Water quality centre.

A new water quality service centre has been inaugurated by Meteor Communications. It is 250% larger than their previous facility. “This expansion reflects the rapidly growing demand for remote river and final effluent monitoring systems, and in particular the continuous water quality monitoring requirements of the Environment Act 2021, Section 82,” explains Managing Director, Matt Dibbs.

Meteor provides a maintenance and calibration service for many of its customers, either as a service contract or as part of its ‘Water Quality as a Service’ offering. “This means that we have staff operating all over the UK, managing hundreds of multiparameter water quality sondes that mostly have to be swapped for recalibration on a monthly basis,” Matt explains. “We have therefore developed a highly efficient process in which large numbers of sondes can be cleaned, serviced and calibrated as quickly and as effectively as possible. However, such has been the demand for these services that we have invested in this new, much larger facility at Andromeda House in Aldermaston.”

The company’s remote water quality monitors, known as ESNETs, were initially developed to meet the requirements of the British Environment Agency for continuous river water quality monitoring. However, in recent years ESNETs have become popular with a much wider group of organisations, all of which are seeking to enhance the protection of the countries rivers.

Looking forward, the demand for ESNET systems is set to grow further: in compliance with the Environment Act 2021; to provide monitoring data for the baseline, construction and operation phases of development, and as water and sewerage undertakers find new ways to exploit the benefits of real-time multiparameter water quality data - in final effluent for example.

Summarising the investment justification for Andromeda House, Matt says: “Accurate continuous water quality data is extremely important for many different stakeholders including regulators, water companies, farmers, consultants, engineers, researchers and members of the public such as wild water swimmers, anglers and paddle boarders. However, reliable measurements can only be achieved if the monitors are maintained and calibrated correctly, so Meteor is making the necessary investments in staff, training, equipment, vehicles and a highly efficient calibration and service laboratory. The development of the new Aldermaston facility means that we will be able to meet the demand for remote water quality monitoring for many years to come.”

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@MeteorComms @_Enviro_News #Environmental #Water #Britain

Britain's water/wastewater event of the year!

Water companies in Britain are seeking record funds to invest in water infrastructure. The relationship between wastewater and pollution is headlining the media on an almost daily basis. This ensures that this year’s WWEM event will be larger and busier than ever. WWEM 2024 will take place on 9th and 10th of October at the NEC in Birmingham (GB), with the most exhibitors and most expansive conference program of any WWEM so far.

Focusing on the regulations, standards and methods that relate to water testing, monitoring, analysis and related services, WWEM 2024 has been designed to meet the needs of water sector professionals. These include, for example, regulators, consultants, instrumentation engineers, laboratory staff, process operators, researchers and interested stakeholders such as river trusts, lobbyists and citizen scientists.

With over 200 of the industry’s leading technology and service providers gathered in one place, there will no better opportunity to learn about the latest developments, discuss environmental monitoring challenges, and compare products through face-to-face interaction with water sector experts. 

Beyond the exhibition floor, the conference schedule is fully packed with over 100 hours of free technical workshops and presentations delivered by regulators, researchers, citizen scientists and technicians from industry, including many of the major water companies. Visitors will be provided with access to a wide range of highly topical presentations, covering issues such as Environment Act Section 82 monitoring, digitalisation, compliance monitoring, flow, level and pressure monitoring, technology innovation, automation and environmental design.

Visitors to WWEM 2024 will also have access to AQE 2024, the air quality and emissions monitoring show, which will be co-located at the NEC.

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@_Enviro_News #WWEM24 #AQE2024 #Water #Environment

Environmental compliance in closed mines.

For the last nine years, Severn Trent Services, has managed a contract for mine water treatment across the Coal Authority estate, including 73 mine water treatment schemes in England, Scotland and Wales. These schemes take the form of three types: passive, pumped-passive and active. Water levels are one of the elements monitored closely at these sites, which have approximately 600 monitoring points. The majority of the readings are obtained manually with dip tapes, and by using loggers, around 125 of which are OTT ecoLog water level loggers.

Force Cragg Mine (1836-1991), Lake District, England.

At most sites, mine water is pumped to a treatment facility which employs oxygenation, filtration and sedimentation to raise the quality of the water in compliance with discharge consents.

“Mine water from legacy coal mines is treated at many of these sites utilising settlement lagoons and reed beds,” explains Oren Environmental’s Data & Reporting Manager Paul Robinson. “The effective management of these resources is heavily dependent on reliable data including water level measurements, and we have been using OTT instruments to support this since 2016. With the benefit of water level data, we can ensure that the flow of water through the lagoons and reedbeds maximises effective treatment before water is discharged to watercourse.

“One of the additional capabilities of the loggers is to create alarms and this is something we are investigating for future use,” Paul explains.

“In addition to the older ecoLog 500’s and the newer ecoLog 1000’s, we also utilise five ecoLog 800’s to collect and monitor conductivity measurements. Conductivity data can be used to assess the quality of water by identifying minerals etc. that are present in the water.”

Where the ecoLogs are deployed in surface water weirs, the level measurements are translated into flow, which further informs the management of the treatment process.

