With
the global water instrumentation market projected to grow
by 8 percent per year from an estimated $20.8 billion
in 2003, increased demand for systems featuring multiple
parameters is closely tied to water and wastewater plants’ need
to achieve operational and maintenance cost efficiencies.
Self-cleaning and self-calibrating, real-time instruments
require less operational interface, reducing costs associated
with human error. In addition, simplifying operation and
maintenance requirements for personnel helps reduce training
and inventory costs since common spare parts can be used
for a multi-channel, multi-parameter system that operates
from a common electronic platform.A Closer Look
In any municipal or industrial water or wastewater treatment process, water quality parameters such as ammonia, chlorine, chlorine dioxide, fluoride, nitrate, ORP, ozone, pH, temperature and others must be analyzed and controlled before, during and after the treatment process. In fact, an application can require simultaneous analysis and control of any number of combinations of these parameters. When multiple parameters need to be measured and controlled, a multi-parameter, multi-channel system, such as Severn Trent Services' MicroChem2™ Series 4000, can make the process significantly more efficient.
A multi-parameter, multi-channel system is typically capable of receiving inputs from up to three sensors and/or 4-20 mA signals. As a result, the instrument can be easily combined with other components and packaged into a complete, application-specific instrumentation control system.
A multi-parameter, multi-channel transmitter/analyzer/controller provides commonality of user interfaces and spare parts. Instead of learning multiple user interfaces — one for each system — operators only need to familiarize themselves with one program. Instead of stocking spare parts for multiple systems, a facility only needs one set. In addition to saving on the cost of spare parts, a facility is able to reduce the cost per measurement point by combining up to three parameter measurements into one system. A multi-channel system can even be used to measure the same parameter but from three different and distinct locations within a treatment scheme.
Requiring only one sampling point, a multi-parameter, multi-channel system uses only one pump to draw the sample into the probe for any given parameter measurement. In turn, a facility benefits from reduced costs by purchasing fewer pumps and incurring less operating expense to run one pump instead of multiple pumps. An important feature of a multiple parameter, multi-channel system is the flexibility it affords a user. Typically run from the same electronics package, a client can easily expand a system once installed, changing the parameter measurements if needed.
Facilities that add fluoride to drinking water to promote dental health, for example, are typically faced with installing several instruments to monitor, analyze, and/or control the various parameters that accompany fluoride. One multi-parameter system offers the choice of a bufferless immersion probe or a sensing module, each containing a gel-filled combination fluoride selective electrode. The gel requires no refilling and the sensor is maintenance-free. Since the probe includes both a fluoride sensor and the reference electrode, a separate reference sensor is not required. The sensor module typically consists of a flow cell where the sample is mixed with buffer before flowing past the fluoride electrode.
The Future of Instrumentation
Global instrumentation market trends will continue to affect manufacturers, hastening the emergence of commercially available, cost-efficient and operationally effective instruments. Water and wastewater plant operators can expect to see a wide range of systems — from basic to "bells and whistles" — being manufactured to meet varying application-specific requirements. The MicroChem Series 4000 is one such system at the forefront of this technical evolution.
For more information, contact Severn Trent Services at info@severntrentservices.com.
* from Water Investment Newsletter, May 2003
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