A simple method based on the application of a CCD camera as a sensor to detect low concentrations of barium sulfate in suspension

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 864 - 875
• Main Authors: de Sena, Rodrigo Caciano, Soares, Matheus, Pereira, Maria Luiza Oliveira, da Silva, Rogério Cruz Domingues, do Rosário, Francisca Ferreira, da Silva, Joao Francisco Cajaiba
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 01.01.2011; Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
• Subjects: Barium; CCD camera; Digital cameras; imaging; precipitation; Seawater; Sensors; turbidity; Webcams; Brazil; Rio de Janeiro Brazil; precipitation; turbidity; CCD camera; imaging
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s110100864

The development of a simple, rapid and low cost method based on video image analysis and aimed at the detection of low concentrations of precipitated barium sulfate is described. The proposed system is basically composed of a webcam with a CCD sensor and a conventional dichroic lamp. For this purpose, software for processing and analyzing the digital images based on the RGB (Red, Green and Blue) color system was developed. The proposed method had shown very good repeatability and linearity and also presented higher sensitivity than the standard turbidimetric method. The developed method is presented as a simple alternative for future applications in the study of precipitations of inorganic salts and also for detecting the crystallization of organic compounds.