Many of the original water level loggers were ecoLog 500 devices, some of which are still in operation. However, these are being gradually replaced by ecoLog 1000 instruments. “The ecoLog 1000 has an extremely advantageous feature,” Paul explains. “Data from the older units was collected using a USB cable, however the newer instruments have Bluetooth connectivity, which means that our operators can connect more quickly and in adverse weather. Where possible, they can also drive close to the logger and communicate wirelessly with a smartphone or laptop from their vehicle.”

The ecoLog 1000 is an all-in-one instrument, including a water level sensor, a logger, and a built-in modem. It requires no additional tools for maintenance or battery replacement, and has been designed for long-term, unattended monitoring in challenging conditions. Key features therefore include extremely low-power operation including Bluetooth Low Energy, as well as a rugged stainless steel pressure probe housing and a ceramic temperature compensated sensor. Typically, remote connectivity is achieved via cellular network LTE-M (Cat-M1).

Force Crag Mine in the Lake District (North East England) is a good example of an extremely remote former mine with challenging environmental conditions. Cellular coverage is very limited on-site, so OTT built a local network which transmits water level data via radio to two loggers located in a higher position. Data from these loggers are then transmitted regularly to Oren’s FTP Server.

Mining commenced at Force Crag in 1835, and it became the last working metal mine (zinc, lead and barytes) in the Lake District, prior to its final closure in 1991. Metal pollution (zinc, cadmium and lead) from the mine polluted the Coledale Beck, a tributary of the River Derwent and Bassenthwaite Lake Special Area of Conservation.

The Coal Authority, working in partnership with the Environment Agency, Newcastle University and the National Trust, devised an innovative passive mine water treatment scheme to reduce the levels of metal pollution entering the river. The scheme, which officially opened in 2015, diverts water from the Level 1 adit (horizontal passage to an underground mine) and routes it through a buried transfer pipe to two vertical flow ponds for treatment.

The ponds were built using the existing bunding of the former mining tailings lagoon, lined with a geomembrane, and filled with a compost treatment mix. Water is fed into the ponds, where it flows down through the compost and passes into a wetland, planted with soft rushes. The wetland filters any remaining solids and oxygenates the water prior to discharge into the Coledale Beck.

“Each site presents its own challenges,” Paul Robinson explains. “Many are in remote areas and in different environments, so we do our best to ensure we maximise the equipment to hand such as the OTT ecoLogs.” Looking forward, he says: “Remote telemetry is particularly advantageous, because it provides access to more frequent data than manual dips due to the schedule of visits that we work to.”

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@OTTHydromet @stwater @_Enviro_News #Environment #Automation #Water

Recover valuable metals from minewater.

Two technology providers in Finland are developing a water treatment solution that will be able to selectively recover metals from mining-impacted waters. The companies Weeefiner and Sensmet are collaborating to tackle the water treatment challenges posed by end-of-life mining sites, whilst also salvaging some of the valuable materials that mine waters frequently contain. The development project has received funding from Rio Tinto Group’s sustainable water treatment challenge program.

 The Project Team, LtoR: Sanna Lindeman (Project Manager, Weeefiner), Elmeri Lahtinen (CTO, Weeefiner), Mikko Hänninen (CEO, Weeefiner), Toni Laurila (CEO, Sensmet), MiisaMari Jeskanen (Laboratory Manager).

Former mines have the potential to adversely impact local water resources, so mitigation procedures are established for environmental protection. Many different water treatment methods are available to meet this requirement, but they can be costly and vary in their levels of efficiency. Weeefiner and Sensmet are therefore developing an IRU (Intelligent Recovery Unit) that will deliver game-changing benefits; not just in process efficiency but also to selectively recover critical minerals and rare earth metals. The metal recovery and water treatment solution will be provided by Weeefiner, and the online measurement technology (to enable continuous process control), will be provided by Sensmet.

Scavenger Reactors

Recognising the advantages of a circular economy, Weeefiner has focused on innovative water treatment solutions that simultaneously enable the recovery of dissolved materials. Weeefiner’s 4D Scavenger® technology can change the way water is treated in many different industries. In the IRU project, the objective is to customise the technology to meet the specific needs of the mining industry.

“To-date, water treatment methods at mining sites have focused on decontamination by precipitation, which requires large amounts of chemicals such as lime, and represents a heavy carbon footprint,” explains Mikko Hänninen, Weeefiner CEO. “This process also produces sludge that contains contaminants and represents a further disposal challenge. At Weeefiner, our highly selective 4D Scavenger technology is designed to target and extract dissolved metals for reuse, which significantly reduces the downstream water treatment burden. Mining sites will be able to use the IRU to produce sustainable raw materials while simultaneously meeting regulatory requirements.”

µDOES® analyser

In common with most industrial processes, continuous monitoring and control is necessary to optimise the IRU’s performance; not least because it would not be sensible to run the treatment process until there is a breakthrough of contaminants. Laboratory analysis would not be feasible at most remote sites because that would be costly and would incur a significant delay. Sensmet's µDOES® analyser can provide real-time, simultaneous quantification of dissolved metal concentrations, such as Ni, Co, Li, Mn and Cu in hydrometallurgical processes and mining waters. The µDOES® has been designed to streamline the measurement process with comparable analytical performance to laboratory ICP-OES, but with the robustness required for continuous and fully automated industrial process monitoring. The µDOES® enhances the IRU by measuring metal concentrations both before and after 4D Scavenger® treatment, enabling automated process optimisation.

