Wastewater Instrumentation for

Monitoring and Control

Hach, you know us?

67 years (started in 1946)

An American Company!
70+ Technical Sales Assoc nationwide
80+ Service specialists nationwide
 What’s the Objective Today?
 Think about the appropriate instruments for
different applications
 Workshop solutions to common problems
 Products/Ideas/Technologies that might help
make your day easier
 Network with others in the room
 Today’s Training Agenda
• Types of Treatment Systems
• Overview of Process Steps
• Instrumentation and Control Applications
– Nutrient Removal
– Aeration
– Suspended Solids
– pH
– Organics
 Today’s Training Agenda
• Making Your Data Meaningful
• Troubleshooting Mercoid Switches
• Hands-on instrument review
Why Do We Treat Wastewater?

To protect public health

&
To protect the environment
How Do We Treat Wastewater?
Process Step Overview
Process Step Overview
NUTRIENTS
Nitrogen and Phosphorus in
Wastewater Treatment

1
 Introduction
• N & P discharged into Surface Waters
• Algae consume N & P and reproduce
• Bacteria eat algae and “breathe” O2
• Low DO kills fish, shellfish, invertebrates
Effects of Eutrophication
Effects of Eutrophication
 Impaired Waters
• EPA (2008)
– 168 Hypoxic Areas in USA
– 1200 Nitrate Effluent Violations at DW plants
– Mandate: States to establish nutrient limits in surface
waters

• States: Total Maximum Daily Load

– Set TMDL for N & P in specific watersheds
– New permits contain N & P limits
 Biological P Removal
Y can’t
You ’t control
t lb bacteria
t i
You can only control their environment
ANAEROBIC AEROBIC
No DO, No Nitrate DO > 0.5mg/L

CO2
VFA Glycogen
CO2 + H2O
Glycogen

EMP
Ac-COA
O2
NADH
Energy PHA
PHA
Poly-P

Poly-P

PO4

PO4 PO4
PO4 PO4

© 2010 Hach Company

All Rights Reserved
 Chemical P Removal
CHEMICAL (Al, Fe)

PO4 PO4
PO4

AlPO4 FePO4

FePO4
AlPO4 FePO4
AlPO4

AlPO4 FePO4
 Phosphorus
Real
Time
Controller
• Measuring Plant Effluent orthophosphate
• Measuring Plant Effluent flow
• Output exact dose to meet 0.60mg/L PO4-P setpoint
• Saving 55% compared to previous static dose

$ $ $ $ $
 Biological N Removal
Y can’t
You ’t control
t lb bacteria
t i
You can only control their environment
NO3 NO3 NO3

ANOXIC AEROBIC
DO < 0.5mg/L, Nitrate Present DO > 0.5mg/L

NO3
BOD N2 NH4
O2
HCO3
NO3
CO2
+
H2 O

CO2 + H2O + OH-

NO2
O2
CO2 + H2O

© 2010 Hach Company

All Rights Reserved
 Nitrification – Ammonia Removal

• Process Characteristics that can Impact Nitrification

– MCRT (Sludge Age)
• Generally > 10 day MCRT is needed for stable nitrification in extended air
systems
• Nitrifying bacteria grow very, very slooowly
– pH
• Nitrifiers are sensitive to changes in pH
• Reported “optimum” pHs vary b/w 5.8 – 8.5…a wide range
– Alkalinity
• 7.1 mg of alk is consumed for every mg of Ammonia converted to Nitrate
– BOD
• 0.08 lb of inorganic carbon/ lb of Ammonia oxidized
– DO
• cBOD oxidation
– 1.0 – 1.2 lbs of Oxygen for every lb of BOD
• Ammonia Oxidation
– 4.3 lbs Oxygen per lb of NH3-N
– 4.6 lbs Oxygen per lb of NH4-N
 Denitrification – Total N Removal

• Other half of biological nitrogen removal

– Nitrate converted to Nitrogen gas

• Consumes 2.86 grams of BOD per gram of Nitrate reduced

– Why care: Not enough BOD = denitrification doesn’t happen
Alkalinity not recovered…possible chemical addition

