In industrial production processes, monitoring wastewater flow plays a vital role in resource conservation and environmental protection. Accurately monitoring wastewater flow enables relevant departments to effectively assess pollution emissions. We usually use electromagnetic flow meters, ultrasonic flow meters, and Doppler flow meters to monitor wastewater flow.
This article will provide a detailed introduction to wastewater flow monitoring.
What is Wastewater?
Wastewater generally refers to water that cannot be recycled after certain technical treatment or that cannot meet certain standards for purification after primary pollution. The wastewater referred to in this article primarily refers to industrial wastewater.
Industrial wastewater refers to wastewater and sewage generated during industrial production. It contains industrial materials, intermediate products, and pollutants that are lost with the water.
Hazards of Wastewater:
1. Highly toxic wastewater can cause the death or even extinction of aquatic plants and animals.
2. If nearby residents use contaminated surface water or groundwater for domestic use, it causes a health risk, even to death.
3. Industrial wastewater slowly flows into the soil over time. This causes soil pollution and affects the survival of plants and soil microorganisms.
4. Some industrial wastewater also carries an unpleasant odor. It pollutes the air.
5. Toxic and harmful substances in industrial wastewater can be ingested and absorbed by plants and animals. It remains in their bodies and then reaches humans through the food chain, causing harm or death.
Read More about: Sewage Flow Meters for Sewage Monitoring
Wastewater Flow Monitoring Problems:
Because of the complex characteristics of wastewater, measuring wastewater flow presents many challenges:
First, flow meters scale over time. Scale or algae easily accumulate on the surface of flow meters that have been in operation for a long time, leading to measurement errors. Flow meters must be cleaned regularly to ensure measurement accuracy. Self-cleaning devices can also be used to address scaling issues.
Improper installation can also cause flow meter errors. According to standards, flow meters should be installed in straight sections of channels. It should be away from bends or obstructions. If installed in turbulent areas, measurement results will fluctuate significantly.
Temperature fluctuations also present a challenge in wastewater measurement. In cold regions, low temperatures in winter can cause sensors to freeze, affecting normal operation. In hot regions, excessively high temperatures can cause flow meter deformation. High temperatures can also affect the density of wastewater. Therefore, a flow meter with temperature compensation should be selected.
Wastewater is corrosive, contains a lot of impurities, and is highly hazardous. So, when measuring wastewater flow, it is necessary to select the right flow meter material.
What is a Wastewater Flow Meter?
A wastewater flow meter is a flow meter used to measure wastewater flow. Wastewater flow meters are used in industries. such as petroleum, chemical, metallurgy, textiles, papermaking, environmental protection, and food. They can also measure flow in municipal administration, water conservancy projects, and river dredging.
There are many types of wastewater flow meters, each with its own unique characteristics.
Read More about: What is the Best Flow Meter for Water?
Wastewater Flow Meter Types:
Generally speaking, the following types of flow meters can be used to measure wastewater flow. The following is a detailed introduction:
Electromagnetic Wastewater Flow Meter:
An electromagnetic wastewater flow meter is an industrial instrument designed based on Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction.
It consists of a sensor and a converter. And it is used to measure the volumetric flow of conductive liquids and slurries in pipes or channels. Its working principle is to infer flow rate from the induced electromotive force generated by the conductive fluid cutting through the magnetic field. It is widely used in municipal water supply, environmental protection treatment, chemical and metallurgical industries, and other fields.
Partial Pipe Electromagnetic Flow Meter for Wastewater
Electromagnetic flow meters can measure flow in partially filled pipes. Due to the unstable flow rate in wastewater pipes, partially filled pipes are often encountered.
A partially filled pipe flow meter is an automatic flow meter. It can continuously measure the flow rate of fluids in open pipes using the velocity-area method. It measures and displays instantaneous flow rate, flow velocity, and accumulated flow rate. It is particularly suitable for metering purposes. such as municipal rainwater, wastewater, sewage discharge, and irrigation water pipes.
A partially filled pipe flow meter consists of an electromagnetic flow velocity sensor, an ultrasonic water level sensor, and a flow display. It can continuously measure the flow rate and level of fluids in a pipe. Users input the inner diameter of a circular pipe or the width of a square pipe. The partially filled pipe flow meter automatically calculates the flow rate within the pipe. It also displays measurement parameters. such as instantaneous flow rate, flow velocity, and accumulated flow within the pipe.