Explaining the potential of µDOES® analyser technology, Sensmet CEO, Dr Toni Laurila says: "Previously, Sensmet has demonstrated the advantages of real-time analysis of metal concentrations in battery recycling and production processes, resulting in increased efficiency, lower costs, higher output, and improved product quality. However, our technology offers numerous benefits to a wide range of industries that need high quality real-time analysis on-site. We are therefore delighted that our cutting-edge analytical technology is being utilised in the IRU collaboration to optimise the recovery of strategic metals while reducing negative impacts on the environment.”

The IRU project recently received a funding award from a Rio Tinto program known as ‘Mine-influenced water - sustainable water treatment challenge’, through which successful applicants may receive up to US$2 million of co-funding over three years. Explaining the thinking behind the scheme, Rio Tinto’s Nick Gurieff says: “We recognise the responsibilities we have as long-term stewards of natural resources, and we are committed to understanding and mitigating the risks and impacts of our operations from the beginning of an operation’s life to beyond closure.

“The perpetual obligation to treat water can be challenging and costly, particularly at large sites, so our objective is to find new solutions that are sustainable both environmentally and financially. We know that mine-affected water can contain significant levels of potentially valuable materials, so the ideal scenario is to find ways to both treat the water and recover the dissolved minerals and rare earth metals.”

Weeefiner and Sensmet are now working with Rio Tinto to develop a solution that can be deployed in the field. Initially, synthetic water will be treated at research facilities in Finland to demonstrate the effective monitoring and removal of key metals such as copper, cobalt and nickel. Once the removal of these elements has been proven to be effective, Rio Tinto will supply samples from closed mining sites that will undergo a similar assessment.

After the mineral extraction from mine water concept has been proven in the laboratory, pilot units will be developed for initial evaluation at two closed mine sites. 

Summarising, Nick Gurieff says: “This is one of our most exciting innovation projects, and we are hopeful that it will enable us to recover strategic metals that would have otherwise been lost. We will track measures such as the recovery cost of 1 kg of copper, for example, and this will allow us to determine whether this new technology could be self-funding. However, that is not the primary objective; if we can effectively remove metals, the environmental challenge will be lowered and subsequent treatment downstream will be that much easier.

“By recovering strategic metals such as copper from waste, we hope that the IRU project will contribute to a more circular economy and improve the availability of battery metals as the world decarbonises its energy and transport infrastructure.”

@Sensmet_Ltd @weeefiner @_Enviro_News #PAuto #Water #Mining

Major acquisitions completed.

Two leading equipment solution providers in highly strategic Texas and Midwest regions (USA)

The acquisitions of Kodru-Mooney in October 2022, and Macaulay Controls Company in March 2023 have now been completed by United Flow Technologies.  UFT has completed nine acquisitions since its formation in July 2021.

The two acquisitions will accelerate UFT’s strategic position into the Midwest and Texas regions, add product categories to the platform and strengthen OEM partnerships. Kodru-Mooney and Macaulay are well respected for their regional expertise and solution-based customer service.

“We are very excited to partner with Kodru-Mooney and Macaulay, leaders and innovators in their markets. We believe that these outstanding companies will thrive as part of the UFT platform and be able to accelerate their long-term growth and value creation plans” commented Matt Hart, CEO of UFT.

Kodru-Mooney’s President, Matt Hillbrand stated, “Joining UFT will allow us to grow our business intelligently, provide more resources to deliver superior customer experience, and bring more opportunities for our employees.”

“I’m thrilled to announce our partnership with UFT and what that means for our customers and the entire team at Macaulay. New growth opportunities, additional employee programs, and expanded resources to deliver on our brand promise to exceed client expectations. We’re extremely proud of the company we’ve built and look forward to combining our collective resources to continue our growth and elevate our value propositions.” stated Kari Macaulay Hollway, President of Macaulay.

UFT will partner with the leadership teams to support their growth initiatives within an integrated and operationally cohesive business unit. Both executive teams and the company brands will remain to ensure the continuation of the companies’ proven success in serving their employees and customers.

@KodruEquip #PAuto #Municipal #USA #UFT

Sanitising drinking water.

A Municipal Water Treatment Plant is using Blue-White's FLEXFLO® Peristaltic Metering Pumps successfully to meter sodium hypochlorite to sanitize drinking water.

Chlorine has been used to disinfect drinking water in the USA, and in many other regions throughout the world, since the early 1900s, and it remains the most frequently used municipal water disinfectant worldwide due to its low cost and effectiveness at deactivating a wide range of pathogens. The two most common chlorine products for this application are chlorine gas (Cl₂) and sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), a.k.a. bleach. For the most part, both chlorine compositions function the same way, in that they dissolve in water to form free chlorine in the form of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite ion (OCl−).

Despite this similarity, they are two very different products. Choosing which form of chlorine chemical to use is an important decision among municipal drinking water managers, and requires balancing many factors including the overall costs, safety procedures and risk management, and more.

The Challenge.
A Municipal Water Treatment Plant located in Indiana supplies drinking water to 60,000 city residents, as well as surrounding populations.

The treatment plant had been using Gas Chlorine to treat their drinking water however, for many reasons including the increased safety issues associated with using gas chlorine, transportation issues, and requirements for advanced emergency management plans to be in place, the decision was made to switch from the Gas Chlorine to less problematic Sodium Hypochlorite, liquid chlorine.