• Forms ~0.5 grams of new cells per gram of Nitrate reduced

– Why care: WAS = Solids Handling

• Possible problems if Nitrate to Clarifiers >6-8 mg/L

– Floating Solids, Scum, effluent turbidity issues
Mallard Creek WRF (NC)
• 12 MGD, NH4-N < 1.0 mg/L
• Modified Ludzack-Ettinger
process
• Raw wastewater lacks enough
alkalinity for complete nitrification
• Dose sodium hydroxide to
supplement alkalinity
– Flow proportional: $197,283
– Real time load: $128,663
– 34.8% savings
 Ammonia Measurement
• Ammonia Nitrogen
– Ion Selective Electrode
– Gas Sensing Electrode
 Hutchinson WWTP
• 2.4 MGD, TP < 1.0mg/L monthly average
• 2 Plants
– Oxidation Ditch & Clarifier
– Membrane Bioreactor with anoxic selector
• Chemical precipitation with ferric sulfate
• Composite samples & flow proportional dosing
were not meeting the effluent limit
 Hutchinson WWTP

Q PO4

HW UV

Anoxic Aerobic
 Phosphate Analyzer
• Orthophosphate
– Molybdovanadate
• “Yellow method”
– 0.05 – 15.0 mg/L PO4-P
– +/- 2% accuracy
– Self Filtering
Pinery Water & Wastewater
Parker, CO
• 2 MGD, TP < 0.05 mg/L
• 5 Stage System with alum addition
and mixed media filters
• Instrumentation:
– 4 ORP Sensors
– 5 pH Sensors
– 4 LDO Sensors
– 2 Phosphate Analyzers
– 2 Turbidimeters
Stamford WPCF (CT)
• 24 MGD, TN 1057lbs/day
• 4 Stage System with methanol feed and
UV disinfection
• Instrumentation:
– 4 Ammonia analyzers
– 1 Ammonia sensor
– 6 Nitrate/Nitrite sensors
– 1 MLSS sensor
– 4 LDO sensor
– 2 Sludge Blanket sensors
• 2009: Earned $961,118 with credits
 Nitrate Sensors

• Nitrate Nitrogen
– Reagentless
– UV absorbance
– Ion Selective Electrode
Wyoming Valley San. Auth.
(PA)
• 32 MGD, Load Limits
– TN limit: 584,000 lbs/yr
– TP limit: 77,000 lbs/yr
• Schreiber™ System
• Pilot Test: control aeration
– Ammonia Sensors
– Nitrate Sensors
– LDO sensors
• Meets new limits, $20M
upgrade unnecessary
 Online Methods for Analysis
• Total Nitrogen
– Digestion with Ozone
and Hydroxyl Radical
• Oxidizes everything to
nitrate
• Measured with UV
absorbance
• 0.3 – 100,000mg/L N
• < 8 min. cycle time
• +/- 3% Accuracy
Online Methods for Analysis
• Total Phosphorus
– Digestion with Ozone
and Hydroxyl Radical
• Oxidizes everything to
phosphate
• Measured with
molybdovanadate
reagent
• 0.3 – 100,000mg/L P
• < 20 min. cycle time
• +/- 3% Accuracy
 Other Valuable Tests

• Dissolved Oxygen
• Oxidation – Reduction Potential (ORP)
• Total Suspended Solids
• Volatile Fatty Acids
• pH
• Alkalinity
• COD
ORP Sensor
ORP
ORP in SBR
ORP in SBR
ORP in BNR
 Take Home Messages

• Nutrient regulations are expanding

• Pioneers have paved the road
• Baseline data is critical for design & operation
Aeration
 Introduction
• Do we need to have air in the basin?
– Aerobic Zones- Aeration Present
• Dissolved Oxygen > 0.5 ppm
– Anoxic Zones- Oxygen depletion /except
chemically bound
• Dissolved Oxygen < 0.5 ppm
• Nitrate present –bugs at work!
– Anaerobic Zones- Atmospheric/ Dissolved oxygen
not present
• Dissolved Oxygen < 0.5 ppm
• No Nitrate present
 Polarographic Method

• As oxygen permeates the Voltage

membrane, it is reduced
at the cathode
• The current (amperage) Ag+
created is directly
proportional to the Ag Au
dissolved oxygen Anode O2 Cathode
concentration
O2 O2 O2
O2 O2
O2 O2
Steps used to combat the problem
• Began by chlorinating the RAS (common solution to
deal with filaments)
– $3,000/month
• Manually controlled blowers (increased DO)
– 14,000 scfm
– Twice daily DO testing with portable (old) unit.

