Ultrasonic Flowmeter Delivers

When the Templeton Community Service District, located in Templeton, Calif., needed to replace an existing wastewater flowmeter, they turned to their local Hach Flow Meter sales representative, Eric Keith with Ponton Industries. The District was already familiar with Hach lab products that were currently operating in their metering station. Templeton's Meadowbrook WWTP has a capacity of 600,000 gal per day (gpd) and currently treats all but a small portion of the District's flow. The larger remaining portion of flow from the east is sent from the Vopi Ysabel metering station to the neighboring City of Paso Roble's Paso WWTP for conveyance and treatment in accordance with a legal agreement between the two jurisdictions. Keith discussed the billing application with Jeff Cannon, Maintenance Worker 2, with the District. Because the flowmeter would be used for billing purposes, it was important that it be accurate and reliable. Cannon adds, "Our typical flow is 220,000 gpd. We are responsible for providing Paso Robles with a daily flow reading from the meter." The ability to easily verify meter accuracy was also high on the wish list for the new meter. The application included the measurement of wastewater flow in a Parshall flume, a device that is constructed to produce predictable hydraulic responses which are related to the flow rate. A flow sensor is utilized along with the flume to measure the hydraulic responses of the primary flow device or flume in this case. Keith recommended the Hach sc200 Universal Controller that utilizes an Ultrasonic Flow Sensor. The sc200 would replace an existing open channel flowmeter that utilized a submerged style flow sensor. The Hach sc200 Universal Controller with Ultrasonic Sensor is designed to give highly accurate flow and depth measurements for open channel flow monitoring applications. From the easy-to-read display to reliable data management with SD card data transfer, the flow system provides an economical choice for flow monitoring. The flow system can be used for a variety of applications including NPDES permitting requirements and the monitoring of storm water, inlet flow, final effluent and activated sludge. The sc200 controller platform can be configured to operate either 2 Digital Sensor Inputs, or 1 or 2 Analog Sensor Inputs, or a combination of Digital and Analog Sensor Inputs. Customers may choose communication options from a variety of offerings ranging from MODBUS RTU to Profibus DPV1. Hach sc200 benefits include: • Built-in library of weir and flume types; • 15 user-selectable flow measurement units; • Simple, menu-guided operation; and • Four relays and two 4-20 mA outputs. An order was placed for one sc200 meter and installed by Cannon. He adds, "I installed the meter and didn't find it difficult at all. I was really happy with how it went. It seems pretty user-friendly too." Concerning meter accuracy Cannon comments, "We've stopped the flow and zeroed the meter and found it was good to go. Everything seems pretty awesome about how simple the process is to check the meter too. There are other meters out there that you can't zero out and they wouldn't work for us. We have done that with older meters and they bounce or go negative. The sc200 shows the actual flow." A study is currently underway to determine if the wastewater that is being processing by the City of Paso Robles can be returned to Templeton's Meadowbrook WWTP for treatment and disposal. A decision is pending.