Alkalinity Monitoring at a Drinking Water Treatment Plant in the UK

Pi’s service engineers recently visited a drinking water treatment plant in the UK to carry out an upgrade on an existing alkalinity monitoring system.

The inlet water on this site comes from a river that is controlled by a dam further upstream. When operational changes occur at the dam, the flow rate of the river also varies, along with alkalinity. These changes in flow mean that maintaining stable alkalinity on the inlet water posed a big challenge. The variability in alkalinity was previously monitored manually, using samples taken at various times of the day. However, this method quickly became problematic as site operators couldn’t respond to the changes in alkalinity quickly enough.

With Pi’s patented alkalinity measurement technology, AlkaSense®, operators can now see changes in alkalinity within ten minutes. This provides the data needed to respond quickly, helping to safeguard the downstream treatment process. Click here to watch a short animation that delves deeper into how AlkaSense® uses conductivity as opposed to traditional pH methods to do monitor total alkalinity.

The feedback from the site has been very positive, with talks starting about the purchase of a second system. The reliability and responsiveness of Pi’s analysers have demonstrated real value in helping maintain water quality and stability in challenging operating conditions.

If you’d like to improve process control and reduce uncertainty in your own water treatment operations, contact us here and see how Pi can help.