7
Luminescent Dissolved Oxygen
Probe • The sensor is coated with
luminescent material
Sensor
• Blue light from an LED excites the
Photo Diode material
• The excited material emits red
light
• Oxygen ‘steals’ energy from the
O O2 O2 luminescent material
O2 O2 2
O2 O2
O2 • The time it takes for the material
to stop emitting light directly
relates to the amount of
dissolved oxygen present in the
sample
 Aeration Control
• Solution – Long Term
– Automated Blower Control with online
luminescent dissolved oxygen sensors (LDO)
desired value

current
VFD value

O2

Aeration Basin

9
 **RESULTS**

Accurate Dissolved Oxygen Sensors

• Stopped chlorinating the RAS
• Eliminated twice per day manual testing
• Reduced blower output from 14000 to 12000 scfm
• Eliminated sensor maintenance 3x/week

= $70,000 annual savings1

1 Kiser,
Phil “Advances in Online Dissolved Oxygen Measurement Using Luminescent Technology”. Presented at 2006
ISA Automation Week Conference
 Verify online readings with a portable

.39
.43 75.3F
74.6F

11
 Problem
• Larger WWTP with 10mg/L TN Limit (Total
Nitrogen)
• Poor Effluent Quality Forcing Construction
– Additional Clarifier and Filter
• Have LDO sensors & use for Aeration Control
– Ammonia sensor was faulty—repairs in Europe
• No budget for additional capital construction
• Operational budget cut by $50,000
 AMMONIA SENSOR
Nitrified
recycle
DO DO

Filter UV
Anoxic Aerobic
Ammonium Probe
• Ion Selective Electrodes
• Direct in basin measurement
• High Range
• Medium Precision
• Change cartridge every 3 – 6 mo
 Ammonia Analyzer
• Low Range, High precision
applications
• Sample Prep & Delivery:
– Filter probe for mixed liquor
– Filtrax for Primary Effluent
• Gasification Method
• Change reagents 3 – 6 mo
 Results
• Controlling Aeration by Ammonia
• From 9,500 – 12,000 to 8,000 – 9,000 kwh/d
• $90,000/yr Energy Savings
• ROI: 2.8 Months
• Sludge Quality Improved
– No need for additional Clarifier & Filter
– Estimated at $3,200,000
Aeration
Suspended Solids
 What are Suspended Solids?
Total Suspended Solids or TSS is defined as - the
amount of filterable solids in a water sample
 Why Measure Suspended Solids
• Determine the Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids
• Calculate the Return Activated Sludge (RAS)
• Calculate the Waste Activated Sludge (WAS)
• Calculate the Sludge Retention time (SRT)
• Calculate Mean Cell Residence Time (MCRT or Sludge Age)
• Determine the depth/height of the Sludge Blanket
• Determine the efficiency of the dewatering mechanics
• Solids interfere with disinfection
 Control of Solids Inventory- Can:
• Allow additional capacity to be realized in individual unit processes;

• Potentially allow nitrification to be achieved without the construction of additional

biological treatment capacity;

• Reduce the energy use & costs associated with aeration in biological processes

• Reduce biosolids mgnt costs by reducing the quantity of solids requiring processing

• Improve the settling characteristics of the biomass

• Improve the ease and stability of plants operations

• Result in an overall improvement in effluent quality.

Solids Inventory Control for Wastewater Treatment Plant Optimization
Issue No. 1.0
Publication Date: March 2004
2004 Federation of Canadian Municipalities and National Research Council
SBN 1–897094–60–4
 Where do you Measure
Suspended Solids?
• Aeration Basin
• Influent
• Effluent
• Centrate/Filtrate
• Clarifier Effluent
• Digester Feed
• ???
Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids
• How do you currently test for it?
• How long does it take to receive your results?
• What can happen between grab samples?
• How would a real time trend of MLSS help you?
• Do you ever have settleability problems?
• Why do they happen?
 Food
• Organics (BOD) in the sewage are the food for
the bacteria
– Typically more than enough food present
– Typically cannot control quantity of food
• Need to have the right amount of food per bug
– Food to Microorganism Ratio:
Pounds BOD in Sewage BOD Conc (mg/L) x Flow (MGD) x 8.34
Pounds of MLSS = MLSS Conc (mg/L) x Volume (M gal) x 8.34
 F:M Ratio
• Typically this is used to determine the Mixed
Liquor Suspended Solids concentration (MLSS)
• Then the amount of return sludge is
determined
– Typically as % of influent flow
• The wrong F:M for your plant can lead to
settleability issues
• Grab samples are usually sufficient here
 Sludge Age
• The time (days) that an average bacterial cell stays in the biological system
– “Young”: < 4 days
– “Middle age”: 4 and 15 days
– “Old”: > 15 days

# of Bacteria

time
 Sludge Age
• The right sludge age for your system means:
– The bacteria will remove pollutants
– The sludge will settle

• How important do you think sludge age is??!!

