Pumping system is an important part of water and wastewater treatment.They must operate continuously within the manufacturer's specifications to ensure maximum performance and reliability to reduce their long life cycle costs.

Ultrasonic clamp flowmeter technology can ensure the reliable operation of key pump equipment.Specifically, the use of ultrasonic transit time clamps and frequency conversion drivers (VFDs) on flow meters to control flow through the pump can help save energy and extend equipment life.

Most water and wastewater treatment plants have positive and/or dynamic displacement pumps to meet their demanding operations.Typical applications range from water intake, filtration and booster pumps to chemical injection and sewage lifting stations.

Many pump systems were original and were designed with fewer operational problems and regulatory requirements than today.Some facilities have added new pumping resources or switched to larger capacity pumps to meet the growing operational needs.Plant personnel focus on protecting pump assets from various operational hazards.

For example, excessive wear and internal damage may occur if the centrifugal pump has too little flow for a long period of time when the motor is running at full speed.When no liquid enters the pump impeller, it will agitate the same volume of liquid as it rotates.Friction causes the fluid to heat up.If sustained, it may cause excessive wear and failure of the pump.

Pumps also consume a lot of electricity.Therefore, they should run at the required speed, not faster.Without proper monitoring and maintenance, pumps may fail and shut down.

Traffic problems

Flowmeters used to monitor flow readings in water and wastewater treatment systems are critical for correctly monitoring the flow, diagnosing system errors, and ensuring pump performance.Almost all pumps have a specified performance window for the running curve.Deviation from this value may cause stress that damages the pump.Installing appropriate meters can help detect problems before the pump damages or affects maintenance and operational resources.

A key requirement for plant operators is staging pumping equipment based on variable demand.Flowmeters are commonly used for staging pump shutoff because it is difficult to determine the correct time to start pump shedding based on pressure readings alone.These meters also help the pump "sleep" at intervals to save energy and minimize excessive wear.They provide a milliampere signal to the VFD to initiate the action.

The minimum continuous safe flow rate is the flow rate at which the pump can operate continuously without excessive wear due to hydraulic anomalies and temperature rises under low flow conditions.

During a decrease in flow rate, the pump may experience reverse flow, at which point the flow will turn and return upstream.This leads to internal recirculation (often referred to as inhalation recirculation) and subsequent heat buildup.Internal recirculation occurs at reduced flow rates when more fluid approaches the impeller orifice than passes through the pump.

Determine the right solution

Accurate flow data is critical to understanding pump health and efficiency.A flowmeter already connected to the pump can provide performance data for comparison with pump power and speed information.If such flow measurement devices are not available, ultrasonic flowmeter technology is an effective option.

Experience has shown that ultrasonic transit time clamp flowmeters can be used as an alternative to traditional options, such as electromagnetic flowmeters in water and wastewater applications.The in-line equipment requires the system to be shut down for installation, while the ultrasonic clamp meter allows modification of the existing pipeline while the pump is running.

Unlike orifice plates, which result in a permanent pressure drop in the system, ultrasonic flowmeters provide a high adjustment ratio over the entire operating range of the pump.

Ultrasonic transit time flowmeters measure flow by propagating ultrasonic waves into a liquid filled pipe and measuring the time of flight.Using gripping technology, the meter is a non-intrusive design with a number of key advantages:

·Reduce installation costs

·Continuous production

·Flexibility for application of various pipe sizes

·No pressure head loss

·No contact with internal liquids

·No maintenance is required for moving parts

·Not easy to cut into pipes

Ultrasonic clamp flowmeters measure the volume flow of clean liquids as well as liquids containing small amounts of suspended solids.They are easy to use and have diagnostic capabilities that can take the guesswork out of programming.In some cases, flowmeters support encoder outputs for connecting to cellular terminals with cloud-based Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) software.

Many water and wastewater treatment plants use a pump control assembly that includes an ultrasonic transmission time flowmeter that provides flow information to the VFD.This control scheme prevents the pump from operating at low flow rates for extended periods of time.It controls the operation of the pump to closely match system requirements, thereby saving energy costs.

In the pump control unit, a dual VFD panel and an ultrasonic flowmeter work in series to control pump speed and operation time.In automatic mode, the main pump will operate at the selected speed to meet the required pressure until the flowmeter signals a low flow status for a period of time, which will slow the pump to the minimum speed or stop the system completely.

Benefits for end users

Protecting investments in pump system assets is closely related to improving process reliability, reducing equipment replacement, reducing pump repair costs, reducing energy costs, and reducing uptime outages.Ultrasonic transmission time clamp meters use a reliable diagnostic method to accurately measure flow, help identify potential pump operating problems and initiate preventive maintenance programs to extend the life of the asset while reducing cost of ownership.

Plant operators have seen ultrasonic flow measurement solutions equipped with VFDs for flow rate control and automatic pump start/shut down, which also helps reduce energy consumption and has a positive impact on the bottom line.

Pumps are an important system that consumes a lot of energy and is expensive to rebuild or replace.Therefore, it is important to make the device run more efficiently and find problems before they escalate.

For water and wastewater treatment facilities, the pump system features state-of-the-art control components that enable plant personnel to focus on operational requirements and reduce time spent dealing with equipment reliability issues.
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