System for monitoring discharges into a waste water collection system

• US 20070163965A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 07/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hach Company (Veralto Corp.)
• Inventors: Wolfe, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,056,783 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/739
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/008 Control or steering systems not provided for elsewhere in subclass C02F
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/005 Processes using a programmable logic controller [PLC]
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2209/008 comprising telecommunication features, e.g. modems or antennas

Abstract

A method for monitoring the composition and flow rate of wastes discharged from industrial waste water treatment facilities into a common collection system for eventual processing at central waste water treatment plant (WWTP). The information is transmitted to a remote computer and stored in a database, and is then analyzed to prepare reports of particular interest to the receiving WWTP or treatment facility. The system includes a data collection and sending unit, a remote Internet Server computer with a database capable of receiving and storing the collected information, and a web server and reporting unit to analyze the data, prepare reports, and send out alarms. It is a further intention of this invention to correlate the incoming data from said industrial waste water treatment plants with known flows and compositions at said central WWTP to predict the flow and composition of influx water at the WWTP.

Claims

1. A system for forecasting the composition of influx water received in a Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) comprising:

at least one means for monitoring water condition data on-site at individual waste water treatment sites remotely located from the WWTP which are constructed and arranged to discharge streams into the water collection system processed by the WWTP, said means to monitor water condition data operable to derive raw sensor data including time-stamped and location specific information on flow rate and composition of said discharge streams in association with a unique identifier corresponding to a particular waste water treatment site;

at least one communication means operable to transmit said raw sensor data via Internet technology to a remote location;

at least one software-implemented database resident on at least one computer configured to receive data transmitted from remote sources via Internet technology, wherein said at least one communication means transmits said data to said at least one database and said data is stored in said database;

at least one software-implemented web server resident on at least one computer configured to interface with said at least one database allowing said data to be accessed from a remotely-located client computer via Internet technology; and

a means to analyze said particular waste water treatment site water condition data transmitted from one or a plurality of particular waste water treatment sites based on known water flow patterns to calculate a predicted composition and flow rate of water arriving at the WWTP as a function of time resulting in analyzed data; and

a means to manipulate said raw data and analyzed data into an analysis result and a report result accessible from a remotely-located client computer via said software-implemented Web server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for monitoring water condition data on-site at a plurality of water treatment sites includes an electronic control system.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one communications means to transmit sensor data to said at least one database is integral with said electronic control system.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one communications means to transmit sensor data to said at least one database comprises at least one local computer coupled to said electronic control system and operable to transmit data via Internet technology.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said electronic control system comprises a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA).

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said electronic control system comprises a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for monitoring water condition data on-site at waste water treatment sites comprises at least one sensor assembly effective for monitoring critical operating parameters, and said communications means comprises a communications interface integral to said at least one sensor assembly, wherein said sensor assembly is effective for measuring critical water parameters and deriving raw data therefrom, processing said measured raw data to provide quantified output data, and transmitting raw data and/or quantified output data via the communications interface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or a plurality of waste water treatment systems include systems for treating industrial waste water before discharge into the wastewater collection system.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said analysis result and report result is transmitted directly to predetermined recipients using electronic transmission means.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said analysis result and report result is transmitted directly to personnel at the WWTP.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said analysis result and report result is transmitted to an appropriate regulatory agency.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the electronic transmission means is via e-mail.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the electronic transmission means is via file transfer protocol (ftp).

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said electronic transmission means is via direct connection over the Internet to a database located on a remote computer.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said analysis result and report results are displayed as visual graphs.

16. The system of claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the transmitted and stored data as a statistical report.

17. A method for forecasting the composition of influx water received in a Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) comprising the steps of:

providing a means for monitoring water condition data quality and water flow rate on-site at individual waste water treatment sites remotely located from the WWTP which are constructed and arranged to discharge streams into the water collection system processed by the WWTP, said means to monitor water condition data being operable to derive raw sensor data including time-stamped and location specific information on the flow rate and composition of said discharge streams in association with a unique identifier corresponding to a particular waste water treatment site;

providing at least one communications means operable to transmit said raw sensor data via Internet technology to a remote location;

providing at least one software-implemented database configured to receive said sensor data transmitted by said communications means;

providing at least one software-implemented web server configured to interface with said at least one database allowing said data to be accessed from a remotely-located client computer via Internet technology;

transmitting the raw sensor data via Internet technology to the at least one database;

storing the data and unique identifier in the at least one database where it can be asynchronously accessed through the at least one Web server;

analyzing the location-specific flow rate data and composition data transmitted from one or a plurality of particular waste water treatment sites based on known water flow patterns to calculate a predicted composition and flow rate of the water arriving at the WWTP as a function of time; and

manipulating the raw data and analyzed data into an analysis result and a report result accessible from a remotely-located client computer via the software-implemented Web server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of providing a means for monitoring water condition data on-site at said one or a plurality of waste water treatment systems, includes providing an electronic control system.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step of transmitting sensor data to the remote computer is integral to said electronic control system.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said step transmitting raw sensor data to the at least one database further comprises providing a local computer coupled to the electronic control system operable to transmit data via Internet technology.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the electronic control system is a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA).

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the electronic control system is a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of providing a means for monitoring water condition data further includes the steps of:

providing at least one sensor assembly effective for monitoring critical operating parameters and transmitting raw operating data via a communications interface wherein the sensor assembly is effective for measuring critical water parameters and deriving raw data therefrom, processing measured raw data to provide quantified output data, and transmitting the raw data and/or quantified output data via the communications interface; and

said step of transmitting the sensor data to the database computer further comprises transmitting data to the at least one database via the communications interface.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of providing a software-implemented communications application configured to interface with the at least one database and web server operable to send automated electronic notifications to pre-determined recipients.

25. The method of claim 24, further including the steps of:

comparing a predicted water composition with known operating parameters at the WWTP receiving composite waters;

determining differentials between said known operating parameters and said predicted water composition; and

sending notifications to pre-determined recipients if known limits for said differentials are exceeded.

26. The method of claim 24, further including the steps of:

comparing said predicted water composition with an actual composition of influx water at the WWTP in real time;

determining the differentials between the predicted water composition and said actual composition; and

sending notifications to pre-determined recipients if known limits for the differentials are exceeded.

27. The method of claim 24, further including the steps of:

comparing the predicted composition result with known governmentally approved environmental protection parameters;

determining differentials between said known governmentally approved environmental protection parameters and the analysis result; and

sending notifications to pre-determined recipients if known limits for differentials are exceeded.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one database receives data for a plurality of WWTPs having associated waste water treatment systems, and data for a specific WWTP can be remotely accessed through the at least one web browser from a remote client computer via the Internet.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein data for a specific WWTP is accessed by entry of account logon data specific to a user and the WWTP.

30. The method of claim 17, further including a step of transmitting the analysis result and report result directly to personnel at the WWTP using electronic transmission means.

31. The method of claim 17, wherein plurality of waste water treatment systems include systems for treating industrial waste water before discharge into the wastewater collection system.

32. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of manipulating the raw data and analyzed data into an analysis result and a report result further comprises the step of displaying the analysis result and report results as visual graphs.

33. The method of claim 17, wherein said step of manipulating the raw data and analyzed data into an analysis result and a report result further comprises the step of displaying the transmitted and stored data as a statistical report.