This report describes the construction and field evaluation of an automatic on-line hardware system for reliably sampling, transferring, and conditioning various wastewater-treatment process streams such that the resulting transferred and conditioned samples are suitable for interfacing with automatic on-line colorimetric and total organic carbon analyzers. Process streams to which this hardware system was sucessfully applied included raw sewage, primary effluent, secondary effluent, aeration tank mixed liquor, and return activated sludge. Primary sludge could not be sampled at the field-testing site because the sludge had become too thick at its only feasible access point. Analytical parameters used to evaluate the hardware system included both total and soluble organic carbon, orthophosphate, total hydrolyzable phosphate, and ammonia nitrogen. Nitrate and nitrite were not included; however, the hardware system's performance with the soluble parmeters studied indicate that nitrate and nitrite should present no special difficulties.

Includes bibliographical references (page 48).