The change to Liquid Chlorine meant that the equipment being used to feed the chemical also had to be switched out. The preferred method for delivering the 12% concentration of Sodium Hypochlorite at 30PSI is Chemical Dosing / Metering Pumps.

Because sodium hypochlorite poses some of its own challenges, careful consideration was given to the type of pump to be used, Diaphragm or Peristaltic. One of those challenges is that, as the chemical begins to degrade during the treatment process it produces bubbles. Most often referred to as off-gassing. These bubbles will eventually cause diaphragm-style pumps to vapor lock and lose their prime resulting in increased maintenance, downtime, and added expense.

The Solution.

FLEXFLO® M4 metering pumps in situ

For this reason, the decision was made to install Peristaltic Metering Pumps to dose the hypochlorite. Peristaltic pumps are not affected by air bubbles, the bubbles simply move through the pump tubing, while the pump maintains a constant rate of flow with no potential for vapor lock. Because of this characteristic, Peristaltic pumps have been widely accepted as the preferred technology in many applications, including municipal drinking water.

Also taken into consideration was, other than occasional pump tube replacement, peristaltic units do not require regular maintenance. Diaphragm pumps, on the other hand, require ongoing maintenance as valves and pump heads must be regularly cleaned.

The Water Treatment Plant initially purchased a total of eight FLEXFLO® M3 and M4 Peristaltic Metering Pumps, manufactured by Blue-White® Industries. Seven of the pumps are used to meter the Sodium Hypochlorite to sanitize the drinking water. The eighth pump is used to dose Polymer into the blending system to get solids to settle at the bottom of the filters. There are a total of 11 FLEXFLO pumps now in service throughout the plant.

The Result.
The results have been outstanding. The Water Treatment Plant Manager appreciated the excellent outcome achieved with the switch to Sodium Hypochlorite and FLEXFLO Chemical Feed Pumps. In addition, they were grateful for the expert consultation and service they received from Paul Hayes at Living Waters.

FLEXFLO® Chemical Metering Pumps dependably deliver smooth and accurate chemical dosing to the system. Operators appreciate the pump’s bright, easy-to-access, and highly responsive 5-inch display screen, and the intuitive screen is as simple to work as a cell phone and features easily recognizable icons.

They have a wide 10,000:1 turndown ratio to meet a broad range of dosing requirements and are equipped with a brushless DC motor for trouble-free and energy-efficient service.

M3 remote control signal options include Pulse, 4-20mA, and as technologies advance, these metering pumps are field upgradable.

@BlueWhiteInd #Water #Automation

3.4 million Olympic swimming pools per annum!

Research reveals a need to invest in an additional 469 wastewater treatment facilities annually.

Global wastewater treatment capacity needs to increase annually by 8.56 billion cubic meters and investment in an additional 469^[1] treatment facilities per year is required to meet United Nations (UN) goals^[2]. These are the findings of independent research commissioned by ABB ahead of World Water Day (WWD) on March 22, 2023.

3.4 million Olympic swimming pools per annum required!

As the UN prepares to report on progress made against its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), ABB’s research focuses on SDG 6.3 which aims to improve water quality by halving the proportion of untreated wastewater globally, increasing recycling, and minimizing the release of hazardous materials. The UN says 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, while more than 4.2 billion people lack safely managed sanitation.

However, treating wastewater is energy intensive, with the industry consuming up to three percent of the world’s total energy output^[3] and contributing to over 1.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions^[4].

“This research proves more needs to be done to help support the UN goals and accelerate progress in tackling water scarcity,” said Brandon Spencer, President of ABB Energy Industries. “But we need to ensure we are achieving these wastewater treatment targets in the most energy and resource efficient way possible to make it sustainable. This is where technology is key.”

While increasing wastewater treatment capacity is a priority, the early integration of technology to drive efficiency at plants is also vital. ABB’s automation, electrification and digital solutions are helping monitor, analyze and manage wastewater plant operations. In association with crucial measurement and control solutions, which collect and transmit a wealth of operational and diagnostic data, ABB systems help optimize resource efficiency and reduce energy consumption.

Development Economics, which has over 20 years’ research experience, utilized the same data employed by the UN to assess what real-term measures are needed. Based on modelling using a 50-million-liter daily capacity wastewater treatment plant as the benchmark, a further 469 treatment facilities – the volume equivalent of 3.4 million Olympic swimming pools – is required each year.

The scale of the challenge linked to UN SDG 6.3 is highlighted in a report^[5] from 2021 assessing the volumes of wastewater collected, treated, and reused. The research, which is used by the UN, concludes that 48 percent or 171.3 billion cubic meters of wastewater is uncollected or untreated annually. To meet SDG 6.3 – which targets halving the proportion of untreated wastewater by 2030 – these figures need to be reduced to 24 percent and 85.65 billion cubic meters.

In 2022, ABB’s Energy Transition Equation report^[6] analyzed how better use of wastewater could relieve pressure on water supplies through greater integration of automation and digital technologies:

• Wastewater sites can reduce carbon emissions by up to 2,000 tons per annum
• With over 50,000 plants worldwide, 100 million tons of CO2 could be saved each year
• By applying a package of automation and digital solutions, water companies can reduce carbon emissions as well as deliver annual operational savings of up to $1.2 million (€1.12m) per plant.

