What's Happening at WEFTEC 2019?

Sept. 20, 2019

Your best resource for what to know before attending WEFTEC 2019

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The Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) is the largest water and wastewater treatment trade show in the U.S. In 2019, the show has 148 technical sessions, 27 workshops, 16 mobile sessions and seven local facility tours. As with every odd-numbered year, WEFTEC takes place at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. McCormick Place is located south of Chicago’s vibrant lake-front spaces including Grant Park, the Field Museum, and Soldier Field.

WEFTEC 2019 Core Hours

  • 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 21 & Sept. 22

  • 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 23 & Sept. 24

  • 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25

Below are some Water & Wastes Digest-selected highlights to keep in mind while at the show. From technical sessions and the Operators Challenge to product releases and demonstrations, Water & Wastes Digest editors are eager to get on the show floor to learn about new products, learn about innovative technologies and concepts in technical sessions and witness the best of the best competing in the Operations Challenge at WEFTE 2019.

Technical Sessions & Events

Opening General Session

  • When: Monday, Sept. 23 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:40 a.m.

  • Where: Room S100

  • Who: Dr. Lera Boroditsky, associate professor of cognitive science at the University of California San Diego and editor-in-chief of Frontiers in Cultural Psychology

  • What: The Opening General Session sets the tone for the conference that draws thousands of water quality professionals from around the world each year. Dr. Boroditsky will bring a unique perspective to the topics of workforce development, diversity and inclusion by sharing her research into how to differences in language can shape the way we think, perceive and respond to each other. By learning to recognize and overcome potential biases, communication nuances and preconceptions, water professionals can improve how we work together, mentor each other and recruit new talent into the water sector.

State and Future of Storm Water

  • When: Monday, Sept. 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

  • Where: Room S402B

  • Who: Moderator J. Hinds with speakers S. Ralston, J. Nassauer, R. Winston, E. Cisar and M. Grey.

  • What: The storm water field is evolving in regulation, cross-agency integration, implementation in the development sector and as a component of making cities more livable. The storm water plenary session features thought and implementation leaders who will look to the future, challenging us all to think of how storm water projects can be easier to implement, be embraced by various market sectors and can be celebrated for the benefit they bring to the communities in which they are placed.

Operations Challenge

  • When: Monday, Sept. 23 and Tuesday, Sept. 24

  • Where: Booths 7007 & 7027 in North Hall B

  • Who: Teams from across the country test their skills, speed, and safety in a series of competitive events.

  • What: See wastewater’s elite specialists compete at the 32nd annual Operations Challenge in a series of tests demonstrating the best combination of precision, speed and safety. Teams of wastewater collection and treatment operators are sponsored by a WEF member association or recognized operator association. They face off in the laboratory and process events on Monday and the collections, safety and KSB maintenance events on Tuesday. Learn more at www.weftec.org/OpsChallenge

Basics Collection Systems 101

  • When: Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

  • Where: Room S403B

  • Who: Moderator B.E. Fix; Assistant Moderators J. Davidson and G. Yager

  • What: Speakers will spend 30 minutes each on their presentations starting at 8:30 a.m. with a networking break from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

    • 8:30: Manifold Low pressure Grider Pumps Sewer System Modeling

    • 9:00: Putting the Internet of Things to Work to optimize Maintenance, Lower Operating Expense and Extend Asset Life

    • 9:30: Looking Back to Look Forward: Getting to the Root Causes of BBKs and SSOs

    • 10:00: Networking Break

    • 10:30: is Your Collection System Stressed… In a Good Way?

    • 11:00: Evaluation of City of Elyria Neighborhood’s I/I Issues.

