Process Control - A Strategy

Wastewater Process Control, Soil Remediation or Fish Farming are a matter of learning a new way to monitor using real time data.  It is our goal at Process Tech, LLC to teach you how to get real time data, evaluate the data and make changes.  Have you ever the myth, you need to wait 7 – 10 days after making a process change in order to evaluate the what has happened?  The myth is simply not true.  Changes to a wastewater plant can be seen in just a few hours.  When the Process Tech, LLC control strategy is put into place, the plant will reduce the amount of sludge being produced by as much as 80 – 90%.  The energy reduction in the plant can be as high as 50%. 
           
Instrumentation – The only way to operate a wastewater plant is to install wireless instruments in the process tank and final effluent.  We monitor a secondary process, ie activated sludge, trickling filter, RBC, or MBBR process using Oxidation Reduction Potential, Dissolved Oxygen, pH and Total Suspended Solids.

 

Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) – The ORP is where the secondary process is operating.  The ORP tells the operator if the BOD, ammonia, and volatile solids have been oxidized to a more stable form. 

 

Dissolved Oxygen – Most secondary wastewater treatment processes are required to achieve nitrification in order to oxidize ammonia to nitrites to nitrates.  The dissolved oxygen in the process tanks must be over 2.5 mg/l in order to achieve nitrification. 

 

pH – Most operators are not aware of the importance of pH.  The pH must be kept between 6.8 and 7.2 su in order to keep bacteria growth rates at a maximum level. 

 

Total Suspended Solids – The total suspended solids (TSS) must be monitored to find the optimum level to maintain.  We monitor the process TSS and the final effluent TSS.  The changes to the process TSS will affect the TSS in the final effluent.  Once we have the final effluent TSS below 5 mg/l, we try to maintain the process TSS at a constant level.

Process Parameters – The following readings are guidelines for operation.  The readings may vary from plant to plant. 

 

ORP                                         +300
pH                                            6.8 – 7.2
TSS (activated sludge)    3000 – 4000 mg/l
Dissolved Oxygen              2.5 to 3.5 mg/l

At Process Tech, LLC we teach operators and system specialists to monitor they’re processes and make adjustments precisely as they are needed.  We install continuous read instruments that feed a wireless signal back to the operations building.  The corresponding readings can be reacted to in an instant giving the operator total control over the system.