Operations That Need Wastewater Flumes

Generally, measuring flow is easy when you have access to the right tools. However, there are certain situations where measuring flow is difficult, regardless of your measuring devices. For instance, because of the caustic nature of the flow and the risk for sedimentation, measuring wastewater is a very complicated task that requires a great deal of consideration.

If you need to measure wastewater flow, whether in a water treatment plant or in an industrial operation, it’s a good idea to learn about your best options for a primary measuring device. Learn more about operations that require the use of wastewater flumes, and discover how to purchase the right device for your flow measurement needs.

Industrial Pretreatment Operations

While virtually every type of flume can be used at an industrial pretreatment plant, the most common option is a Parshall flume. These flumes can be used at both the effluent and headworks, and are able to handle either treated and untreated wastewater flows.

In larger industrial pretreatment operations, it’s common to split the flow using a Cutthroat flume. This ensures that your flumes will not be overwhelmed when flow rates increase. It is also possible to use Cutthroat flumes for measuring interplant flows. However, as mentioned, this is only for large operations. Most industrial plants will not use these flumes.

Municipal Wastewater Measurement

Another type of operation that will need to install wastewater flumes is a municipal wastewater measurement. Because the wastewater in these operations usually hasn’t been treated, it’s imperative to install a flume that can handle both damaging and high-volume flows.

As with industrial pretreatment operations, municipal wastewater plants will primarily use Parshall flumes to measure flow. The design of these flumes helps them resist sedimentation, and when they’re made from a durable material like fiberglass, they can also withstand the corrosive nature of wastewater.

In more remote wastewater operations, it’s possible to use trapezoidal flumes to measure wastewater flows. The unique shape of Trapezoidal flumes makes them perfect for measuring wastewater flows. However, trapezoidal flumes should only be reserved for smaller wastewater operations, as they’re only available in limited sizes.

Unlike industrial pretreatment plants, municipal operations will almost always include Cutthroat flumes, as there is typically the need for flow splitting and measuring interplant wastewater flows.

Avoid Using RBC Flumes

Because of their convenience in other flow measurement situations, it’s common to consider using RBC flumes in wastewater operations. However, this should be avoided at all costs. The limited range of sizes offered by RBC flumes make them a poor choice for managing and measuring wastewater flows. In addition, these flumes are generally not capable of handling flows that contain a large amount of solid materials.

Purchasing Wastewater Flumes

Operations that need to measure wastewater flows have several flumes that they can choose, allowing them to tailor their measuring device to the needs of their operation. If you’re interested in purchasing wastewater flumes, then your best choice is working with Tracom, FRP.

Tracom is proud to offer our customers an exciting catalogue of water management products, including flumes perfect for measuring wastewater flows. Contact a Tracom representative today to discuss our products and to get a quote.