In water testing, readings that we believe to be reliable indicators are not always what they seem. Water that exhibits certain chemical or electrical characteristics at laboratory temperatures can provide entirely different readings in the field. Here is a quick review of what to look for in common water tests and why to consider automatic temperature compensation in the instruments used to collect them.
Henrico County, Virginia (The County) utilizes multiple chemical technologies in the sewage collection system in order to control hydrogen sulfide concentrations at key points within the system. The county has strict compliance limits for hydrogen sulfide and was facing growing costs, spending in excess of $1.8 million dollars in 2010.
After decades in service, the wet well at the Laguna Southwest Orange County Wastewater Authority (SOCWA) lift station became dilapidated. The project included a hybrid manhole/junction structure that would also serve as the bypass wet well during the rehabilitation work. Upon completion of the wet well rehabilitation, the temporary sewage bypass pumping system was removed and normal lift station operation was restored.
With a population of about 15,000, Steinbach is the third largest city in Manitoba and one of the fastest growing areas in Canada. The current system has been operating since 1993, an eternity in the world of technology. Because the wastewater department was already familiar with operating the existing Xylem/Flygt M&C SCADA system with Aquaview software and APP controllers, they decided to inquire what new technologies the company could offer. Read the full case study to learn more.
Measuring the level of tanks used to hold fluids for custody transfer can be expensive. This is not due to the cost of the measurement instrumentation, but to what inaccurate measurements can cost the company. Picking the right instrumentation for applications is important. Which radar level technology should you choose for tank gauging in custody transfer applications? Frequency Modulated Continuous Waveform (FMCW) or pulsed Time-of-Flight (ToF or PToF).
An automotive parts manufacturing plant was using a polymeric membrane to remove oil from water it used to rinse parts. The rinse water contained between 6% and 7% oil and the customer wanted to remove >95% of the oil from the water so the water could be reused in the plant.
In order to meet the anticipated effluent criteria required by the Pennsylvania DEP, the Newville Borough Water & Sewer Authority determined that its existing wastewater treatment facility needed renovations. By installing two continuous fill SBR tanks, the facility lowered total nitrogen below permit limits, reduced energy costs, and created a new revenue stream (selling unused nutrient allocations). Read the case study for full details.
Companies using solids-handling pumps as part of their processes know that even though the pumps are typically moving trash and other waste products, the type of equipment used can be a huge business decision. Most applications warrant more attention than simply choosing the first pump that pops out of a catalogue. By The Gorman-Rupp Company
A Netherlands power station installed 3M Liqui-Cel membrane contractors for O2 removal. This case study explains how the membrane system exceeded expectations, achieving oxygen removal down to 5 ppb.
Cibola is a small community located in Southern Arizona along the Colorado River. With a growing population, the community decided to install a centralized water system to replace individual wells.
Man-made lagoons have been used worldwide for the treatment of domestic and industrial wastewater, it seems, forever. All waste lagoons were first designed and thoughtfully planned considering their locations, soil makeup, and waste reduction processes prior to being implemented. By Jim Dartez, RELIANT Water Technologies
The NEOSEP® MBR system features Kruger’s uniquely designed K-120C and K-240C flat sheet membrane modules. The modules offer several innovative design features that enhance ease of installation, operation and maintenance. This includes an integrated central lifting eye, offering an incredibly well balanced module that makes installation and retrieval a simple and stress-free process.
In recent years, various perflorinated chemicals (PFCs) have come under increasing scrutiny due to their presence in the environment, in animals, and in human blood samples. There are two major classes of PFCs: perfluoroalkyl sulfonates such as perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and long chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA).
Compliance and consistent high quality are two of the key goals within the beverage industry. Hach® provides support for these goals through comprehensive analyses of water and beer.
Phosphorous promotes eutrophication in surface waters and helps create conditions for algal blooming and oxygen depletion. Some phosphorous removal can occur naturally in a conventional biological wastewater treatment facility, but the result is not reliably compliant with increasingly strict limits on permissible phosphate levels in effluent discharged to receiving streams, ponds and lakes. By Bob Dabkowski, Hach Company
The QuEChERS (Quick-Easy-Cheap-Effective-Rugged-Safe) sample extraction method was developed for the determination of pesticide residues in agricultural commodities.
Gas control is an important concern in the beverage industry. Oxygen in the water can oxidize flavor components and shorten the shelf life of the product. Carbon dioxide can also have an impact on taste and pH of the product.
