How to Improve Wastewater Treatment Plant Efficiency

Manual sampling waste-water sludge levels with a dipstick can be dirty work, lead to inconsistent results, and be potentially harmful to human operators.

The Pulsar SludgeFinder 2.0 offers an innovative solution for management of wastewater settlement tanks and clarifiers, delivering continuous and reliable sludge level monitoring. This system enhances overall plant efficiency by precisely timing the start and stop of the tank filling or draining process, ensuring optimal operation. 

Sludge needs to be drained from the bottom of wastewater tanks when the sludge blanket level reaches a certain point. This maximises the value of the vessel size, of what is essentially a batch process. Similarly, when draining the sludge out the bottom, it is imperative to switch that pump off before the less dense fluid on the surface starts flowing through.

The SludgeFinder’s head operates as a submersible ultrasonic measurement sensor, with the SludgeFinder transducer emitting a signal and measuring the reflections from the various media within the tank. The intelligent echo processing algorithm can clearly determine the range between the surface, flocculant, sludge blanket, and tank bottom.

Accurate monitoring of the sludge levels combined with precise timing of the tank draining and filling, can significantly improve the entire plant process efficiency. This results in saving water, energy and man-hours, which will easily offset the cost of the SludgeFinder instrument over a relatively short period.

The Pulsar SludgeFinder has an IP68 ingress protection rating and incorporates a cleaning arm (much like a windscreen wiper) that removes debris and sludge from the sensor. This means it can be left submerged for as long as needed, reducing the need for manual sampling by human operators.

The system integrates with higher-level control devices via two 4-20mA analogue outputs, and an RS232 digital output. 

Pulsar Measurement is a leader in the Ultrasonic Measurement technologies space. They offer an alternative to traditional measurement strategies, by applying non-invasive intelligent systems, reducing installation times, and helping customers reliably detect level and flow for the tank, piping and open channel applications. 

If you are interested in learning how SludgeFinder 2.0 or other ultrasonic measurement technologies can improve the efficiency of your wastewater treatment operation, contact ADM today!