Solutions for wastewater flow monitoring & telemetry

With increased urbanisation, storm water run-off has become an increasingly important problem. Storm water pollution, protection and mitigation can only be effective if the storm water flows themselves are monitored and quantified, not only for pollutants but also volumetrically.

Typically, storm water is conveyed through open channels and partially full pipes. The MACE FloPro XCi is ideally suited to measure these flows. The often turbulent flows with high levels of suspended solids are perfect for MACE Doppler ultrasonic flow measurement. Combined with a downward looking ultrasonic depth sensor, storm flows up to 10 m/s (33ft/s) can be accurately measured.

Moreover, with the Input/Output capabilities of the FloPro storm water quality parameters can be measured (using 3rd party sensors for DO, pH & turbidity etc), and volumetrically sampled by driving a water sampler.

In the example shown, the FloPro XCi is monitoring a typical storm water culvert along a highway. In conjunction with a MACE Doppler ultrasonic area/velocity sensor, rainfall is measured and a sampler is also interfaced. With a MACE WebComm card installed, these readings are available 24/7 on the MACE website, as well as having the ability to be alarmed via SMS/email to any mobile phone.

As increased living densities occur through urban areas, more pressure is being exerted on the ability of the sanitary sewerage systems to cope with the demands being placed upon them. It is critical that permanent sewer flow monitoring is undertaken on major catchments to assess the ongoing capabilities of all sewerage infra-structure. Furthermore, the accurate measurement of industrial inflows to the sewerage system is also increasingly important so that distribution of the costs of treatment can be fair and equitable.

The MACE FloPro XCi provides a unique solution for permanent sewer flow monitoring. With the ability to measure up to five different flows with the one device, it is no longer a requirement that each artery of a catchment requires its own flow monitor. The combined depth/velocity sensors can be installed in any pipe size from 6″ to 100″. From a trade-waste perspective, the MACE FloPro can provide a “one-stop” solution. The FloPro can not only be used as a billing device, it can also be used to monitor various water quality sensors (such as pH, EC and DO), and can be programmed to drive a volumetric based sampler.

In the example shown, the FloPro XCi is measuring the flow of sewage in three separate pipes with MACE area/velocity sensors interfaced to a single FloPro XCi device. With a MACE WebComm card installed, these readings are available 24/7 on the MACE website, as well as having the ability to be alarmed via SMS/email to any mobile phone.

Most water districts have countless numbers of road crossings through which storm water and water channels are flowing. They can take the shape of a typically “boxed” section or a round pipe (both full or partially full). Road culverts therefore, provide an extremely precise cross-section through which to measure flow.

The flexibility of the MACE FloPro XCi for measuring these flows can not be overstated. No matter whether the culvert is “boxed” or “piped”, flowing partially full or completely full, there is a sensor configuration ideally suited. With the free software configuration tools FloCalc and FloCom+, the user can simply enter the correct channel dimensions into the FloPro XCi device. With the ability to measure flow in multiple pipes or culverts, the MACE FloPro is an extremely affordable option where the user needs to measure flow under a road crossing with multiple (up to three) cross-sections.

In the example shown, the FloPro XCi is measuring the velocity and depth of flow in twin pipes with MACE Doppler area/velocity sensors. With a MACE WebComm card installed, these readings are available 24/7 on the MACE website, as well as having the ability to be alarmed via SMS/email to any mobile phone.

There are countless numbers of pipes across water districts and wastewater networks that do not run full all the time. Whilst from a measurement perspective it is preferable to measure flow in a full pipe, from a practical viewpoint it is often either difficult to achieve full flow under all conditions or just not economic to change.

A major problem with measuring flow in partially full pipes is access to the inside of these pipes in which to measure the flow. Traditionally, these flows have gone un-monitored as no monitoring point/s are accessible or, alternatively, costly civil works have been required to make access points.

With the use of a MACE FloPro XCi in conjunction with a MACE insertion velocity sensor and a MACE EchoFlo ultrasonic depth sensor, the monitoring of partially full pipes without the need for costly pipework alterations is a reality.

In the example shown here, a FloPro XCi is being used to measure & display velocity/depth and the resultant flow rate, as well as provide a cumulative total. With a MACE WebComm card installed, these readings are available 24/7 on the MACE website, as well as having the ability to be alarmed via SMS/email to any mobile phone.

Lifting and conveying sewage through gravity sewerage systems and force mains requires monitoring to ensure that system capacities are not under or over-utilised. Moreover, the amount of effluent entering, being treated and discharged from sewer treatment plants is a critical measure.

The MACE FloPro XCi is an ideal instrument for use throughout the transfer and treatment systems of municipal departments. For use in lift stations, the FloPro XCi provides an extremely accurate and inexpensive solution. By using a MACE insertion velocity sensor, the MACE FloPro can be used in pipes from 100 mm (4″) to 2.5 m (100″) in diameter. Furthermore, with a FloPro XCi, up to five pumps can be monitored using one meter. A very cost effective innovation when more than a single pump is used at a pump station. With the addition of an I/O card, the FloPro can monitor float switches and the like to alarm low and/or high levels in wet wells.

The FloPro XCi can be used throughout the whole treatment process. Inflows on rising mains can be monitored with the full-pipe insertion sensor, whilst in process flows traditionally measured using flumes, can be recorded using a depth sensor (either submerged or ultrasonic) and the FloPro’s inbuilt flume/ weir look-up tables. Volumes of discharges from the treatment process can be equally measured using either full or partially-full pipe sensors and assessed using water quality sensors attached to the various analogue or digital inputs.

With a MACE WebComm card installed, these readings are available 24/7 on the MACE website, as well as having the ability to be alarmed via SMS/email to any mobile phone.

Historically, the measurement of flow in open channels has been undertaken using civil structures such as flumes and weirs. Whilst these structures do provide a reasonably accurate measure of the stream flow, in practice, flumes and weirs often suffer from neglect over time and provide less than favourable conditions for flow measurement with stage measurements and rating tables. This may be particularly the case for structures that are several years (if not decades) old, and were designed for measuring different flow rates than may exist today.

The use of “area-velocity” methods, such as that provided by the Doppler ultrasonic MACE FloPro XCi to measure flow in open channels, not only negates the need for costly civil structures, but also increases the overall accuracy of the measurement. Furthermore, with a MACE FloPro, it is possible to measure flow in open channels of an irregular shape, such as earthen channels or those cast in situ. Where sites exist that have less than favourable hydraulics for accurate flow measurement, the MACE FloPro can be calibrated with FloCom+ software for even greater accuracy.

In the example shown, the FloPro XCi is measuring the velocity of the stream with a MACE Doppler velocity sensor and a MACE EchoFlo depth sensor is providing the measurement of the level. With a MACE WebComm card installed, these readings are available 24/7 on the MACE website, as well as having the ability to be alarmed via SMS/email to any mobile phone.