Water and Wastewater Treatment

Rheotherm flow meters provide many useful solutions for water/wastewater treatment applications: low flow measurement of chemical additives, simple aeration tank air flow monitoring, the demanding conditions of digester gas service and more.

Digester Gas

Rheotherm flow meters are an excellent option for measuring digester gas at wastewater treatment facilities.  A combination of factors makes this an extremely difficult service:  aggressive methane gas, wet environment, low pressure and a wide range of operating flow rates.   

Rheotherm flow sensors’ standard wetted surface is 316 SS, which holds up very well in this service.  The insertion probes cause negligible pressure drop and can measure the low gas velocities seen in pipes that are oversized to reduce pressure loss.  When installed through a hot tap and valve, the flow sensor can be easily extracted from the pipe for inspection or cleaning, without interrupting the plant operation.

Rheotherm advantage:  withstands harsh environment, low pressure drop, low velocity sensitivity 

Municipal Water Treatment

Rheotherm flow meters and flow switches are used to monitor the addition of various chemicals to municipal water supplies.  These chemicals are added at low dose rates, and must be continuously monitored to be sure the water is being treated.  One customer using diluted ferric chloride, after some misadventures with other meter types, ordered a titanium low flow meter from Intek.  Reliable monitoring allowed this municipality to reduce usage of the ferric chloride from 5,000 down to 200 gallons per month.  

Rheotherm advantage:  corrosion resistance, accurate low flow measurement 

Low Flow/Low Maintenance    

Some municipalities use Rheotherm meters to measure the low flow of a clarifier used to treat storm water runoff.  The low flow meters are used to proportionally add clarifier based on the amount of flow in the storm sewer.  The treatment sites are unmanned, so maintenance requirements must be minimal.  Flow rates run from less than 0.1 GPM to a maximum of 5 GPM.  

Rheotherm advantage:  high reliability, low maintenance, low flow sensitivity