    • 11:30: Utilizing Aging Infrastructure for Redundant Systems

Water & Wastes Digest Meet the Editors

  • When: Tuesday, Sept. 24 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

  • Where: Water & Wastes Digest Booth #720

  • Who: WWD Senior Managing Editor Bob Crossen, WQP Managing Editor Lauren Estes and SWS Managing Editor Katie Johns

  • What: Editors from Water & Wastes Digest, Water Quality Products and Storm Water Solutions talk about industry issues with booth visitors over free drinks. Invitation only. See a WWD staff member for a drink ticket and invitation.

The 3 P’s: Plastic, Pharmaceuticals and Pesticides

  • When: Wednesday, Sept. 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

  • Where: Room S502B

  • Who: Moderator R.K. Goel

  • What: Speakers will spend 30 minutes each on their presentations starting at 8:30 a.m. with a networking break from 10 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

    • 8:30: Performance of Conventional Activated Sludge and Aerobic Granular Sludge Reactors for Microplastics Removal During Municipal Wastewater Treatment

    • 9:00: Removal of 1,4-Dioxane and Other Emerging Contaminants in a Non RO-Based Indirect Potable Reuse System Used for Managed Aquifer Recharge

    • 9:30: Bench Testing of 1,4-Dioxane Treatment in Industrial Wastewater by Biofiltration, an Innovative and Inexpensive Alternative to Advanced Oxidation

    • 9:45: Extraction and Leaching of Plastic Additives

    • 10:00: Networking Break

    • 10:30: Evaluation of Beta Blocker Biotransoformation by Mixed Culture Communities Under Nitrifying Conditions

    • 11:00: Temporal Variation of Antibiotic Resistance Genes at a Small Conventional Wastewater Treatment Plant With Repeated Sampling

    • 11:30: A biologically Stimulated Iron Turning Waste for Treating Organochlorine Pesticides in Water

Product Releases, Product Information & Demonstrations

Bentley Systems to Announce New Offerings for the Complete Lifecycle of Sewer Collection Networks at WEFTEC 2019

Bentley Systems will present its latest solutions for water and wastewater networks and treatment plants at WEFTEC 2019, the world’s largest annual water quality event and exposition, September 23 to 25, at McCormick Place, Chicago. 

The first of three smart sewer digital twin applications to be announced this year, OpenFlows SewerOPS provides real-time operational decision support by extending the capabilities of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and hydraulic modeling to help users monitor, maintain, and forecast various wastewater treatment and conveyance scenarios. Bentley colleagues also will demonstrate the OpenFlows SewerOPS Connect Edition at the Bentley booth. 

Attendees alsocan preview Bentley’s open, scalable solutions for design and performance management of the plant lifecycle, including OpenPlant Modeler and OpenBuildings Designer, as well as other hydraulics and hydrology software for smart water distribution, wastewater and stormwater systems.

Watson-Marlow Showcases Bredel Heavy Duty Sludge Pumps & Qdos Chemical Metering Pumps at WEFTEC 2019

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) is showcasing its Bredel line of heavy duty sludge pumps and Qdos range of peristaltic chemical metering pumps in booth 2638 at WEFTEC 2019, the Water Environment Federation’s Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference. The conference will be held at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL from September 23 to 25.

The Bredel heavy duty sludge pumps on display are ideal for centrifuge and belt press feed. They feature only one wearing part—the hose—so there are no rotors, stators, or lobes to replace and no mechanical seals or packing to leak. Providing abrasive handling, Bredel pumps can handle flows to 475 gal per minute with suction lift to 30 ft. They also are dry running and reversible.

Also on display will be the Qdos range of chemical metering pumps, ideal for disinfection, pH adjustment and flocculation of drinking water, wastewater and industrial process water. With accurate linear flow rates from 0.001 to 31.7 gal per hour at 100 psi irrespective of fluid viscosity, these pumps were designed to reduce chemical metering costs.

LEC to Introduce New Smart Metering Technology at WEFTEC 2019

LEC, an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) enablement company, will showcase its new smart metering technology iQ Pulse for the first time during WEFTEC 2019 Sept. 23 to 25 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.

iQ Pulse is LEC’s just-released, smart metering technology designed to easily and cost-effectively integrate with a wide variety of existing meters to simplify automated meter reading (AMR) deployments. The solution is inclusive of a rugged cellular endpoint, as well as robust software that provides needed data analytics, alarming and billing integration capabilities.  

