Seven Tips To Cut Wastewater Aeration Energy Costs With Thermal Mass Flow Meters

By Randy Brown, Marketing Director, Fluid Components International (FCI)

One of the biggest expenses in wastewater treatment operations is the cost of energy to run the blowers and compressors that produce air for the aeration basins. The figures most often cited are that 40 to 50 percent of a wastewater plant’s total energy usage can be attributed to the aeration process.

By measuring the system’s air flows with accurate, repeatable air flow meters, the aeration process can be better controlled to optimize the process and minimize plant energy cost. Three flow sensor technologies typically have been used in aeration air flow monitoring applications in wastewater treatment plants:

• Differential pressure (orifice plates)
• Vortex shedding technologies
• Thermal dispersion (mass flow)