If you’re looking for a way to measure flow rate in industrial pretreatment discharges, there’s one kind of flume that tends to stand out among the rest. The trapezoidal flume has a unique design that’s particularly adept at handling and measuring flows under these particular conditions for a variety of reasons. Learn all about the benefits of trapezoidal flumes for industrial pretreatment.
Trapezoidal Advantages
Industrial flows can be hard for a lot of different flume styles to process, but trapezoidal flumes come with a plethora of advantages that make it a bit easier. You’ll find that they pass solids and sediments fairly easily, and they’re suitable for sanitary and mixed industrial flow streams. These flumes also can be outfitted with end adapters to integrate into a piping system.
Trapezoidal flumes come in many different shapes and sizes, so they can fit easily into already existing systems. In fact, it’s one of the only flume styles that come in sizes small enough to put within an already existing manhole. Of course, you can always opt for an entirely new manhole with a trapezoidal flume already integrated within.
Integration with Packaged Metering Manholes
When you’re looking to integrate a packaged metering manhole into your flow channel, trapezoidal flumes tend to work well with that setup. Since many industrial pretreatment centers require underground channels, the use of a manhole is virtually unavoidable. Putting a trapezoidal flume in a manhole can be simple, but that’s not all you can do.
If you’re looking for a new setup, you can install a fiberglass manhole that already has a trapezoidal flume at the bottom. This single watertight unit is not only more convenient to make and install, but functions as a singular piece makes it more resistant to corrosion as well. Plus, the integration makes installation fast, which means you don’t have to keep the plant shut down for as long when installing in an already existing system.
Easy Installation
Whether you use a manhole or not, trapezoidal flumes are remarkably easy to install. This is mostly because the flume doesn’t require a drop to function like more common variants do. The Parshall, for example, needs that drop through the flume to function, but a trapezoidal flume has no such restriction. That means you never have to worry about downstream piping changes to accommodate the installation.
It’s important to remember, however, that the trapezoidal flume can have a fairly wide footprint. While the length is generally the same as other more common designs, the width is typically greater than you might expect. This is due to the sloping walls. Because of that restriction, you’ll need to clear a bit more space for the installation. While you have very small sizes available, it’s still easier to fit a small-sized Parshall into an existing manhole compared to a trapezoidal, even if the latter would be more effective in measuring.
Trapezoidal Flumes from Tracom
Now that you know the benefits of trapezoidal flumes for industrial pretreatment, it’s time to get one of your own. That’s where Tracom can help. Contact us today to get started!
