Utility managers and operators rely on flow meters to provide critical information for process monitoring and control. They require and fully expect the flow data to be accurate and reproducible.
A real-world, industrial application of remote process monitoring proves that a little technology can go a long way in terms of cost savings and process improvement.
Rather than waiting on water scarcity and reacting to a crisis, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission is forging its own future, and that of others, by blazing a trail of water-reuse practice and policy.
This overview of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling for wastewater treatment plant design reveals how it is applied to different system components, as well as why (i.e., the benefits) and when (in the design process) it should be applied.
Veolia furnished West Deptford Energy with a BIOSTYR® Biological Aerated Filter (BAF) and Hydrotech Discfilter system, allowing effluent from a municipal wastewater plant to be reused, with a treatment capacity of 7.35 MGD, in the operation of their new “green” energy station.
Water and wastewater utilities rely on accurate flow measurement for important process controls. These may include recycle streams, chemical dosing systems, and other operational functions. In addition, regulators require utilities to measure certain flows, such as treatment plant influent and effluent and potable water pumping. Accurate flow measurement is also important for monitoring and reducing unaccounted-for water.
The key to high rate clarifiers such as inclined plate settlers is flow distribution says Tom Grubb, Regional Manager with Meurer Research. “Each inclined plate is like a miniature little sedimentation basin,” Grubb told Water Online in a recent Water Talk interview at AWWA’s ACE 2018. “To get good effluent quality, it’s critical that you have the same flow to each plate.”
Jon Loveland, Global Practice Leader - Alternative Water Supply at Black & Veatch, shares insight on a major development for membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems and potable reuse.
Accurately measuring flow is critical for water utility operations. Also, regulatory agencies mandate flow monitoring and require annual calibration of meters. But even a meter in perfect condition and properly calibrated can read inaccurately. Flow disturbances are a common cause of accuracy and repeatability errors.
In 2017, a municipal water treatment plant was commissioning a new elevated tank. The tank had been cleaned, flushed and disinfected, but initial test results indicated unacceptable water quality. After a second cleaning, the tank was refilled and water samples were sent to the lab for follow-up testing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|