Wastewater Instrumentation Podcasts

1. External Solutions To Water/Wastewater Flow Measurement 10/21/2019

   Installing flow meters in new piping is one thing. Replacing a 20-year-old meter or adding new metering to piping where it never existed before is quite another. In this Water Talk interview, Cheryl Ades Anspach, marketing manager with Badger Meter, offers a non-invasive alternative using easily retrofittable clamp-on ultrasonic meters offering accuracy to + 0.5 percent and flow rates to 33,000 gpm in pipes up to 48” diameter. Two palm-sized rail-mounted transducers provide simpler, more affordable installation than having to shut down or cut into a live pipeline or bring in heavy equipment to install a full-bore mag meter. Built-in datalogging backup (8 GB) with time-date stamp granularity down to one second provides ample opportunity for detailed flow analysis.

2. Using Fingerprints To ID Ideal Instrument Performance 10/20/2019

   Everyone wants peak accuracy from their instrumentation, but nobody wants to disrupt their field process to verify it. Purvang Upadhyay, the global water industry manager for measurement and analytics with ABB, shared an attractive alternative to such disruption with the Water Talk moderators at WEFTEC 2019 — in-situ verification. This classic example of digitalization in the water industry enables users to check the health and accuracy of an electromagnetic flow meter against a digital ‘fingerprint’ of that meter’s performance the day it was originally calibrated or installed. 

3. A Cost-Effective Answer To Partial-Pipe Flow Metering 10/14/2019

   One of the most perplexing challenges for wastewater plant operators is the need to measure the various sources of influent. This is especially true for closed-pipe systems where the use of traditional flow devices requires intensive and expensive engineering to keep the pipe full at the point of measurement.

4. Gaining Better Insights Into Water/Wastewater Operations 10/14/2019

   The advantage in the growth of digital technology and Internet of Things (IoT) accessibility for water/wastewater applications is the depth and breadth of information available at a utility’s fingertips. The challenge is utilizing all that data in a convenient, comprehensive way. Mahesh Lunani, CEO of Aquasight, shares insights on digital solutions to that challenge, even in the face of a changing workforce. He describes a better way to integrate data from various siloed systems — SCADA, laboratories, smart meters, hydraulic models, GIS systems, etc. — and troubleshoot problems ranging from combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to water-loss and water-quality issues. Best of all, he relates it in the context of WEFTEC’s changing focus from wastewater treatment to water resource recovery.

5. Putting Digital Instrumentation To Multipurpose Use 10/13/2019

   Instruments that deliver only one measurement point are achieving just a fraction of their potential, according to Ryan Williams. That is why smart technology is the essence of this Water Talk discussion with him and his Endress+Hauser associate Alan Vance. It explores how digitalization can elevate the role of instrumentation systems or independent flow, level, pressure, and temperature sensors to make utility managers and maintenance crews more productive than ever. Opportunities range from an electromagnetic flow meter with zero straight-pipe-run requirements, to self-diagnosing instruments, to remote-access monitoring and control, to predictive analytics for the newest members of the utility workforce. 

6. Demystifying Intelligent Water, Or What To Do With Data Overload 6/28/2019

   Do your eyes glaze over when the words "smart water" or "intelligent water" are mentioned? If so, a new collaborative paper between Arcadis and Bluefield Research may be your antidote. First, learn the who, what, where, and why from Jim Cooper, the Intelligent Water Lead for Arcadis, in this Water Talk interview.

7. Coming Around To Big Data 10/23/2018

   Big Data is on the minds and lips of many water system managers, but how many utilities are actually utilizing it? Jason Carter, the Water Utility Innovation Leader at Arcadis, notes that the water industry is a bit behind, but he also sees a clear path forward — one where Big Data plays a central role in operations and, consequently, newfound efficiencies.

8. Quality Control Leads To Quality Water, Beer 10/25/2017

   The importance and utility of sensors for delivering precious drinking water — and beer — is of topic in this conversation with MJ Peters of Sensorex. The company provides UVT-LED sensors for monitoring UV transmittance, offering quality control for advanced treatment applications such as potable water reuse. One such application was the AZ Pure Water Brew Challenge, where recycled water was used to make beer.

9. Drumming Up Chemical Injection 10/24/2017

   The operating ranges for chemical injection need to be large because of the variability of flow in many treatment operations. As Bill McDowell, Vice President of Operations with Blue White Industries explains in this Water Talk interview, “You might be down to as low as 5 or 10 milliliters a minute and then one hour later; you might need to pump 15 gallons a minute out of the same pump and through the same sensor.”

10. Predictive Maintenance Enabled By Moving Secured Data To The Cloud 10/24/2017

    Cloud-based monitoring and reporting was all the rage at WEFTEC 2017. Water Talk sat down with Tom Perry, National Product Manager with Veolia to discuss Aquavista, one of the more established technologies for capturing critical data, storing it in the cloud and allowing it to be accessed real time, 24/7 from any smart, web-enabled device.