves as the US distributor for Instrumentación Analítica, the manufacturer of the instran® online ammonia monitoring system referenced in this application.