 Sludge Age
• Calculation:
Pounds of Solids in Aeration Basin
Pounds of Solids Wasted in a Day
Concentration (mg/L) x Volume (M gal) x 8.34
Concentration (mg/L) x Flow (MGD) x 8.34
To calculate this, most wastewater plants take one grab sample from the aeration tank and
one grab sample from the WAS once a day. They calculate today’s sludge age from
yesterday’s data.
Is that good enough?
 Mean Cell Residency Time
• Calculation:
Aeration Solids (lb) + Clarifier Solids (lb)
Wasted Solids (lb/d)+ Effluent Solids (lb/d)
• How accurate do you want this number to be?
• In a perfect world, how soon would you like your
Sludge Age/MCRT results?
• Would it save you time/money/sanity if your
system did the wasting for you?
 Why Measure Suspended Solids
Determine the Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids
D

Calculate The Return Activated Sludge (RAS)

C

Calculate The Waste Activated Sludge (WAS)

Calculate The Sludge Retention time (SRT) *Case Study*

Determine the depth/height of the Sludge Blanket

Determine the efficiency of the dewatering mechanics *Case Study*

 Morrison WWTP
• 100,000 gallon per day
• Extended Aeration Activated Sludge
• One Operator
• Problems with:
– Oversized RAS pumps Aeration

• “Off” 8 min
• “On” 2 min
– Aerobic Digester
Sludge
• Clear water in WAS Aerobic Holding Drying
Digester Tank Beds
 RAS

14000

12000

10000
mg/L TSS

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
TSS Sensors
• Emit an infrared 860nm light
• 90° detector for turbidity
• 90° and the 140° detectors for
Suspended Solids
• Color does not interfere
• Compensates for particle size
& shape
• Range: 0.1mg/L – 15%+
• +/- 5% Accuracy
Automatic Sludge Age Control
• No guessing if
sc200 Aeration Basin TSS
sample was (BOD & Ammonia Removal)

representative
PLC
• Use today’s Return Activated Sludge

data now Secondary Clarifier

(Bacteria Settling & Thickening)

• Free up Q
Valve
operators to Waste Activated Sludge (Bacteria

other tasks Leaving the System)

TSS
 DAFT Polymer Control Issues
King County-
Renton Washington
-Single Loop Cascade
control System

• Overfeed of Polymer
• Underfeed of Polymer
• Thickened sludge
variability
 DAF- Dissolved Air Flotation
• What is a DAF? A vessel that uses chemicals and
dissolved gases to remove contaminates

World Water Works

 DAFT Polymer Control- Solution
• Control Polymer dose in real time
– Measure flow and solids
concentration = solids loading
– Proactive vs. reactive control
– 30% reduction in Polymer
– Maintained 6 – 6.5% sludge
Concentration
– Low Maintenance due to self
clean wiper
– About $30,000/year savings
 Removal Efficiency –
Centrifuges & Belt Presses
• Control Polymer dose in real time
– Measure flow and solids
concentration = solids loading
– Measure centrate TSS to trim
 Belt Press Application

Influent

Effluent
Centrate

Photo courtesy Huntsman

 Sludge Blanket Monitoring

• Improved control of sludge pumping

• Early detection of Solids Washout
• Optimize sludge extraction from
clarifiers/thickeners
Measuring Principle • Reduced labor costs of manual
measurement
Pivot Point Mounting
Suspended Solids Products
 Other Applications
• Effluent TSS or Turbidity
• Influent TSS
• Clarifier Influent for Polymer Control
• Aerobic Digester TSS
– Ensure volatile solids reduction
Suspended Solids
 pH Applications

Wastewater Influent

Wastewater Effluent

EQ Basin
1
 Typical pH Applications
*Wastewater treatment • Odor scrubbers
*Drinking water • Pharmaceutical
*Neutralization of effluent • Chemical &
– Steel Petrochemical
– Pulp and Paper • Reverse osmosis
– Food • Cooling tower control
– Chemical • Food processing
– Pharmaceutical – Carbon dioxide
Chrome destruct control
Cyanide destruct – Cleaning
High purity water – Canning

