Application note

Verifying accuracy of in-line flowmetersin waste-water treatment facility
Specifications:• Temperature: ambient• Flow range: 0 to 250 L/min(typical)• Pipe size: 2 to 10 in• Materials: PVC, carbon steel,stainless steel, fiber glass• Liquids: water with 5 to 10%
maximum entrained solids,
perchloroethane, and otherchemical/process wastes

Application
Many industrial plants have on-site water treatment facilities. Different departments
or divisions at the plant send their waste water or chemical by-products to the water
treatment facility for handling, purification or filtration. The load of waste water, inparticular, is of critical importance in these times of environmental concern because
waste water is usually discharged to a local water basin.
Most facilities use in-line flowmeters to monitor the volumetric load of waste water orchemical by­products as they are fed to the waste treatment facility. The accuracy ofthese flowmeters must be continuously verified for purposes of legal accountability.

BackgroundA major semiconductor manufacturer has an on-site waste treatment facility.
Each department at the plant has its own discharge line into the facility. There
are over twenty lines, all of which run through a concourse to the remote waste
treatment facility. The discharge lines range from 2 to 1 O in and are constructedof a variety of materials ranging from PVC to stainless steel. Various permanently
installed flowmeters monitor the flow on each discharge line just before the point
where the discharge lines enter the waste treatment facility.
The volumetric flow rate of the discharge lines is monitored on a continuous basis.
The waste treatment facility bills each department at an appropriate usage ratefor the amount it discharges. This motivates each department to optimize its
processes so as to produce the least waste discharge possible.

Problem
Sample installation of a
Panametrics portable ultrasonicflowmeter on a 4° PVC pipe

There is a need for an easy-to-installed portable flowmeter to verify the accuracy
and function of the permanently installed flowmeters. The volumetric flow must berecorded over time. This data can then be compared to the customer's data asderived from a recording device or digital acquisition control system. The calibration,accuracy and function of the in-line flowmeter can thus be verified.

How previously handed
Previously, there was no way to verify the performance ofthe permanently installed flowmeters. While various typesof portable flowmeters had been considered, they wereconsidered undesirable because they were bulky, required
an external recording device, or were too costly.

Equipment
CPT-type transducers together with a universal clamping
fixture provide noninvasive operation on all kinds of pipematerials. The following features are of particular interest in
this application:• Portability• Battery-powered operation

Advantages
Using the Panametrics Portable Ultrasonic Flowmeter, theparameters for various discharge pipes can be permanently
programmed into the flowmeter memory as site information,
thus minimizing set-up time and effort. The portableultrasonic flowmeter can operate for up to eight hours on
its rechargeable battery. For longer periods of continuoustesting, it can be plugged into a standard electrical outlet.
The portable ultrasonic flowmeter can log data on acontinuous basis. After the testing is complete, the log can
be uploaded to a computer using a Panametrics instrument
interface software package (supplied separately). The data
can then be plotted and compared to data generated by thepermanently installed flowmeter.
Also the portable flowmeter can be used in case ofemergency where an in-line flowmeter fails or is not in service.
In-line flowmeters• 1 to 2% accuracy• Data logging capability• PC interface capability

Installation
The portable ultrasonic flowmeter is ideal for this type of
application because it is easy to install on a wide variety
of process pipes of many different materials. Whendemonstrated on a 3 in PVC pipe with waste water containing
5 to 10% entrained solids, the PT868 successfully tracked abatch dump from the process where the flow rate changed
from Oto 250 L/min. The data was then plotted using thegraphic-display mode of the PT868. When compared tothe data from the in­line magnetic flowmeter, recorded by
the customer's DAC system, a perfect correlation with 1 %accuracy was revealed.

Dept
1
Waste
treatment
facility

Dept
2
DAC
Dept
3
Multiple discharge lines

Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, provides solutions in the toughest
applications and environments for moisture, oxygen, liquid and gas flow
measurement.
Experts in flare management, Panametrics technology also reduces flareemissions and optimizes performance.
With a reach that extends across the globe, Panametrics’ criticalmeasurement solutions and flare emissions management are enablingcustomers to drive efficiency and achieve carbon reduction targets acrosscritical industries including: Oil & Gas; Energy; Healthcare; Water andWastewater; Chemical Processing; Food & Beverage and many others.
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BHCS39059		

(04/2023)

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