The management of wastewater is a critical component of environmental protection, sustainable resource management, and public health. Delta Mobrey has been working with wastewater for over a century, and has extensive experience in providing and supporting process instrumentation for wastewater.

Wastewater treatment is important for several reasons. By preventing pollutants and contaminants from entering bodies of water, it prevents harm to the environment. It also allows for natural drinking water to be protected, as pollutants are less likely to enter it and spread waterborne diseases, this safeguards public health. More sustainability is achieved, as harmful pathogens are removed, and the water can be used for drinking again.

Wastewater management comes with various challenges. Compliance with regulations, such as the ones detailing overflow, must be met or the company can be given large fines. This has made headlines in the UK on multiple occasions, and in mid-2023 unlimited fines for wastewater companies that dumped sewage were introduced in the UK, highlighting the need to comply or face substantial fines.

Ensuring efficiency is also important. Ensuring there is effective treatment helps to ensure that costs are kept down. The aging infrastructure in some plants may be affecting efficiency, and updated and new process instrumentation may help with this. Upgrading and modernising infrastructure is important to ensure continued efficiency.

Process instrumentation plays a large and important role in the wastewater industry. Flow meters are used to measure wastewater as it moves through channels and pipes. This is used to determine the amount of wastewater to be treated and allows for the efficiency of the process to be monitored, as well as loading rates to be calculated. Level instrumentation is used to monitor and control the levels of wastewater in tanks, chambers, and basins. This allows for the correct amount of wastewater to be processed, as well as preventing overflows and optimising the treatment efficiency. Temperature sensors are used to ensure the efficiency of chemical reactions, as well as managing the growth of microorganisms in various stages of the treatment process. Suspended solid monitoring is also used to measure how many suspended solids are within a slurry.

WORKING WITH WASTEWATER

Delta Mobrey has worked with multiple wastewater companies to help modernise and upgrade their plants as demand for clean water rises with population growth.

In one such plant, it required modernisation to ensure it could meet the growing demand for clean drinking water in the future. It had old and problematic equipment that needed manual intervention and was affecting the efficiency of the plant. In addition, the de-sludge operation was controlled by a timed interval, which resulted in a loss of clean water on each cycle. The plant also required updated monitoring systems to ensure quality standards were met.

The plant chose Delta Mobrey’s MSM400 suspended solids monitoring as part of the upgrade, to help automate the de-sludge operation. This, as well as updated instrumentation, eliminated both the need for manual intervention and the waste of clean water that was occurring. The MSM400 can detect down to half a per cent of undissolved solids, ensuring that the correct water quality is delivered at each stage of the treatment stage.

For more information about our products in action, you can read more about the above case study here.

Process instrumentation is crucial in wastewater. It helps to ensure that drinking water is correctly cleaned and regulations are met. It also allows for greater optimisation of the wastewater plant, reducing waste. If you are interested in process instrumentation for water and wastewater, or for more information about our products, contact us below.