Wastewater flow meter is a flow meter that is used to find out and measure the amount of wastewater flow that will be, medium and the results of the treatment process, wastewater flowmeter is widely used in industry to help find out the amount of wastewater processed in connection with the large cost of the treatment process.
Wastewater Flow Meter
Industrial wastewater flow meters are usually used to determine the capacity and amount of wastewater produced by the production process or due to other activities of industry. As for the wastewater treatment process, the wastewater flowmeter is usually used to find out the amount of wastewater to be processed, the amount of the treatment process components and the amount of waste produced and the total water from the process before being discharged into the river.
To find out the total volume of wastewater, help control the process and know the results of the waste water discharge process, usually a flowmeter is installed in the in and out of the waste and towards the last disposal. The type of wastewater flowmeter must be in accordance with the nature of the waste itself, as a reference for the type of flowmeter material used.
In order to get the efficiency and effectiveness of a process, a wastewater flowmeter is very important to use to find out the amount and number of uses of components to process wastewater (coagulant and flokulan) in order to know the overall cost of the wastewater treatment process.
Waste Water Flow Meter Components
There are 2 main components of wastewater flow meters, namely
- Flow Sensor
- Flow Gauge or display
Flow Sensor
There are two parts of the main flow meter, namely the flow sensor and flow transmitter or or flow computer. For flow sensors there are several compounds according to the type and model. Flow Sensor is usually a reference size flow meter with a connection adjusted field conditions whether using flange, thread, clamp on or others.
For this wastewater flow sensor, the material used is adjusted to pipe material, fluid specifications, maximum temperature, max pressure, IP class whether it needs water proof or something else, including if needed materials that have food grade, acid resistance or abrasive resistance.
Flow sensors are often called flow tubes or transducers which are the most important part of functioning as sensors to capture the flow behavior of a fluid. This flow sensor usually affects the size of the flow meter which will have an impact on the magnitude of the flow speed value.
The selection of the type of material flow sensor will result in the reliability of the flow meter must be adjusted to fluid characteristics such as maximum temperature, maximum pressure, acidity level, or field conditions that are used as material type selection requirements.
When you have to choose the type of flow sensor that makes doubt because the quality and performance are the same, you should drop the choice on the type of flow sensor that does not have a moving sensor component. The existence of this moving sensr will make the flow meter performance will decrease according to the time of use due to the presence of ausness in the as component or bearing on the flow sensor.
Wear and tear or disruption of the movement of flow sensor components causes flow meter performance to decrease, maintenance costs are expensive or risk flow meters will be jammed. Flow sensor congestion is usually due to the presence of particles in the fluid that are not homogeneous such as dirt or solid particles. Likewise for flow meters that are not homogeneous or because there is a gas flow or bubble that makes flow meter calculations have poor accuracy.
Flow Gauge, Flow Transmitter atau Flow display
The second part of the flowmeter is the flow gauge or flow transmitter or flow display, which has the function of translating signals from the sensor into speed counts and others, which can be displayed in the form of numbers to the display and provide other ouput. Flow transmitters are usually only divided into forms fused with sensors or separate, the term on the ground is compact / integral or remote / split that uses cables as sensor connectors to the transmitter.
From this flow transmitter flow meter is able to read and detect the speed of flow or velocity, with units of distance units per time, water discharge or capacity which is often called flow rate with units of volume units per time and can read the volume of fluid passing through the liquid at a certain time with units of volumetric units. And for certain cases the mass flow meter is able to read the mass of the fluid flowing in a flow meter with units of mass units such as grams, kg, tons, pounds and others,
But do not forget for the type of gauge reading or display that uses a mecahnical register system (not recommended for wastewater) is usually only able to display only flow rate or volumetric and can not provide analog output unless coupled with a rotation sensor that translates the mechanical system rotation into units of volume numbers such as red sensors or others.
Also Read: Liquid Waste Flow Meter
Types of Wastewater Flow Meter Installations
In the case of the installation of flow meters, in addition to the selection procedure of the type that you should pay attention to, you should also understand about how to install a wastewater flow meter. Here are four types of waste flow meter installations that you can find out:
Types of InLine Flow Sensor Installations
As we know the type of in line flow meter is the most widely known and used type of flow meter. Almost all types of flow meters have an inline installation system that is applied to liquids and gases. The installation system of the type of inline flow meter is done by cutting the pipe. While the connection system can use thread, flange, triclamp or sanitary clamp, wafer, or welding.