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[1] The figure of 469 is based on a 50-million-liter daily capacity greenfield plant and is calculated by dividing the 8.56 billion m3 by the 50ML daily capacity, assuming 365 days operation.
[2] https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/water-and-sanitation/
[3] https://iwa-network.org/learn/circular-economy-tapping-the-power-of-wastewater/
[4] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-018-0187-9%22
[5] E. Jones et al, Country-level and gridded estimates of wastewater production, collection, treatment and re-use, Earth Systems Science Data, February 2021  (pdf)
[6] https://new.abb.com/process-automation/energy-industries/energy-transition/wastewater

@ABBgroupnews @ABBMeasurement @abb_automation @UN_Water #PAuto #WasteWater

Remote camera systems appointment.

Responding to continued growth in demand for its remote camera systems, Meteor Communications has appointed Chris Kaye as Business Development Manager with specific focus on the Drainage Authority sector.

Chris Kaye

Welcoming Chris to the company, Managing Director Matt Dibbs says: “With over 20 years of experience, supplying water boards, water companies and industry with telemetry equipment, Chris has a keen understanding of the applications for which this equipment has been designed. He is therefore in an ideal position to help customers choose the most appropriate equipment, and derive maximum benefits from the technology that is now available.

“This is a new post created specifically to handle the growing demand from customers needing visibility of remote infrastructure such as flood channels, trash screens, storm culverts, pump stations, weir gates and sluices.”

The Meteor Communications remote camera systems enable the acquisition of high quality real-time images from locations where no local power or data infrastructure exists. They can be integrated into existing systems, used as standalone units or supplied and installed as a complete web hosted solution.

Images can be taken on a timed interval basis or they can be triggered by an input from a sensor such as water level or movement, or by a digital output from the telemetry system.

Chris says he is delighted with the new role, adding: “This is an exciting position because we are now able to deliver good quality images from sites that were previously considered too difficult or expensive to monitor using cameras.

“Hundreds of these systems are already in operation, dramatically improving the management of site services; helping to determine which locations require a visit and providing vital information when an urgent response is required.”

@MeteorComms #Waste

Secure automation on filter controls.

A case study describing how the City of Hot Springs, Arkansas (USA) has implemented Bedrock Open Secure Automation (OSA) technology for water filtration modernization is now available. Bedrock OSA has provided Hot Springs an open, secure control platform, which Brown Engineers, of Little Rock, Arkansas, integrated across the City’s existing Ignition SCADA software, leading to dramatic performance improvements.

“The City projected that the nine filters that were currently operating on its main water treatment plant would not be adequate to handle increasing demand. We replaced the antiquated PLCs with modern Bedrock control functionality on six of the filters. We had already installed a communications gateway based on Inductive Automation’s Ignition SCADA software and it was just a matter of creating a hierarchy of control objects, which we did easily using Bedrock’s IEC 61131 integrated engineering environment,” said Brown Engineers principal, Dee Brown.

The project improvement in the automatic backwash process significantly helps conserve water, improves water quality, and initiates collection of filter data needed for extending regulatory run-time limits. And because cyber security is built into the Bedrock OSA control system, the new controls were protected by industry-leading intrinsic cyber security – at no additional cost.

Well-documented results show how the six upgraded controls perform consistently, as if they were a single unit, while performance of the three remaining filters varies wildly, with flow rates varying from 1400 to more than 2000 GPM. Download the fully-illustrated case history here.

@BedrockAuto #Pauto #Water @TizianiWhitmyre

UV disinfection simplifies water treatment.

Berson and Hanovia have jointly launched a new low-pressure UV disinfection system for the treatment of municipal, re-use and waste water. The easy-to-install AmaLine R UV range has been third-party validated, in line with US EPA and NWRI guidelines. It provides effective treatment, while reducing lifecycle costs through being simple to maintain and extremely energy efficient. Unlike other similar systems, the AmaLine has been designed to simplify maintenance, which can be performed by a single operator rather than a crew, and without requiring external lifting equipment.

The AmaLine range is application-optimised in terms of its design and operation, with a flow range of 1-30 MGD (millions of gallons per day). The AmaLine R has a U-shaped chamber that optimises flow to cater for low UV light transmittance (UVT) water quality. This makes it ideal for re-use and waste water applications.

Also available is the AmaLine D range, designed specifically for municipal drinking water, which has a coaxial flow L-shaped chamber, and optimises flow to deliver the most effective disinfection for drinking water applications.

AmaLine has been designed using the latest computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. A highly efficient chamber and optimised lamp positioning ensure maximum energy efficiency. Optimum distribution of UV intensity throughout the chamber provides effective water treatment.

AmaLine uses LPHO (low pressure high output) amalgam lamp technology that provides variable output ballasts (50 to 100%). This helps to reduce energy consumption further, but also provides greater UV intensity. Shorter physical lengths compared with conventional low-pressure lamps reduces the overall footprint of the system. The ability to leave LPHO lamps on, even when there is no flow, helps to minimise potential disruption to the process. The longer life amalgam lamp helps to extend the periods between servicing.

AmaLine is also much easier to service and maintain. In contrast with alternative solutions, the AmaLine system has been designed to enable a single operator to change lamps, quartz sleeve and wiper blades easily and safely without the need of cranes, hoists or other external lifting equipment. A unique lamp connector, with self-aligning functionality, enables simple and fast lamp replacement, helping to minimise downtime, protect an operator from harm during servicing, and provide assurance of optimal system operation.