2
Where do you measure pH?
Odor Control
Why measure pH in wastewater?
• Inlet
– protect biological treatment (bacteria)
• Aeration Basins/Denitrification
– monitor biological activity
• Digester
– control reactor pH levels (bacteria)
• Outlet:
– protect environment (fish etc.)
• Neutralization
– largely industrial requirement
 pH Measurement Problems
• Lab vs. Online
• Fouling
• Reference Electrolyte
• Ground Loops
• Low Conductivity (industrial)
• Lifecycle
• How accurate do you need?
 Process pH Accuracy
• Real life reproducibility is +/- 0.1 or 0.2 pH units if:
– Proper Sensor Chosen
– Proper Installation
– Properly Maintained
• “The best results are often obtained by going to three
electrodes and leaving them alone.”
– Choose the middle signal
– Only recalibrate when:
• Sensor is cleaned & gel layer disturbed
• Difference between lab & process consistently large

Source: McMillan, G.K. and Cameron, R.A., Advanced pH Measurement and Control, 3rd
Edition, ISA – The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society, 2005.
 Selecting the right Sensor

Industrial Process Lab

Environments High Purity Water
Applications Applications
Complete
Solutions

Technical
Support
Dirty Samples Quick Sampling

Selecting the right electrode is important when seeking

to maximize uptime and sensor life
 Choose the Right Sensor
Industrial Environments High Purity Water
• Replenish “dirty” probes with rebuildable • Electrode design optimized for fast
references response time
• Rugged, non-glass probes keep process • High flowing reference junctions
running safely ensure quick reading and calibration

Process Lab
Applications Applications

Technical
Quick Sampling
Dirty Samples Support
• Rugged portable meters for rapid
• Probe life extended with references analysis throughout plant
protected from sulfides & proteins • Measure multiple parameters right
• Clogging reduced with junctions designed inside the meter – no probe needed
for particulates and suspensions
 Industrial Pre-treatment
•Industrial dischargers may
send their waste directly to
municipal wastewater plants.
•Acids
Acid Feed Caustic Feed
•Heavy metals
•Solvents
Solenoid Valves

Influent
-These substances must be
monitored to ensure the health pH Effluent
of the bio-system and ensure Mixer
Sensor

effluent quality is not adversely

affected.
9
 pH Control
PID Control

Equalization Basin
Acid Feed Caustic Feed

Modulating Valves
Modulating Valves

Influent

pH Effluent
Mixer Sensor

10
 Odor Control
Odors are released
as they enter the
primary clarifier and
sludge drying areas.
There are
mechanical systems
that use pH
measurement to
make chemical
feed adjustment to
control odor. 11

Courtesy of: Donovan Sheppard, City of Monroe, WA

Specific pH Applications
 pH Applications

Wastewater Influent

Wastewater Effluent

EQ Basin
13
 Managing Organics

potassium hydrogen phthalate urea

(KHP)

humic acid

glucose glutamic acid

phenylalanine

cellulose
nicotinic acid

estradiol
naphthalene
carboxylic acids dodecane (and other alkanes/paraffins)
1
 Biggest Issues with Organics

• BOD – is there anything that is good about it?

• Comparing BOD, TOC, UV, COD can this be done?

• Can it be used to tune the food to microorganism ratio (F/M)? What

about DO?

• Waiting 2 hours or 5 days doesn’t allow me to see what is coming into

my plant right now, how do I know if I have a large organic slug?
How do we Measure Organics?

SAC
Mineral Oils

BOD
COD TOC
3
 What we are seeing…
Type Definition Accuracy*
Bio-available organics and other compounds that can be
BOD 15%
oxidized through consumption of dissolved oxygen
Bio-available organics with an inhibiting agent added to
CBOD prevent nitrogen oxidation through consumption of 15%
dissolved oxygen
Chemical oxygen demand, measuring the reduction of
COD (Cr) chromium: Cr2O72- (orange-colored)  Cr3+ (green- <3%
colored)
Chemical oxygen demand, measuring the reduction of
COD (Mn) <3%
manganese: Manganese Mn(III) purple-colored  Mn(II)
Total organic carbon, measuring the amount of CO2
TOC <3%
generated after oxidation of carbon
Spectral absorbance coefficient, measuring the
Trending
SAC absorbance of 254nm by certain organic molecules with
Tool
double & triple bonds