“The iQ Pulse solution offers municipalities a new and less proprietary approach to AMR, making this product launch disruptive to the common market,” said LEC’s Vice President of IIoT Brian Rosema. “The solution revolves around our development of an IP68 rated, submersible cellular endpoint with a 10 year replaceable battery. This device was key to bringing this solution to market in a highly competitive manner.”

De Nora to Launch Electrochlorination System at WEFTEC 2019

De Nora today announced the launch of its next generation of ClorTec on-site sodium hypochlorite generators at WEFTEC in Chicago. The new high efficiency ClorTec Gen III system uses an optimized electrochlorination process that reduces salt and power consumption to deliver a 15% operating cost savings over the previous ClorTec DN Gen II system launched last year at WEFTEC.

“With more than 9,500 installations globally, De Nora has been pioneering the brine electrochlorination process for nearly a century, since filing the first of several patents covering hypochlorite generation” said Dr. Mirka Wilderer, CEO for De Nora Water Technologies. “Today, a culture of innovation and commitment to research and development allows us to deliver to the market the next generation in the evolution of the electrochlorination process. The new high efficiency system uses less salt and less power, resulting in significant OpEx cost savings for our partners. With simple and precise operation, the ClorTec Gen III offers the same peace of mind as the Gen II, but now reduces operating costs by 15%. That can result in yearly savings of $70,000, based on a 3,000 lb FAC per day system”

The ClorTec Gen III system includes the same features of the previous model, including easy operation, less maintenance, and up to 50% footprint reduction. All ClorTec systems include access to every component, making operation and maintenance simple, and a proprietary liquid flow backboard that can be located anywhere in the building for additional flexibility. Smart monitoring technology and acid cleaning notifications allow users to remotely monitor and control the operation of their system and provide performance data remotely back at the operator’s location.

Visit the De Nora Booth #2608 Sept. 23 to 25 to learn more about this new product launch during WEFTEC.

Netzsch Showcases Range of Pump Technology at WEFTEC

Netzsch Pumps North America will showcase pump technology in Booth #1638 at WEFTEC 2019 from Sept. 23-25, 2019, at McCormick Place, in Chicago, Illinois. 

On display will be the N.Mac twin shaft grinder; FSIP (full service-in-place) version of the NEMO progressing cavity pump;  the TORNADO T2 rotary lobe pump, and the iFD-Stator 2.0. NETZSCH will also celebrate its 50th anniversary of North American operations.

The N.Mac twin shaft grinder is designed to fragment a variety of materials, and is ideal for wastewater treatment, biogas and biomass plants, food, animal processing, and other waste and industrial applications. Featuring cartridge cutting knives for quick and simple replacement and servicing, the N.Mac offers quenched lubricated mechanical seals for dry running capability. The mechanical seal cartridge design—a leak free combination of mechanical seal and bearing cartridges—enables quick and simple replacement and servicing. Available in both channel and inline (flanged) housing construction, the N.Mac can be installed into effluent channels or upstream from a pump.

Also to be highlighted is the maintenance-friendly FSIP NEMO progressing cavity pump. Providing full access to all of the pump’s rotating parts, the FSIP pump allows users to open the pump cavity on-site and dismantle all rotating parts and install them again without having to remove the pump or disconnect the piping. This reduces installation complexity and maintenance time. NEMO FSIP is available in six sizes (NM045 to NM105) for flow rates over 800 gallons per minute.

Also on display will be the Tornado T2 rotary lobe pump at iFD-Stator 2.0. To learn more about those products or the ones mentioned above, visit the Netzsch booth #1638 during WEFTEC Sept. 23 to 25 in Chicago.

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