Where Berson has been focused on the municipal market and Hanovia on industrial, both companies now will focus on all markets with joint resources. This will now increase the capability to develop products for various applications quicker, and provide extensive support globally. The AmaLine is a platform that has been designed for the municipal market but has been engineered so it can be adapted for specific industrial applications.

 @Hanovia_UV  #Water #Pauto

Reducing chloramines in swimming pools.

Wycombe Leisure Centre in Buckinghamshire (GB) is using Hanovia’s SwimLine UV disinfection technology to keep chloramines at bay in its three indoor swimming pools. This ensures effective control of these unpleasant by-products of chlorine dosing in indoor pools, which are responsible for the typical ‘chlorine smell’, red, stinging eyes and skin irritations.

Installation at Wycombe Leisure Centre

Three SwimLine systems are installed in total to support the competition pool, community pool and splash pad. The systems utilise Hanovia’s Photon single or multi-lamp medium pressure chamber and automatic wiper technology to provide robust and effective UV disinfection. The wavelength output of the SwimLine’s lamp is optimised specifically for the removal of chloramines.

By better controlling chloramines, the UV systems also produce high quality pool water, reduce corrosion of metal structures and create a healthier environment for bathers. The systems provide effective disinfection from threats like cryptosporidium or Giardia, which are resistant to chlorine, thus giving bathers and operators safe and crystal-clear waters.

Commenting on the Hanovia SwimLine system, Kimberley Jaggard, Operations Manager at Wycombe Leisure Centre said: “Since installing the Hanovia UV systems we have noticed a dramatic improvement in air and water quality in the centre. We have none of the unpleasant smells or irritations associated with traditional chlorination systems. Controlling chloramines has also delivered high quality pool water, no corrosion of metal structures and a healthier environment for bathers.

“The performance of the UV system is impressive and it is very easy to use and maintain. In addition, we have been impressed by Hanovia’s professional after-sales service.”

Hanovia SwimLine systems are available in a range of sizes and treatment capacities to meet different pool sizes. They are designed for easy installation into existing pipework, matching pipe velocities and turnover rates in all pools. UV lamp replacement is also quick and easy, with the system designed to allow easy access, even in small plant rooms.

 @Hanovia_UV  #Leisure #Water @HHC_Lewis 

Keeping your swimming pool clear!

Langley Leisure Centre in Berkshire (GB) is the first leisure centre in that country to use an optimised low energy UV system to treat water for its 25-metre indoor heated pool. The Hanovia SwimLine Ultraviolet Energy Optimised (UVEO) system is helping to provide high quality water that reduces corrosion and creates a healthier environment for bathers, whilst reducing overall energy consumption.

Langley Leisure Centre in Berkshire, England

The new SwimLine UVEO uses up to 60% less power than conventional UV systems, with just a single UV lamp. This means reduced running costs for 24/7 applications such as swimming pools, without compromising on bio-security or chloramine control. The system is optimised specifically for pool bio-safety to ensure chlorine-resistant organisms such as cryptosporidium and giardia are controlled with the optimum UV dose.

Hanovia SwimLine UVEO system

Commenting on the Hanovia UVEO system, a spokesperson from Langley Leisure Centre said: “Since we installed the Hanovia SwimLine system there have been noticeable energy savings. The performance of the system excellent and it is also very easy to use and maintain. Added to that, we have been impressed by the company’s professional after-sales service.

“The optimised medium pressure UV lamp provides excellent chloramine reduction, ensuring the effective control of these unpleasant by-products of chlorine dosing which are responsible for the typical ‘chlorine smell’, red, stinging eyes and skin irritations. Controlling chloramines has also delivered high quality pool water, reduced corrosion of metal structures and a healthier environment for bathers.”

The SwimLine UVEO is available in a range of sizes and treatment capacities to meet the needs of different pool sizes. The system is designed for easy installation into existing pipework, matching pipe velocities and turnover rates for any pool. It is also fitted with an internal auto-wiper which maintains UV output efficiency by regularly cleaning the quartz sleeve housing the UV lamp. Lamp replacement is also quick and easy, with the system designed to allow easy access, even in small plant rooms.

UV is highly effective at killing any bacteria, viruses or moulds in the water, including cryptosporidium and its spores, which are chlorine-resistant. Another major advantage of UV is that it considerably reduces the amount of chlorine required to maintain hygiene levels. This reduces problems associated with chlorine by-products such as chloramines, which are formed when free chlorine reacts with sweat or urine in pool water. Trichloramines in particular are powerful irritants which are responsible for eye and respiratory complaints and the unpleasant ‘chlorine smell’ commonly associated with indoor pools. It also means the water is much clear than that in traditionally chlorinated pools.

@Hanovia_UV #Water @HHC_Lewis 

Getting handy with water treatment!

Chem-Aqua (part of NCH), has launched HandiChem, an innovative solid-concentrate water treatment system. Consisting of HandiPak and HandiFeed, the new system reduces the weight and handling burden in water treatment facilities and can also help reduce customers' carbon footprint. 

A case of 4x5kg jars of HandiPak provides the equivalent of 120L of traditional liquid treatment, containing similar actives as liquid formulas. It helps manage mineral-scale build-up, metal corrosion and microbial growth, which can all lead to higher energy and water costs if left untreated.

