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REMOTE MONITORING AND DATA VERIFICATION WHEN USING A PACKAGE PLANT
Citation:
Ickes, J. A., A. J. Pollack, A. C. Chen, D. L. Bartholomew, R C. Haught*, AND J A. Goodrich*. REMOTE MONITORING AND DATA VERIFICATION WHEN USING A PACKAGE PLANT. Presented at AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition, Washington, DC, June 17 - 21, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public.
Description:
A remote telemetry system (RTS) has been fabricated, laboratory tested, and integrated into the field operation of 10,000 gal/day ultra filtration package plant (UFPP). The UFPP utilizes bag filtration, disinfection by chlorination, and an ultra filtration membrane to produce finished drinking water for distribution to very small and noncommunities. The RTS automatically monitors water quality parameters of turbidity, residual chlorine concentration, nitrate/fluoride concentrations, and UFPP water pressures. The following four sampling points on the UFPP are sequentially sampled by the RTS: the finished water, post bag-filtered water, raw water, and reject water from the ultra filtration membrane. By comparative analysis of the water quality at these locations, it is possible to evaluate the performance of both the UFPP and the water-quality process monitors. Data from the various sensors are stored in nonvolatile memory and can be accessed via modem from a central computer. Initial testing of the UFPP/RTS has provided data that is comparable to manual sampling and analysis (within the performance constraints of the commercially available monitors/sensors) and supports the rationale of using comparative analyses as an option for validating remote monitoring activities. This presentation will provide the following: data that demonstrate the performance of the RTS monitoring devices, the rationale used to validate the data that is remotely generated, UFPP pressure operation and control criteria, and proposed cost/benefits of a remote monitoring system.
These investigations have advanced the technology required to offer a system that not only provides safe drinking water to very small and non-communities sub also automatically performs the required monitoring of finished water, as mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act and its Amendments.