Microbial contamination of food and beverage products is a potentially catastrophic occurrence resulting in foodborne illness or food spoilage. The same nutritive properties that render cheese and dairy products such a valuable food also provide an ideal growth medium for microbes if contamination occurs.
Hot Clean-In-Place (CIP) sanitization is commonly used to combat microbial growth in the pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries. Performed frequently as a prevention strategy, hot water sanitization is a requirement for high purity water (HPW) for United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.).
One of the most important measurements in the determination of the health of a body of water is its dissolved oxygen content. The quantity of dissolved oxygen in water is normally expressed in parts per million (ppm) by weight and is due to the solubility of oxygen from the atmosphere around us.
LuminUltra Wastewater (QG21W) is the key to a new level of efficiency in biological wastewater treatment plant operation! QG21W provides the ability to measure the size of the living biomass population (Cellular ATP, cATP), its relative health (Biomass Stress Index, BSI), and suspended solids activity (Active Biomass Ratio, ABR) at any point in the process. Use this information to manage return sludge pumping rates, air and nutrient dosages, and to proactively identify and eliminate toxicity.
Veolia’s STREAMLINER™ range of de-oiling hydrocyclones incorporates unique design features to improve reliability, performance and efficiency for produced water treatment processes.
The DE NORA TETRA™ Modular DeepBed Filter Plant from De Nora Water Technologies is designed as a competitive filtration plant for tertiary effluent from small to medium size sewage works. The Modular DeepBed Filter utilizes the technology of DeepBed filtration that has made the TETRA filter such a successful tertiary treatment process over many years in Europe and the United States.
All-In-One Headworks Solution – Grind, Screen And Compact
The Auger Monster® is a robust headworks solution which combines three of JWC’s finest technologies – a grinder, a fine screen and a compactor. It removes trash and unwanted solids so the treatment plant runs more efficiently. The Auger Monster is proven to result in cleaner, more compact discharge and lowered disposal costs, as less water and fecal material are sent to the landfill.
The aerated grit trap is a very important element in mechanical wastewater treatment. Its task is not only to reliably remove the grit from the wastewater flow but also to retain particulate lipophilic substances (grease) to prevent floatable particles from settling or overflowing in downstream treatment systems.
Raketec is a multiple-rake bar screen system with no moving parts under grade level. It is a two-chain, free sprocket mechanism guarantying reliability and ease of use. A combination of stainless steel rakes, and durable brushes thoroughly cleans debris from the screen.
The idea of combining two systems into one sounds like a common-sense solution to simplifying operations. Wastewater treatment plant operators have been experimenting with this concept by combining waste activated sludge with primary and septage waste streams with the goal of lowering system complexity. The reality of these efforts is proving, in many cases, to be problematic.
Management of wastewater sludge is a core responsibility of treatment plant operators. With this responsibility comes common challenges that must be overcome. These include controlling odors so as to have a minimal impact on the surrounding community and minimizing hauling costs for its disposal. Getting a handle on both of these responsibilities and more can be much easier with the proper sludge-thickening equipment.
Water utilities with highly successful monitoring programs tend to share a common trait: they have a well-defined plan for calibration that emphasizes frequency and tracking. However, when done properly, this process is time-consuming and often leads to unnecessary labor and downtime. The good news is that advanced metering technology is available for plants to get a better handle on the instrument’s performance with significantly less effort.
Polymers — the chemicals used in wastewater to thicken sludges and facilitate the removal of water — are critical to the operational efficiency of sludge-thickening equipment. Unfortunately, it’s common practice at treatment facilities to order and install equipment before even considering what the ideal polymer might be for the sludge produced at the specific plant. This flawed process is time consuming, disruptive to plant operations, and can become very costly.
Municipalities can find themselves in a real bind when wastewater treatment operations are strained by population growth. That’s because facilities are either landlocked and can’t expand at their current location, or the prospect of building an addition isn’t in the budget. When the bottleneck is at the digesters — the tanks where microorganisms break down waste — there are some common-sense strategies treatment plants can employ to address those growing pains.
When water and wastewater plant operators can’t get accurate flow measurements or analytical readings — or lack confidence in their instruments’ readings — it creates challenges with the process. When substandard water goes to homes and causes a boil order, or discharge pollutes a lake or reservoir, the resulting bad press, fines, and potential lawsuits erode public confidence. Avoiding these kinds of problems is rooted in good preventive maintenance habits.
It is no longer necessary for municipalities installing UV technology to make a choice between energy-efficiency and a small footprint.
The first installation of the new technology — Aerzen's Rotary Lobe Compressor — saves 30% energy usage in the Huntington, NY Wastewater Treatment plant.