Types of Insertion Flow Sensor Installation
Insertion flow meter is a type of flowmeter whose installation is done by perforating the pipe to enter the sensor into the pipe. Next installed fittings so that they can occupy the flow meter sensor into the fittings that are reinforced with nuts, slotting or pins key.
Types of Installation Clamp On Flow sensors
The process of installing flow meter clamp on is done by attaching a transducer. This transducer or sensor is installed on the outside of the pipe so that there is no direct contact with corrosive liquids and the amount of pressure.
Flowmeter clamp on is a type of flow meter whose installation method does not cut pipes or perforate pipes. Clamp on flow meter uses sensor components of the type of ultrasonic that is often called ultrasonic transducer. The working principle of this ultrasonic clamp on flow meter is by measuring the speed of fluid flow, using ultrasound so that with calculations on ultrasonic transmitters the volume that flows can be read.
Using ultrasonic sensors it can measure the average speed of fluid flow in a pipe. The average measurement result is due to the time difference between signal delivery and signal reception with unidirectional or opposite flow.
Open Channel Flow sensors and Sewer Flow Meters
Open channek flow meters are usually used to measure the amount of water flow in open channels such as rivers, trenches, culverts and large pipes.
Also Read: Flow Meter for Wastewater
There is also a type of flow meter that can be applied to channels such as river flows and trenches where the flow of water is in open channels, whose flow is generated by the difference in height, namely gravitational flow. For this type of open channel flow meter uses a combination of flow velocity and cross-sectional channel area measured with height sensor or meter level.
Open channel flow meter and sewer flow meter are flow meters that can be applied to measure flow in open channel systems such as canals, rivers, trenches or culverts. Basically this open channel flow meter calculates the flow speed taking into account the height of the surface.
Selection of Types of Wastewater Flow Meters
The main thing in choosing the type of wastewater flowmeter is the type of flowmeter with the properties and characteristics of wastewater and field conditions. Waste flow meters that are commonly used are divided into several types that have their own advantages.
There are several things that must be considered before determining the type of wastewater flowmeter used, namely:
- Characteristics of waste water to be processed
- Wastewater temperature
- Maximum and minimum Pressure Process to find out the flow speed
- Corrosive and abrasive levels of lombah water
- Viscosity and Homogeneity of Wastewater
- The level of impurities or the number of solid components in wastewater
- The content contained in waste water
- The amount or capacity of the flow rate in the process
- Installation position (out door, In door,)
- Environmental conditions around the point where the flowmeter must be installed
- The level of safety of flow meter equipment against explosions, fires or submerged flow meters due to rain or flooding.
- The existence of power supplies available
- Functions and ways of controlling the flow meter of wastewater
To choose the type of wastewater flowmeter should use a type of flow meter that does not have rotating components, especially components that are in direct contact with waste media. This is to reduce process costs, maintenace costs and accuracy of measurement results and to maintain and improve the life time flowmeter of waste itself.
Improper selection of waste flowmeter types will cause:
- Flow meters are often jammed and erred
- Accuracy that is not as required
- Maintenance costs are expensive
- Expensive investment costs (installation cost, flow meter price)
- Disruption of the production process due to prolonged installation
- Life time flowmeter pendek
Remember, whatever type of flowmeter will be used must be observant in determining the suitability of the type of material of the flow meter component with the characteristics of the wastewater to be processed.
When choosing the type of flow meter, you should consider non-technical factors such as the proper introduction of flow meters to operators in the factory, their experience with calibration and maintenance, the availability of spare parts, and experience with how to collect and other errors. What needs to also be considered is the cost of installation that must be considered after the selection of the type of flow meter.
The most common mistake in determining the type of wastewater flow meter is to use reverse logic, namely by choosing a flow meter based on a cheap price. If this is done then what happens is that the cost of installation and oprasional will be expensive and the lifetime flowmeter is short.
Wastewater Flow Meter Price
The price of a waste water flow meter that usually circulates on the ground depends on the specifications of the flow meter used. Flow meters are used there are several models depending on the application of the type of waste, type of pipe material, type of installation and others. The type and model of flow meter used must also refer to the specifications and purpose of the installation of the waste flowmeter.
Also Read: Wastewater Flow Meter Installation
There are two types of flow meters currently that are widely used, namely electromagnetic flowmeter, ultrasonic flow meter clamp on type and open channel flow meter.