ELCO Corporation Using Flo-Dar for Wastewater Billing

In 1999, when The Elco Corporationâs (Elco) Cleveland, Ohio production facility needed to replace a flowmeter that monitored their plantâs wastewater discharge, a "maintenance free" meter was at the top of their "wish list". To audit wastewater flow leaving the plant, a flowmeter with a submerged sensor was initially installed at the location in the early Î90âs. The flow data from the meter was used for the calculation of wastewater processing fees assessed by the local sewer authority, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD). NEORSD serves 53 suburban Ohio communities and the City of Cleveland. In addition, NEORSD governs the operation of three major wastewater treatment plants and associated water pollution control facilities on Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River and Rocky River.

The Elco Corporation, founded in 1927, is a custom producer and worldwide marketer of lubricant additives and high purity chemicals. Lubricant additive packages and components are used in industrial applications including hydraulics, gear oils, metalworking and grease. Elcoâs chemical division, known as Detrex Chemicals, produces high-purity hydrochloric acid used in the manufacture of high-speed computer chips. The hydrochloric acid is also used in numerous other industrial applications. In addition to the Cleveland facility, another Elco production facility is located in Ashtabula, Ohio.

For over ten years, the wastewater discharge from the Elco plant had been monitored by a flowmeter that utilized a submerged sensor. When that flowmeter was purchased in 1993, flowmeters with submerged sensors were considered state-of-the-art instrumentation and the best solution available for open channel flow monitoring. However, submerged sensors could easily be fouled by debris, thus requiring frequent maintenance, as experienced by Elco personnel at their monitoring site. Tom Phillips, Operations Manager at Elcoâs Cleveland facility, comments "We were frustrated with the sensor fouling problem and had to go in the hole often to clean it."

In the late 1990âs, when Marsh-McBirney, Inc. (MMI) introduced a new concept in open channel flow monitoring, their local representative, Carrig & Associates, contacted Elco. The newly introduced flowmeter, known as Flo-Dar, utilized a remote sensor that monitored flow from above the fluid. Since the Flo-Dar meter would eliminate sensor fouling and associated maintenance issues, Carrig knew it would be a perfect solution for Elcoâs wastewater monitoring application. An order was placed in December 1999 for an AC powered version of the Flo-Dar flowmeter.

The Flo-Dar Family of flowmeters provide a revolutionary approach to open channel flow monitoring. Flo-Dar combines digital doppler radar velocity sensing technology with ultrasonic pulse echo level sensing to remotely measure open channel flow.

Flo-Dar transmits a digital doppler radar beam that interacts with the fluid and reflects back signals at a different frequency than that which was transmitted. These reflected signals are compared with the transmitted frequency. The resulting frequency shift provides an accurate measure of the velocity and flow direction. Level is detected by ultrasonic pulse echo. Flow is then calculated based on the Continuity Equation: Q = V x A, Where Q = Flow, V = Average Velocity and A = Area.

Phillips states, "Flo-Darâs ability to monitor flow out of the stream itself was the main reason we chose the meter. After the initial installation we have had no need to go in the hole for cleaning."

By simply replacing the submerged sensor type flowmeter with Flo-Darâs "above-the flow" sensor, Elco not only saved maintenance and confined space entry expenditures but more importantly eliminated the frustration level of personnel that were responsible for servicing the meter. Phillips adds, "The most important savings to me was the savings in aggravation!" With the frustration of fouled flow sensors now behind him, Phillips gladly adds, "We no longer have fouling problems. The Flo-Dar meter is very reliable."

Can you find the Flo-Dar in this manhole?
Even in the toughest applications Flo-Dar
can be a great solution.