Major Utilities Company selects ATi's final Effluent Monitors

Following a successful three-month trial, a major utilities company has selected Analytical Technology as its preferred provider of the final effluent ammonia monitoring in three of its waste water treatment plants.

Comparison data over a two month period, shown in Figure 1, demonstrates how manual testing on site corresponded to ATi’s online monitor. Based on these results - their most accurate ever – the company has now made the installations permanent, along with further installations at a third plant, which will see them save up to £2,000 a year in maintenance costs.

To date over 30 other sites across the UK and Ireland have installed ATi’s Q46N final effluent technology, with a further 50 plants also scheduled for installation this year. These sites typically have an effluent consent of 5 mg/l or less, and any failure to comply with the discharge consent could lead to hefty financial penalties under the OFWAT performance assessment. However the trial plant is a particularly well maintained site, therefore effluent is typically even lower in ammonia concentration and is difficult to detect with other technologies, such as ion selective electrodes. However the Q46N unique reaction chemistry gives a five times uplift in sensitivity, allowing measure at levels as low as 0.02ppm, 20 parts per billion.

Accurate, first class results
Continuous measurement data is crucially important to confirm treatment facilities are operating efficiently. By using the Q46N monitors, measurements can be retained on an internal datalogger, with data downloaded periodically or transmitted via GPRS to a dedicated server, which feeds a website to enable 24/7 access to live water quality information. 

Figure 2 shows recorded data taken during the trial. No calibration or maintenance was necessary during this period. The data shows several weeks of unattended use, with reported ammonia levels often running below 0.2ppm. 

All monitors in the trials were installed with a Rotorflush submersible pump, fitted with a 150 micron filter. After three months, each site was visited to determine the extent of system fouling and to carry out maintenance. Although there was evidence of some particulate build-up, this does not prevent the monitors from working and results showed how they continue to operate effectively without calibration during this time. As part of the maintenance checks, the monitors were then validated using an ammonia standard, with the sensors responding and recovering quickly to the sample levels. 

Substantial operational and cost benefits
Dr Mike Strahand, ATi’s General Manager Europe, said: "One of the main advantages of 24/7 data is that it helps to identify spikes and enables process operators to determine the cause of the problem, allowing them to adjust the treatment process.

ATi’s Q45/46N system allows you to deploy these monitors and get months of low maintenance, reliable monitoring, including MCERTS, for all pH and ammonia monitors. The Ammonia monitors offer a completely new and improved approach to simultaneous on-line monitoring of chloramines and ammonia in final effluent, which is simpler, cheaper and more sophisticated than conventional monitoring equipment.   

For more information please call 0800 804 6062, e-mail or visit the website.