Two Calculation Pathways
Once the input water is given, there are two principal ways to proceed:
| button Start: | interpretation & check of a water sample (CBE, calcite saturation, etc.) |
| button Reac: | addition of 1 to 4 chemicals (acids, bases, salts) |
In the case of reactions, you can also start with pure water (button H2O), which then mimics a pH calculator (cf. online demo).
The two calculation paths starting from the input water to the final solutions (Output 1, Output 2) can be summarized as follows:
One Input Water — Two Output Solutions
Independent of the chosen path (button Start or Reac) aqion always provides two aqueous solutions:
- Output 1 — chemical equilibrium without mineral phases
- Output 2 — chemical equilibrium with mineral phases
In contrast, the input water (e.g. water analysis) is neither in a state of equilibrium nor exactly charge-balanced.
According to the above schema, the results of the calculations are presented in tables with three columns: Input, Output 1, Output 2.
The charge-balanced solution Output 1 (of the left pathway) enters the calculation to examine the carbonate system (calcium carbonate saturation state).
Two Optional Settings
Two optional settings are available:
| pCO2 | to establish equilibrium with atmospheric CO2 | |
| pe value | to establish a given redox potential (pe value) |
These options simulate a so-called open system where the solution stays in contact with an infinite reservoir of CO2 and/or O2. In the first option, a definite amount of CO2 is added or removed from the solution to establish the given partial pressure of CO2 gas. In the second case, a definite amount of O2 is added or removed from the solution to establish the given pe value (redox potential).