At a wastewater treatment plant in Asia, they were looking for accurate and reliable sludge blanket level measurement so that the sludge can be pumped through the treatment plant and into digesters ready for the next treatment stage.

Why Measure Sludge Blanket Level?
There are many advantages and benefits to monitoring sludge blanket level, including significant capital saving costs and a reduction in carbon footprint. Effective sludge level measurement can also help both municipal and industrial treatment plants generate their own electricity. Many large sewage treatment works burn the biogas produced in digesters to drive turbines that generate electricity. The
more gas produced, the more electricity can be generated. One of the most important determinants of gas volume is the quality and density of the sludge that is being delivered to the digesters.

In addition, operators can ensure that sludge extraction pumps are used efficiently, and excess or poorly settled sludge does not wash out into wastewater effluent paths. This can prevent costly over-spills and regulation breaches.

Furthermore, sludge handling processes such as thickeners and dewatering equipment will perform better when fed with a high concentration of sludge. The diluted and lower concentration sludge will require increased dosing, increased heating costs of digesters, and increased pumping costs.

On top of plant and operation savings, it also enables operating companies to save on labor costs of manual sampling. This means that there is a wealth of feedback instantly available, allowing for overall greater system control for plant managers and wastewater engineers worldwide!



The Sludge Finder 2 and Viper Transducer

Sludge Finder 2 is designed to be maintenance-free. The Sludge Finder Viper transducer is a single beam ultrasonic unit that is immersed just below the liquid surface.
A wiper blade sweeps the transducer face, ensuring that it remains clean, and eliminating the need for routine and costly maintenance.
Additionally, the Sludge Finder 2 features flexible output options to fit your needs via 4-20mA outputs for each channel, as well as an optional RS485 connection using Modbus or Profibus communications.
Six control relays are included and are assignable to any channel.

The Sludge Finder 2 will operate with one or two transducers. You can mix and match sludge transducers and dB Ultrasonic transducers to give astonishing versatility.

Successful Installation and Greater Efficiency

At the wastewater treatment plant in Asia, they were looking to gain sludge blanket level measurement and pump control on their 4m settlement tanks with sloping concrete bases.
This was a particularly challenging application as the end user required a very low blanket to be maintained, which ultimately leads to a low density thin blanket forming.

However, thanks to the echo return analysis software only found in Pulsar Measurement products, engineers at HSA Asia were able to program the unit to give the end users accurate and reliable level readings,
allowing them to see exactly what was happening within the tank. The accuracy of the product allows the extraction pumps to be used efficiently, saving them from dry running, and lowering overall capital costs for the end user.


CLICK HERE for more information on our Sludge Finder 2 Pulsar