Microwave measurement enhances wastewater monitoring

Photo courtesy Endress+Hauser.

Endress+Hauser, based in Burlington, Ont., has introduced the Proline Teqwave MW 300/500 TS inline meter with microwave measurement technology to enhance the monitoring of total solids (TS) in wastewater.

In municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), the real-time  measurement of TS—and not just total suspended solids (TSS)—can help operators capture process efficiencies. Teqwave MW provides data about the state of all sludge treatment processes, so operators can be more proactive, rather than depending on delayed intelligence from manual lab sampling. (Lab values are still the standard and used to optimize the product’s calibration).

Sludge remaining after wastewater treatment undergoes multiple processes to remove as much water as possible, to minimize the costs of transporting and disposing of the solid material off-site. With Teqwave MW, operators can modulate flows and address anomalies as they emerge, to assure the highest TS content at each stage.

Ensuring consistently high TS content reduces the required heat in a digester and allows more biogas to be produced, lowering the plant’s net energy expense. In subsequent stages, the volume of dewatering chemicals can be reduced by up to 20%. Polymer dosing is no longer based on flow rates alone, but also on the actual measured volume of TS.

Teqwave MW provides continuous calculation of the load rate when combined with a flowmeter. It can control water and polymer intake, for higher dewatering efficiency and consistent TS levels in dewatered sludge. Optimizing process flows can save energy and reduce wear and tear on pumps, extending their maintenance intervals and service life.