From boilers and separators to deionization and wastewater treatment, water management involves a whole host of vessels and tanks, and proper level monitoring and control are needed to ensure that these applications run safely and efficiently.
For many years, sight glasses were the dominant level measurement technology because of their simplicity and low upfront cost, but there are many issues inherent in this type of instrument. Leak points, cracking, low visibility, and frequent maintenance issues must all be contended with when using glass gauges to view liquid level. Fortunately, Orion Instruments offers a safer and more reliable solution with the Atlas™ magnetic level indicator (MLI).
MLIs contain process liquid within a stainless steel external chamber mounted to the vessel via a set of process connections. Inside the chamber is a magnetic float that is designed per the conditions of each application and weighted to sit at the level of the liquid. As the liquid and float rise or fall, magnets in the float flip dual-colored magnetic flags outside the chamber, indicating where the level is. Since the flags do not come into contact with the process media, risk of contamination and clouding of the viewing window are essentially eliminated. Also, by adding a second float, an MLI is able to measure both interface and total levels simultaneously.
All Atlas MLIs are built to the highest industry standards within Orion’s ASME Sec. VIII, Div. I certified manufacturing facility. Atlas comes equipped with Orion’s wide-flag Reveal™ indicator, which has a viewing distance of up to 200 feet and a viewing angle of up to 140 degrees. With a wide range of configuration styles and construction materials to choose from, including exotic alloys and plastics, Atlas is also customizable. High-temperature and cryogenic insulation can be added to protect both the process from outside conditions and personnel from extreme chamber temperatures.
For many applications, real-time level control is just as important, if not more so, than level measurement. By adding electronic switches or transmitters, Atlas can become a control instrument in addition to a measurement device. Orion’s Jupiter magnetostrictive transmitter can be attached to any new or currently operating Atlas to provide a 4-20 mA+HART or Foundation Fieldbus measurement output.
For more information on how Atlas can help improve water management processes, visit www.orioninstruments.com.
One of nation’s largest coal companies settles CWA violations with EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice recently announced that Arch Coal Inc., one of the nation’s largest coal companies, and 14 of its subsidiaries under the International Coal Group Inc. (ICG) have agreed to conduct comprehensive upgrades to their operations to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act (CWA).
The settlement resolves hundreds of CWA violations related to illegal discharges of pollutants at the companies’ coal mines in the states of Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania are co-plaintiffs in the settlement. The companies will also pay a $2-million civil penalty.
In addition to paying the penalty, under the proposed consent decree the companies must implement measures to ensure compliance and prevent future CWA violations, which will help protect communities overburdened by pollution.
Researchers develop wastewater treatment process to reclaim CO2, energy
Engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed an innovative wastewater treatment process for the industrial and municipal sectors that not only mitigates carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions but actively captures greenhouse gases as well.
The technique, known as Microbial Electrolytic Carbon Capture (MECC), purifies wastewater in an environmentally friendly fashion by using an electrochemical reaction that absorbs more CO2 than it releases while creating renewable energy.
Existing carbon capture technologies are energy-intensive and often entail costly transportation and storage procedures. MECC uses the natural conductivity of saline wastewater to facilitate an electrochemical reaction that is designed to absorb CO2 from both the water and the air.
The process transforms CO2 into stable mineral carbonates and bicarbonates that can be used as raw materials by the construction industry, a chemical buffer in the wastewater treatment cycle itself, or to counter acidity downstream from the process such as in the ocean.
