Finding the right level measurement solution for duplex pump stations

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Overview 

In the Village for Skaneateles, New York, a small residential area, it is crucial that wastewater treatment is running smoothly and requires little maintenance. They needed to find a solution that met these requirements for their duplex pump station. 

What did they need?

The municipal team in Skaneateles has a duplex pump station, with two 10-horsepower submersible pumps and floats for detecting when the wastewater had reached the level necessary before being pumped to the next stage of the wastewater treatment process. These floats were unreliable as the Skaneateles team was making frequent service visits to the pump station to ensure the system would continue to operate as it should. These frequent service efforts take a lot of time, and there is never true certainty on how much time can be taken in-between visits before the floats need to be reviewed again.

The Skaneateles team decided to reach out to one of Pulsar Measurement’s municipal representatives in New York, Cyclops Process Equipment, to find the ideal solution.

Why choose the dBi6 loop-powered sensor for this application?

The Skaneateles team needed a solution that would be able to shoot through a narrow opening with multiple obstructions in the station’s collection basin. The solution also needed to be able to accurately track the level with the turbulent flows that would come from the influent line in the previous phase of the treatment process being close to the pump station. Understanding the main specifications of the facility, Ron Wakefield with Cyclops recommended Pulsar Measurement’s dBi6 Loop Powered Sensor.

The dBi6 is available in a Profibus or HART format, and the perfect version for this solution used HART. The HART sensors are loop powered (3.8-22mA), have IP68 ingress protection for outdoor applications, and are temperature compensated for increased accuracy. Set up was easy as there weren’t any special programming requirements for the application and the narrow beam angle of the sensor (<10°) was ideal. The world-leading DATEM technology (Digital Adaptive Tracking of Echo Movements) allows the sensors to zero in on the true echo while ignoring all other elements in the measurement path. 

Accurate and reliable level measurement achieved with the dBi6

Having a reliable sensor was exactly what the wastewater treatment team had been looking for, and the dBi6 proved to be the right solution. They finally have a solution in place that they can count on, and Ron Wakefield with Cyclops made sure they had that. Ron made sure that this solution met their specifications and would be a significant upgrade to the original one.