The Muncie Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), an activated sludge plant in Indiana, was maintaining an excessively high aeration rate, which contributed to high energy usage. The facility was looking to reduce energy costs while still satisfying mixing requirements and also seeking an automated solution for controlling blower output.
The Muncie WPCF chose Sanitaire and YSI, both Xylem brands, to upgrade and automate its aeration control system using a Sanitaire OSCAR™ treatment control system and a YSI IQ SensorNet (IQSN) process monitoring system with 12 optical dissolved oxygen (DO) probes and four ion selective electrodes (ISE) for measuring ammonium and nitrate.
The OSCAR system integrates into the plant’s existing control system and displays probe readings and system status. The IQSN DO and ISE probes monitor the process and continuously send measurement data to OSCAR. The plant also installed a new blower and replaced 6,000 ceramic air diffusers with Sanitaire Silver Series II membrane disc diffusers.
The aeration upgrade and process monitoring solution have improved power efficiency and saved operator time while still satisfying mixing requirements. The plant is saving more than $60,000 a year on electricity costs, reducing energy consumption by nearly 140,000 kilowatt hours per month. WW
YSI’s environmental products provide high-quality, high-resolution data to better understand and manage our water resources. To learn more, visit www.ysi.com/iqsn.