* As determined by recovery of a known standard 4

 Organics Discussion

potassium hydrogen phthalate urea

(KHP)

humic acid

glucose glutamic acid

phenylalanine

cellulose
nicotinic acid

estradiol
naphthalene
carboxylic acids dodecane (and other alkanes/paraffins)
5
Key Applications and
Issues with Each
Measurement

6
 BOD & CBOD

Average number of hours/week a typical

15 hours
WW facility spends on BOD?
Average number of bottles set per week for BOD? 21 bottles
Average number of times per week BOD is run? 2 sets

Percent of BOD tests that FAIL to meet

Standard Methods Guidelines?
5-10%

7
 Issues and Root Causes
Failure Mode Key Root Cause(s)
Organic contamination in
Blank depletion dilution water or bottles
Drift in DO sensor
Effluent fails to achieve Insufficient nutrient or seed
2 ppm depletion Toxicity
Inaccurate G/GA
Fail G/GA reference Toxicity
Insufficient seed

www.boddoctor.com 8
Products for BOD
 Chemical Oxygen Demand

• COD is a measure of the oxygen demand of

a sample that is susceptible to oxidation by
a strong chemical oxidant

• Not all organics are susceptible to oxidation

by the COD method
 Common Uses of COD

• Please share how you use COD…

• Food estimate?
• Tracking industrial dischargers?
• Anyone charging industrial discharges
based on COD instead of BOD?
COD for Rapid Organic Estimates

12
 The COD Problem…Waste…

• EZ COD recycling
– Fill bucket with used COD Vials
– Heritage Environmental will pick
up and recycle

• Mercury Free COD

– TNTplus packaging
– Not EPA approved
– Only for low-chloride waters
Products for COD
Rapid Organics
Assessment
Total Organic Carbon
Fluorescence
UV254
15
 Time…the Achilles Heel of
Organics Measurements
• BOD5 – 5 Day Procedure
• COD – 2-3 Hour Procedure

• Organics can be monitored using other

technologies for more rapid assessment
 What if this was your facility?

• Organic spike from 75 sac/m to >250 sac/m

• What do you do?
UV Organics Concentration

300

250
Organics spiked
200
to >3X normal
Organics, SAC/m

150
within 2 hours UV Organics (m-1)

100

50

0
2/16/2005 19:12 2/17/2005 0:00 2/17/2005 4:48 2/17/2005 9:36 2/17/2005 14:24 2/17/2005 19:12 2/18/2005 0:00 2/18/2005 4:48
Date/Time
 Total Organic Carbon

• Anyone tried TOC on Wastewater???

• Most facilities that try on-line TOC pull them

off line

• Why??? They are complex analyzers with

tiny tubes that require frequent calibration,
maintenance, and rebuild
 TOC Organics Discussion

potassium hydrogen phthalate urea

(KHP)

humic acid

glucose glutamic acid

phenylalanine

cellulose
nicotinic acid

estradiol
naphthalene
carboxylic acids dodecane (and other alkanes/paraffins)
19
 Online Total Organic Carbon

• Digestion with Ozone and Hydroxyl Radicals

– Converts all organic carbon to CO2
– Direct measurement of CO2

• Range: 0.3 – 100,000 mg/L C

• Accuracy: +/- 3%

• Avg. < 8 min. cycle time

• Automatic cleaning

• Scheduled (routine) maintenance every 6

months, period!
 Online Total Organic Carbon

0.8 mm ID
D

3.2 mm ID
D
 UV254 Organics Discussion

potassium hydrogen phthalate urea

(KHP)

humic acid

glucose glutamic acid

phenylalanine

cellulose
nicotinic acid

estradiol
naphthalene
carboxylic acids dodecane (and other alkanes/paraffins)
22
 Spectral Absorbance Coefficient

• Absorbance of 254nm light (UV254)

– Double and triple bonded organics
– Single bonded organics do not
absorb 254nm

• No chemicals or reagents necessary

• Lab method with Spectrophotometer

 Spectral Absorbance Coefficient

• Online Organics Probe

– Displays as BOD, COD,
TOC, SAC, %T
– Reagent-free
measurement
– Wiper automatically
cleans optics
 Influent Monitoring

• Allows operator to react

– Divert & blend (dilute)
– Step feed
– Increase air
– Increase MLSS
 Organics Probe: Load Equalization
Inlet of plant
Equalisation to
aeration
400
BOD (UV) [mg/l]