The new HandiChem system eliminates the traditionally arduous task of transporting, handling and storing large, often 200L, drums of liquid chemicals. The eco-friendly formula is less hazardous to use and more degradable after discharge.

HandiChem consists of HandiPak, a solid concentrate and HandiFeed, an automatic dispensing system. All water treatment processes in commercial buildings and plant facilities will be able to use the new product, including boilers, cooling and process water systems.

HandiChem is ideal for traditionally hard to access places, such as rooftop cooling towers, making it ideal for cooling tower treatment. It provides the same high performance as traditional liquid programmes.

"Water treatment is a fact of life for most commercial buildings and plant facilities that use water, electricity and steam for heating and cooling," explained Brian Booth, VP of the Water Treatment Innovation Platform at NCH Europe.

"The high concentration of chemical in HandiChem products is inherently efficient. The dosing equipment, being wall mounted, frees up valuable floor space.

"To complement HandiPak, we've developed HandiFeed, an automated dispensing system that uses a clever design to spray a jet of water into the jars of solid-concentrate. The resulting solution formed in the Handifeeder is far more dilute than the traditional liquid concentration in the drum, thereby reducing the risks of chemical exposure."

Process intensive applications can yield a higher return on investment by eliminating the costs associated with drum and packaging disposal. HandiChem also eliminates chemical waste disposal, delivering 100 per cent consumption of chemical at the point of use.

Process automation for ambitious water treatment project at Nuremberg Zoo.

A water treatment plant with state-of-the-art process automation technology is improving the living conditions of dolphins.

The new dolphin lagoon at Nuremberg Zoo is setting new standards for the care of sea mammals. Large outdoor pools provide more space and variety than any previous European dolphinarium. The water treatment plant with state-of-the-art process automation technology is critical to the wellbeing and living conditions of the animals.

Anyone who owns an aquarium knows how difficult it is to maintain water quality at a consistently high level. The principle “the larger the tank, the more stable the water values” depends on the number and size of its inhabitants. When they are dolphins, like at Nuremberg Zoo, the water treatment requirements are particularly challenging.

Nuremberg dolphin lagoon: State-of-the-art filter plants with Festo automation technology ensure maximum water quality. (Photo: Tiergarten Nürnberg) 

Cleaner than a swimming pool!
“The water in the Nuremberg Zoo dolphin lagoon is cleaner than that of any swimming pool,” says Klaus Held from engineering firm Sixt, Heiß & Partner, specialists in complex water treatment installations. “In terms of the durability and corrosion resistance of process valves and actuators, saltwater poses much greater challenges than the chlorinated fresh water used in swimming pools.” 

Nuremberg Zoo has its very own water treatment plant, where 2,000 cubic metres of fresh water are treated every hour. This enormous volume of water is essential for the health of its marine mammals. The plant also has to process out vegetation and animal excrement. To ensure that even in cold weather, temperatures in the outdoor pools never fall below 17 °C, the water is pre-heated to 30 °C. If outdoor air temperatures drop below –5 °C, an air dome prevents the two pools from becoming too cold.

Pneumatics reduces noise stress
The pneumatics used in the new system significantly reduces noise pollution for the dolphins. “The electric drives that we used before transmitted noise through the piping to the pools. This meant constant noise stress for the dolphins, which has been virtually eliminated with the pneumatic actuators from Festo,” says Held.

The lagoon water runs through a total of six closed multi-layer filters, which are flushed out at regular intervals. To do this, the inlet and outlet are closed and the cleaning air and rinsing water are opened. The contamination exits the system via a sludge discharge and the water filters then work at full capacity again. Quarter turn actuators [DAPS] from Festo operate the main butterfly valves. They are controlled using a total of seven control cabinets supplied completely ready-to-install – equipped with valve terminals type CPX-VTSA providing the pilot operation signals – at management level.

Everything from a single source
The decision to use Festo as the process automation supplier was made during the planning phase on the basis of Festo's extensive product portfolio.

“Plant manufacturer WTA Plauen quickly came to the conclusion that we could supply all their process products,” explains Festo’s Tobias Brucker, responsible for the water and wastewater industry in Germany, and Jürgen Zeiträg from the project engineering process automation team at Festo.

Skid systems for water treatment applications!

CHEM-FEED® Dual Pump Engineered Skid Systems are tough and efficient. They are well suited for use in water treatment applications, when paired with Blue-White’s ProSeries® line of Peristaltic Metering Pumps.

These Skid Systems were designed and engineered using solid modeling tools for superior piping installation and easy component maintenance. Custom engineered universal mounting blocks, and pre-machined mounting slots, provide for easy component servicing and replacement. Units are lightweight for wall or floor mounting.

CHEM-FEED Skids are constructed of 6061-T6 powder coated welded aluminum. Additional features include: An exclusive flow indicator which visually indicates pump is delivering solution; Self-filling calibration cylinder (flooded suction not required); proven components, Plast-O-Matic® ball valves; Pressure Relief Valve protects the system from over-pressurization; gauge guards; Metal-free check valve protects operator from back-flow during maintenance; and a drip containment tray, removable for easy cleaning.
Each unit is factory built and rigorously tested.

