Telemetry system for water and energy monitoring

• US 4,830,757 A
• Filed: 10/13/1987
• Issued: 05/16/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Diverseylever Incorporated (Unilever PLC)
• Original Assignee: Mogul Corp (Sealed Air)
• Inventors: Lynch, John T., Hurford, Hadley M. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): HRUSKOCI, PETER A
• Application Number:
  US07/034,020
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 210/739, 210/742, 210/743, 210/746, 210/85, 210/96.1, 210/138-143, 210/149, 210/86, 210/104, 210/744, 340/540, 340/679, 364/500, 364/510
• US Class Current: 210/742
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/18 Water
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 21/02 characterised by the use of electric means

Abstract

A water quality monitor computer (10) repeatedly accesses transducers (12) which monitor physical properties of a water system, such as total dissolved solids, pH, and the like. The water quality monitor computer determines from the monitored water conditions when bleeding or the addition of water treatment chemicals is required. An energy and water management computer (20) periodically accesses the water quality computer and operates valves and pumps (22) to bleed the system or add chemicals, as is appropriate. The management computer further monitors the quantity of chemical supplies on hand with chemical inventory transducers (24), the amount of electrical energy consumed with kilowatt transducer (28) and the like. The energy and water management computer controls energy usage and stores energy and chemical consumption data in a memory (40). A polling station (B) selectively polls one or more of the remote stations to change the energy or water management programs or to receive data and water system physical property data therefrom. One of the polling stations includes a central computer (250) which polls each remote station daily. The central computer causes a printer ( 254) to generate daily reports indicating abnormal conditions at each remote station and to generate shipping orders and invoices for replacement chemicals as replacement becomes necessary. The central polling computer also generates a monthly report of energy and chemical consumption, water treatment system physical property data, energy savings, and the like.

Claims

1. A method of telemetrically monitoring water treatment and an inventory of water treatment chemicals and adjusting water properties in a recirculating system including a boiler, cooling tower or scrubber with a computer-based system, comprising:

at each of a plurality of remote locations, automatically monitoring by telecommunications the level of a plurality of physical properties of water in said recirculating system including conductivity and temperature, at least one of the physical properties being indicative of dissolved solids;

automatically monitoring the inventory of water treatment chemicals;

establishing a range of temperature and conductivity of the water at which said temperature and conductivity is to be maintained;

periodically automatically comparing the monitored levels of inventory, temperature, and conductivity with the established ranges for each with the computer-based system;

automatically changing the conductivity measurement of the water as required to keep the conductivity in the established range by either addition of a first water treatment chemical from said inventory or bleeding water from the system and adding fresh water;

periodically automatically monitoring the levels of inventory of the chemicals remaining; and

automatically telemetrically monitoring the amount of new water added to the system.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including at each remote location, the steps of:

automatically monitoring the level of pH of the water;

establishing a range of pH for the water; and

automatically comparing the level of pH with the range and automatically bringing the pH to within the range if the pH level is outside of the range by the addition of an acid or caustic chemical.

3. The method as set forth in claim 2 further including adding said first water treatment chemical to the water when new water is added.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3 further including at each remote location, the step of automatically monitoring a quantity of the first water treatment chemical on hand and periodically storing the first chemical quantity and, in a periodic polling step, automatically polling the stored first chemical quantity.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 further including the step of comparing the polled first chemical quantity with a preselected quantity specification and automatically invoicing a shipment of additional first chemical in response to the polled first chemical quantity being below the preselected quantity specification.

6. The method as set forth in claim 3 further including:

at each remote location, monitoring a second physical property indicative of water quality;

comparing the monitored second physical property with a second preselected physical property range;

in response to the monitored second physical property being outside of the second range, changing a concentration of at least a second chemical in the water;

monitoring a quantity of the second chemical at the remote location;

storing an indication of the monitored second chemical quantity;

at a polling location, periodically polling the stored second chemical quantity indications stores at each of the remote locations;

comparing the polled second chemical quantity indications at each of the remote locations with a preselected second chemical quantity specification;

in response to the polled second chemical quantity indication being outside of the second chemical quantity specification, automatically invoicing a shipment of the second chemical to each remote location which is outside of the second chemical quantity specification.

7. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of monitoring the first chemical quantity includes monitoring a level of the first chemical within a container and monitoring the number of containers.

8. The method as set forth in claim 3 further including:

at each remote location, the step of monitoring an indication of an amount of the first chemical which is added and storing the monitored, added first chemical amount; and

,

at a polling location, the step of periodically polling the stored first chemical added amount at each of the plurality of remote locations, comparing each polled first chemical added amount with a preselected first chemical added range, and in response to the polled first chemical added amount being outside the first chemical added range, providing a man-readable indication thereof, whereby over and under addition of treatment chemicals is monitored from the polling location.

9. The method as set forth in claim 8 further including at the polling location, the steps of generating a written report indicating at least the quantity of the first chemical at each remote location and added amounts of the first chemical which are outside of the first chemical added range.

10. The method as set forth in claim 2 further including:

at each remote location, the steps of monitoring energy usage and storing an indication of the amount of energy used; and

,

from a polling location, the step of periodically polling the stored energy usage indication and generating a report of energy usage.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10 further including at the polling location, the step of comparing the polled energy usage with a stored, historical energy usage and wherein the report generating step further includes generating a report of energy savings.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1 further including at each remote location, the steps of:

monitoring the adjustment of the monitored physical property of the water;

storing an indication of the manner in which the water physical property was adjusted; and

,

polling the stored indications of the manner in which the water physical property was adjusted.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12 wherein the step of adjusting the water physical property includes adding said first water treatment chemical to the water and wherein the step of monitoring the physical property adjustment at each remote location includes monitoring a first duration during which the first water treatment chemical added to the water.

14. The method as set forth in claim 13 further including the step of generating a man-readable report indicative of at least first water treatment chemical and energy usage at each remote location.

15. The method as set forth in claim 14 further including the step of comparing each polled first chemical addition duration with preselected duration tolerances and providing an indication at least when the first chemical addition duration is outside the preselected duration tolerances, whereby chemical treatment apparatus malfunctions are noted.

16. A computer-based apparatus for telemetrically monitoring water treatment and an inventory of water treatment chemicals and adjusting water properties in a recirculating system including a boiler, cooling tower or scrubber the apparatus comprising;

a remote water property monitoring means for telemetrically monitoring at least a plurality of physical properties of water in the recirculating system including conductivity and temperature at a remote location, the conductivity being indicative of dissolved solids;

means for establishing a range of temperature and conductivity of the water at which said temperature and conductivity is to be maintained;

automatic comparing means for comparing the temperature and conductivity level with the preselected range of temperature and conductivity;

automatic means for bleeding water from the recirculating system and automatic means for adding fresh water to the system being operatively connected to the automatic comparing means, for bleeding water and adding fresh water in response to one of the monitored physical property levels being outside of a preselected physical property range;

an automatic chemical adding means for adding at least a first chemical to the water, the chemical adding means being operatively connected with the automatic comparing means for adding the water treatment chemical to the water in response to one of the monitored physical property levels being outside of the preselected physical property range;

an automatic chemical quantity monitoring means for monitoring a quantity of the water treatment chemicals at the remote location;

a storage means for storing the monitored chemical quantity;

a polling computer means for periodically polling the stored chemical quantity in each of a plurality of storage means and comparing each polled chemical quantity with a chemical quantity specification.

17. The apparatus as set forth in claim 16 further including an energy monitoring means for monitoring energy usage, a computer means for storing an indication of energy used and preselected range of energy and an energy comparing means for comparing the energy used and the preselected range of energy.