300

200

100

0
0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168

time [h]
• Target: - steady loading to the aeration basin
->optimal denitrification and biological phosphorus removal
• Solution: - bypass the primary clarifier during low loading
- supplement external carbon sources
26
 Comparison between
SAC/TOC and SAC/COD
Ganglinienvergleich der Geräte TOCTAX und UVASplus
am Ablauf einer Vorklärung

mg/l TOC (TOCTAX) mg/l DOCuv(UVASplus)

160
Konzentration [mg/l TOC bzw. mg/l DOCuv]

140

120
SAC / TOC
100

80
Primary Effluent
60

40

20

0
28. Sep 29. Sep 30. Sep 1. Okt 2. Okt 3. Okt 4. Okt

600 Differences because of 60

CSB [mg/l] SAK [1/m]
500
particulate COD 50

400 40
SAC / COD
300 30
Raw Influent
200 20

100 10
t [h]
0 0
0 24 48 72 96 120

27
Dissolved Organics

28
29
Wastewater Instrumentation for Monitoring
and Control
Transforming Data into Information to
Ensure Wastewater Quality

Making Data Meaningful

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Some Words of Wisdom

“The goal is to transform data into

information and information into insight”

- Carly Fiorina, Former CEO, Hewlett-Packard

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Some Words of Wisdom

Data is dumb.

More data is not better…

unless you can do something with it to

make it meaningful.

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 DATA… what is it?

• Individual facts, terms, numbers

• It is meaningless without CONTEXT
• Requires CONTEXT for conversion

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 CONTEXT… what is it?

• Drawing data from various sources provides context

• Often referred to as “data about data” (metadata)
• Context provides meaning to data
• Appropriate metrics for converting data into
information
• Calculations
• Charts
• Statistical Analysis
• Summary Reports

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

How do we transform data into information?

Result Step
INFORMATION
Calculation Step
METRIC

Input Step
DATA

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Another way to think about it

DATA
Symbols Individual facts

Processed to be Useful (INFORMATION)

Answers th
A the questions
ti
Who, what, where, when

Application of Data and Information (KNOWLEDGE)

Answers th
A the questions
ti
WHY

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Acronyms …what do they mean?
• SCADA
– Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (Single Data Source)
– Not SCADAR
• Reports were never part of the plan
• DMR, MOR, regulatory reports never considered
– Data set is incomplete
– Not SCAIR either
• Acquires data… not information
• Data for process control
• LIMS
– Laboratory Information Management System (Single Data Source)
• Collects data from instruments, technicians
• Tracks samples, assigns unique identifiers, creates worksheets
• Applies metrics and workflows
• Reports lab information

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Acronyms …what do they mean?
• Central Database Solutions (Data Repository)
• A central repository of DATA
• Provides CONTEXT to DATA
– Combine data with data from many sources
» SCADA
» LIMS
» Contract Labs
» Bench Sheets
» Manual data entry
• DATA is processed and transformed into INFORMATION
– For compliance reporting
– Optimize plant operations
– Troubleshooting
• KNOWLEDGE is the application of data and information
– Allows for understanding of why
» Risk management
» Corrective actions

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Excel… for information management?

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Excel for Reporting
SCADA
• Excel Sheet #1
spreadsheet

Lab Data
• Excel Sheet #2
spreadsheet

Field Data
• Excel Sheet #3
spreadsheet

Cut n’ Paste Summary of

at EVERY step • Excel Sheet #4
Data

Reports

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Do you know this person?

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Information Management Benefits

• Collect all data from different sources

• Use validated metrics to convert DATA into INFORMATION
• Eliminates the use of cut/paste strategies that:
– Waste time
– Waste human resources better spent on more important tasks
– Increase error rate, re-entry of data, dyslexia
– Not supported by a commercial vendor
• “Joe wrote a great macro 10 years ago, but he retired”
• Honestly, how much time does it REALLY take?
– One customer shared that it took 14, 12-hour days to create his reports
• No time left for data review
• No time to identify and correct any deviations

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 KNOWLEDGE Management

LAB
SCADA Audit trail FIELD
Central
Database
Solution

Trending

Reports Notifications
Analysis
KNOWLEDGE

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Big plants, Regulatory Agencies
Small plants, Regulatory Agencies