Ultrasonic Wastewater Flow Meter
Ultrasonic wastewater flow meters are categorized as transit-time ultrasonic flow meters and Doppler ultrasonic flow meters.
Transit-time ultrasonic flow meters are primarily used to measure the flow of treated wastewater free of impurities and clean water. Doppler flow meters are primarily used to measure the flow rate of wastewater containing impurities.
Read More about: Ultrasonic Flow Meter Technical Guide
Doppler Wastewater Flow Meter
Doppler flow meters operate based on the Doppler effect. They can measure wastewater flow at turbulent outfalls or in environments filled with bubbles.
However, Doppler flow meters require the continuous presence of sufficiently large scatterers within the fluid. Typically, the velocity of the scatterers deviates significantly from the velocity of the fluid. This requires a very long straight pipe section (usually more than 20 pipe diameters), which somewhat limits their applicability.
Transit-time Ultrasonic Wastewater Flow Meter
Transit-time ultrasonic flow meters can measure treated wastewater free of impurities.
This flow meter offers various installation options, including clamp-on and insert-type. Clamp-on requires no flow interruption or interruption of the pipeline. It eliminates issues like media leakage and pressure loss.
The insert installation allows for full sensor contact with the wastewater. It provides more accurate data and requires minimal modification to older pipes.
Ultrasonic flow meters are suitable for wastewater systems of varying sizes and types. It includes flow monitoring in municipal drainage networks, sewage treatment plant inlet and outlet pipes, and drainage pumping stations.
They can promptly detect abnormal situations. such as pipe blockages and leaks, enabling intelligent monitoring of drainage systems. However, ultrasonic flow meters have certain requirements for pipe material, roughness, and installation location. Failure to meet these requirements may affect measurement accuracy.
In addition to the above flow meters for sewage flow measurement, we also offer turbine flowmeters, rotor flowmeters, and target flowmeters. The specific model you choose will depend on your specific scenario. You can also contact us for a free measurement solution.
Sino-Inst Featured Wastewater Flow Meter
Wastewater Flow Meter Application:
Before wastewater can be safely discharged back to land, water, or reused in industrial operations, companies must remove organic matter, metals, and other contaminants. During the treatment process, we use wastewater flow meters to measure and control wastewater flow.
Wastewater flow meters are widely used in urban drainage, sewage treatment plants, and industrial wastewater treatment. They help users monitor wastewater flow in real time, enabling them to promptly detect flow anomalies and leaks. Wastewater flow meters are primarily used in the following industries:
- Water/wastewater treatment plants
- Metal finishing plants
- Mining
- Steel production
- Industrial laundries
- Chemical manufacturing
- Oil and gas fracking
- Power generation facilities
- Food processing
How to calculate wastewater flow?
Wastewater flow can be calculated using the following formula: Wastewater flow is the volume or mass of wastewater per unit time.
- Wastewater flow = Wastewater discharge concentration × Discharge volume
- Daily average wastewater flow = Total wastewater volume / Number of treatment days
- Hourly average wastewater flow = Daily average wastewater flow / 24
- Peak wastewater flow = Maximum daily wastewater flow / Number of treatment hours
Wastewater flow can be directly measured using a wastewater flow meter. Flow meters can measure both mass flow and volume flow, and the two can generally be converted to each other.
How do I choose a flow meter size?
The flow meter diameter is selected based on the pipe size and flow range. Sino-Inst offers free selection services. Please feel free to contact us.
How to calculate flow rate in liters?
Liters refer to the volumetric flow rate. It is the volume of fluid passing through a cross-section of a pipe or open channel per unit time, also known as instantaneous flow rate. It is expressed as Q.
The formula: Q = Sv, units: m³/s or L/s.
Where S is the cross-sectional area (m2), and v is the flow velocity (m/s).
In short, there are many methods for monitoring wastewater flow. Different industries use different flow meters for wastewater. If you are facing challenges with wastewater flow measurement, please contact us immediately.
Sino-Inst offers a wide range of flow measurement instruments. Our wastewater flow meters are reasonably priced. Our comprehensive after-sales service and one-year warranty provide peace of mind. Our technical engineers can also provide free wastewater measurement solutions.
