Raising Alarms on the Density of Sludge on a Settlement Tank

The treatment of sewage, wastewater and water has been transformed into a clean and efficient operation in mid-Wales and the Midlands thanks to a suite of portable Sludge Blanket Detectors which have been supplied to Severn Trent Water by Partech Instruments (UK).

Following the largest order in Partech’s 49 year history for this type of product, 450 units of the market leading SludgeWatch715 Sludge Blanket Detector are now in use across the Severn Trent Water network. By using this portable sensor which raises an alarm when the density of a sludge blanket on a settlement tank reaches a certain level, the SludgeWatch 715 Sludge Blanket Detector offers quick, safe and accurate monitoring.

The SludgeWatch 715 replaces the Sludge Judge product which is reliant on an operative physically pushing a long column which is filled with contaminated water into the settlement tank to produce a manual measurement of the sludge blanket. This is subject to numerous health and safety issues; as well as the risk associated with handling contaminated water, the restricted space available on settlement tank bridges makes manoeuvring a long awkward column hazardous.

Anthony Kyriacou, Technical Services Manager, comments: “The SludgeWatch 715 Sludge Blanket Detector has been successfully rolled out across our network area bringing a number of benefits to our operations; operator risk has been minimised, accuracy has improved and time efficiency has been exponential. All our operators need to do is give the sensor a quick wipe when the tank has been dipped and the measurement itself is done in seconds. Also, this investment has ensured that we measure sludge depth in a standard and consistent way across all of our wastewater treatment sites”.

Sales Director of Partech Instruments, Angus Fosten, adds: “We are delighted to be part of the Severn Trent Water network and to facilitate improvements in water treatment quality across mid-Wales and the Midlands. We have worked with Severn Trent Water every step of the way, from carrying out site visits to ensure sensor compatibility, to installing and optimising use.”