Control system for desalination plant in Saudi

Yokogawa has received an order from Petroleum, Chemicals & Mining Company (PCMC - a major EPC company in Saudi Arabia involved in the construction, engineering, and operation of plants in the oil, petrochemical, and gas industries) to supply the control system for the SWRO-4 Desalination Plant, which is being built in Jubail, Saudi Arabia by the Power & Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu (Marafiq).

Jubail, located in the northern part of the Arabian Gulf, is one of the two major industrial cities in Saudi Arabia (the other is Yanbu on the Red Sea), and Marafiq provides electricity and water to both cities. The plant under construction, SWRO-4, will utilize reverse osmosis (RO) membranes to desalinate seawater, and will be able to produce 100,000 cubic meters of potable water per day. This is greater than the combined output of 77,000 cubic meters per day from the five desalination plants that Marafiq currently owns and operates in Jubail. Plants of this type rely on a technology that involves the application of pressure to seawater, thereby pushing it through a special membrane. Desalination occurs as the salt cannot pass through the membrane. The desalinated water from the new plant will be provided to the Jubail area.

Yokogawa is to deliver the CENTUM® VP integrated production control system and the Plant Resource Manager (PRM®) integrated device management package, the latter of which will be used for the monitoring and online diagnosis of the instrumentation devices in this plant. In addition, Yokogawa will deliver an operator training system to improve operator performance. Yokogawa Middle East & Africa is responsible for the entire project, including the engineering and commissioning of these products. Delivery is scheduled for 2014 and the plant will start operation at the end of September 2014.

In the Middle East, there is a serious water shortage due to rapid industrialization and population growth, especially in urban areas. To alleviate this problem, there are plans to construct many desalination plants. Desalination plants that use RO membranes are more efficient than those that rely on the evaporation of seawater, and so there is considerable demand for the construction of such plants throughout this region, as well as in other regions such as North America and Asia. Yokogawa aims to leverage this order to expand its control business with desalination plants and other segments of the water infrastructure market.

Control system for municipal water treatment plant in Indonesia

Yokogawa  has received an order from PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk, a major Indonesian construction company specialising in the power plant and water supply and wastewater treatment sectors, to supply the automation system for the Petanu water treatment plant that it is building at the Sanur beach resort area on Bali's southeastern coast for a municipal water utility that is overseen by the Indonesian government's Ministry of Public Works.

Sanur is in the South East!

The Petanu water treatment plant will produce 300 litres per second (approximately 25,920 cubic metres per day) of clean water for Gianyar Regency, Denpasar City, and Badung Regency. It is scheduled to start operation in September 2013.

Indonesia is the world's fourth most populous country, and its infrastructure is being rapidly developed to meet the growing needs of its urban population and the tourism industry. The Petanu water treatment plant is a key to ensuring a stable supply of clean water for southeastern Bali.

The automation system that is to be installed at the Petanu water treatment plant includes the FAST/TOOLS SCADA (Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition) software package, the STARDOM(TM) network-based control system, analysers, and a variety of field devices such as ADMAG series magnetic flowmeters. Yokogawa Indonesia will be responsible for the entire project, from engineering to delivery, installation, and commissioning.

Yokogawa was able to win this order because of its ability to provide a “one stop” solution comprised of field devices, control systems, and other products that will meet a wide range of operation and maintenance needs and thereby improve the efficiency of water production.

Water shortages are becoming a serious problem in many parts of the world, particularly in developing countries, because of rapid economic and population growth. According to a report entitled “Future vision and policy response toward water business industry" (pdf) that was released by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in April 2010, the global water market is projected to grow from 36 trillion yen in 2007 to 87 trillion yen in 2025.

Encouraged by the success in winning this order, Yokogawa will seek to expand its share of the water-related control business in Southeast Asia and other emerging regions by providing water supply infrastructure solutions based on its extensive experience in water treatment applications and technical expertise in automation systems.

Water disinfection: Safely generating up to 5000 grams of chlorine dioxide per hour

Diox-A 5000 is an especially powerful but also safe chlorine dioxide generator developed by Siemens Water Technologies. Depending on its version, the Diox-A 5000 can generate up to 2,500 or 5,000 grams of chlorine dioxide per hour for the disinfection of process or cooling water. The infeed is via a double injector, which increases system safety because the required basic chemicals – sodium chlorite and hydrochloric acid – are not mixed in their undiluted states. The process is particularly suited for applications in which the handling of chlorine gas is to be avoided. An additional safety feature is the temperature and underpressure monitoring for the gas phase in the product tank. The V-notch of the injectors feeds the chlorine dioxide solution into the water far more precisely than pump-operated systems. This enables the concentration of the disinfectant to be metered at rates between 1.5 and 3.0 grams per liter, while an internal process control keeps the desired concentration of the stock solution constant.

The Diox-A is designed for industrial applications, such as for the disinfection of process and cooling water or for the removal of odours and taste causing compounds. The system is certified for use in the treatment of drinking water and can be used to disinfect complex piping systems. In addition to its use in food production, the Diox-A 5000 has been designed for use in numerous other applications such as for the deodorization of waste water in the oil and gas industry, the treatment of process water in paint spraying lines, and for protection against bacterial, algae or mussel growth in water-carrying pipes or tanks.

Operation is simple and intuitive by means of a colour touch panel on the control system. A PROFIBUS DP interface allows the chlorine dioxide generator to be connected to higher-level control systems.