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

Ever-changing environmental concerns

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 More data, less time
Limited human resources
• More stringent reporting requirements
– e-Reporting a reality
• More contaminants
– New instrumentation required
– More sources of data
• Less time to:
– Navigate your data terrain
– Manually put data into context … and into Excel
– Convert data into information… and manually generate reports
– Combine data and information to gain knowledge to
• Optimize plant processes
• Enable “Predictive Troubleshooting”
• Take action before it creates a problem AND
• Manage risk, avoid violations, consent decrees

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

 Available Options

• DO NOTHING
– Wait for things to happen, hope for the best
• DO THE SAME THING
– Try to react to the ever-changing environment we live in
• EMPLOY A INFORMATION MANAGEMENT STRATEGY
– Maintain all of your data into a single database
– Put into into context
– Transform it into information
– Create knowledge by bringing your data and information together
– Use that knowledge to make the best decisions in the shortest time
– Manage your risk, before it manages you.

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL

One common goal

HACH COMPANY CONFIDENTIAL




Monitor & Improve Operations


 Central location for all of your data











 User Defined Dashboards





 User Defined Dashboards
 Manage by exception…

Use a Compliance



Engine to scan your

database for regulatory

violations and QC Flags.


 Manage by exception…







Track events (violations or

user defined) and setup email
alerts…
 Compliance charts







Automatically chart data for key plant parameters.

 Compliance charts












Troubleshoot Issues


Let Software do the Detective Work

• Gather information and find answers to:

– System upsets
– Cost overruns


– Compliance issues
– Customer complaints
• Use predictive modeling tools to prevent future issues from
occurring
– Develop "what if" scenarios
• Perform simple or complex search queries
– Find the exact information you need


Automatically Compare & Verify All Info




Immediately
identify
Flag change in the
problemss so
so system
you know
exactly
where they
occurred
Maintain Accurate Records with Audit Trails






Audit trails
show who
touched
the data


Waste water example-Inf flow v. rainfall

As one might suspect, influent



flow increases when

n rainfall
increases


Waste water example—turbidity profile




Clarifier Effluent – Red profile not performing as well,

Needs investigation





Prepare Regulatory & Internal Reports

You already have the raw data, use



it to your advantage



Turn Raw Data into Actionable Information



• Create business and

regulatory reports instantly
• Schedule automatic report

output to the screen, print or

email
• Quickly configure standard



reports using templates and

wizards
• EPA and state report


templates (SWTR, DBR,

NPDES, DMR, eDMR, MOR,
SDWA, CCR, industrial
pretreatment compliance, and
more)


Powerful Information at your Fingertips



Waste Water

Example Discharge
Monitoring Report







Example Inflow/
Infiltration Study








Compile Data Easily

More data is not better unless
you can do something with it
 See Your Whole Operation: Combine Data

From Field, Lab & Operations



• Access to data, reports, entry forms, audit information



• Track dosages, flows, concentration, summarized data like

daily average flow, 15 minute turbidity maxi, hourly DO min


Transform Data Dumps
Into Actionable Insight



Manual Data Entry:



• Built-in templates for data

entry


• Screens that match

spreadsheet, daily log and
bench sheet formats
Automated Data Entry:
• SCADA
• Dataloggers
• LIMS
• Commercial Laboratory
Reports
• Download data from
portable field devices







Manage Complex Calculations



Stop worrying about making mistakes in complex

calculations
 Example of Complex F-to-M Ratio








This cell result based

on this formula
 Case Studies
Making Data Meaningful

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 Case 1: Improving Aeration Efficiency
Oxygen transfer efficiency is a function of bubble size. The smaller the bubble, the
higher the efficiency. Ceramic or membrane diffusers will foul in time, causing the
bubble size to increase. To minimize energy used and reduce downtime, it is important
to determine when diffusers need to be cleaned.

Determine cleaning cycle by benchmarking pounds of BOD removed per

KW of electricity used.
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 Case 2: Lowering Chemical Costs
In the chart of raw and settled water turbidity against alum dosage , increased alum
dosing (circled) did not improve clarified turbidity. This led to an opportunity to save up
to 10 percent in alum dosage.

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 Case 3: Real-time estimation of BOD
The time-lag in obtaining BOD results, a 5-day lab test, make it challenging for plant
operations to adjust treatment processes to adverse levels of BOD. A site-specific
correlation between on-line UV absorbance against lab BOD measurements was
obtained. With this BOD can be estimated in real-time, allowing for the optimization for
treatment processes and avoidance of potential violations.

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