AWWA WQTC62551

The objective of this study was to compare the automated imaging, sizing, and counting produced by the Brightwell DPA4100 Microscopic Fluidic Imaging (MFI) instrument with manual counting by hemocytometer and manual imaging by high-power microscopy for various biological organisms. The MFI instrument operates by drawing the fluid sample through an optical flow cell. Sections of the flowing fluid are illuminated by a pulsed high-intensity source, magnified, imaged on the camera's pixel array and displayed on the system monitor. The system software identifies, in real time, pixels in the array that are wholly or partially contained within a particle image. This information is used to calculate particle parameters. Samples may be evaluated which contain a wide range of particle types, sizes and concentrations. MFI software analyzes each particle image both to produce particle size and count distributions and, to identify and store images of particles meeting user specified criteria. Includes table, figures.