Magmeters for US wastewater plant

Wellingborough, UK – A major wastewater treatment facility in the US has installed four electromagnetic flowmeters in three applications to monitor precisely the flow of sludge at the treatment plant. The project has enabled the plant to meet safety requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The newly refurbished Wells Sanitary District plant on the southern coast of Maine, treats up to 7.5 million litres of waste water per day. Engineering consultants redesigned many of the systems and processes at the facility and replaced all the existing electromagnetic flowmeters with Krohne's Optiflux instruments.

The flowmeters installed at Wells Sanitary District are being used to measure sludge recirculation and monitor the amount of effluent that is treated. The Optiflux magmeters can achieve an accuracy of 0.15% and reproducibility of 0.06%, even when measuring substances with high bubble or solid content or where there is turbulent flow.

In the sludge recirculation area, which forms part of the of the facility’s in-line waste activated sludge process, two Optiflux flowmeters are being used to measure the throughput of sludge, which is calculated per minute and per day.

Another flowmeter is installed to measure the flow of sludge being removed from the system. The fourth Optiflux is used in the treated effluent area to measure the flow of treated water that flows through the facility.

Dennis Thayler, superintendent at Wells Sanitary District, said: “Many people don't realise that these meters operate 24/7, under demanding conditions, so they need to offer superior performance and reliability. The use of accurate and reliable meters in this environment cannot be overstated. Flowmeters are essential to the overall process here - and at any treatment facility, for that matter.”