Hamilton ARC Dissolved O₂ Probes (VisiFerm)

Hamilton’s Arc dissolved oxygen probes are optical DO sensors with the transmitter built into the probe head. Like other Hamilton Arc probes, they connect directly to the Daisy Process module. These sensors are designed for upstream bioprocess, fermentation, CIP/SIP/autoclave cycles, and scale-up control — they’re meant to live in the loop, not be benchtop spot-check tools.

The core workhorse in this family is VisiFerm DO Arc, which is Hamilton’s flagship inline dissolved oxygen probe for biopharma and other hygienic processes. Instead of a Clark-style electrochemical cell, VisiFerm uses optical (luminescence quenching) measurement, so there’s no electrolyte to refill, no anode/cathode to service, no oxygen consumption, and no polarization time before use. That makes it far lower-maintenance than a traditional amperometric DO probe, and it resists CO₂ fouling and pressure spikes that normally cause drift in classical DO sensors. The replaceable ODO cap includes a built-in quality/health indicator so you can see when it’s time to swap, rather than recalibrating constantly. VisiFerm DO Arc is also built for steam and cleaning: it’s autoclavable (typically up to ~130 °C), SIP-steamable (up to ~140 °C), and CIP compatible, and it ships in standard bioreactor hardware formats like PG13.5 with VP8 connectors and common insertion lengths (a-lengths) such as 120, 160, 225, 325, and 425 mm.

For ultra-low oxygen control — think oxygen pickup in final beer, bright tank transfer, filtration, filling, or oxygen ingress in power plant condensate — Hamilton offers VisiTrace DO Arc. VisiTrace is tuned for trace-level measurement in the low ppb range (down to below 1 ppb and up through the low ppm range), and is designed specifically to catch oxygen where even tens of ppb matter to flavor stability, shelf life, or corrosion. Like VisiFerm, it’s optical, so it starts up fast with no polarization, doesn’t require a minimum flow, and avoids the electrolyte and membrane maintenance that comes with amperometric cells.

Which one do you pick? Use VisiFerm DO Arc when you’re running cell culture / fermentation / stainless bioreactors and you want robust inline dissolved oxygen control across a wide working range (from a few ppb up to tens of ppm and even up to 300% saturation) while surviving CIP/SIP/autoclave. Use VisiTrace DO Arc when dissolved oxygen has to live in the single- to low-double-digit ppb range (brew packaging lines, polishing stages, deaerated water loops, power plant condensate) and your spec is basically “oxygen must be almost zero.” Daisy Process can ingest both lines of probes as native digital DO sensors alongside your pH, ORP, and CO₂ probes without adding a separate transmitter box.

Technical specs (typical, VisiFerm DO Arc)

• Measurement principle: Optical dissolved oxygen via oxygen-dependent luminescence quenching with temperature compensation; no electrolyte, no oxygen consumption.
• Working range: ~4 ppb to 25 ppm DO (0 to ~300 % saturation, 0 to ~63 %-vol O₂ equivalent), with ±0.05 %-vol accuracy near air saturation and <1 %/week drift at room temp.
• Form factor: 12 mm PG13.5 process body, VP8 connector, available a-lengths ~120 / 160 / 225 / 325 / 425 mm for lab, pilot, and production ports.
• Process readiness: Autoclavable ≤130 °C; SIP steam ≤140 °C; CIP compatible. Rated −10 to 140 °C overall (the DO reading itself is valid up to ~85 °C), and −1 to 12 bar.
• Digital interface: RS-485 Modbus RTU (Arc); sensor stores calibration and reports diagnostics / cap health directly.

Technical specs (typical, VisiTrace DO Arc)

• Application focus: Trace dissolved oxygen control in brewing and power generation, for environments where oxygen must stay in the low ppb range to protect product quality and equipment.
• Range / sensitivity: Measures dissolved oxygen down to sub-ppb / low-ppb levels (on the order of ~0.8–2000 ppb) with fast response, even at essentially oxygen-free conditions.
• Optical advantages: No polarization time, flow independent, minimal maintenance because there’s no classical membrane/electrolyte cell to service.
• Outputs: Available as RS-485 (Modbus / Arc-style digital) for general industrial use
• Software + compliance: Managed in ArcAir for setup, calibration, and record keeping, aligning with GMP-style documentation and central sensor fleet management across the line.