Successful eDAS® installation for major food manufacturer
When the combined need for data acquisition and process control arose, a major food manufacturer approached Environmental Monitoring Solutions Ltd for help.
The Client
The client was a major food manufacturer in the UK.
Client Benefits
With the new eDAS® fully installed at this food manufacturer’s Northern UK site, they now benefit from an automated pH dosing, and effluent monitoring solution. This system now logs data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and acts as the ultimate environmental compliance assistance tool.
Although the new eDAS® has been specified as an effluent monitoring/pH dosing system it is designed as a flexible and expandable monitoring platform. Going forward, an upgrade to the system would allow for the integration of more monitoring technologies, potentially in areas such as continuous emissions monitoring etc. Further upgrades to the eDAS® web platform would allow for further improvements, such as remote data access and remote alarming.
The Challenges
At the site in question (based in the north of England) there was a requirement for effluent measurement and automated control of pH correction. Both requirements were vital to ensure that the manufacturer complied with their allocated trade effluent permit as issued by their local water authority. Final effluent measurement also required constant data logging for parameters such as pH, temperature and flow. It was also preferable that stored data could be accessed easily, ideal for presentation to the water authority.
The Solution
To accommodate the aforementioned requirements, EMS Ltd specified our environmental data acquisition solution eDAS®. eDAS® is our revolutionary data acquisition solution that offers industrial manufacturers an opportunity to consolidate all of their environmental performance data. The system incorporates a number of flexible inputs designed to accommodate a wide range of monitoring technologies including water and emissions monitors. From a user perspective, eDAS® offers a touch screen interface that displays acquired data through a series of charts and graphs.
To kick start the project, the eDAS® was configured to collect data from three pH and one flow meter onsite. The pH probes are positioned at three different points along the effluent treatment process to measure incoming dosing tank and final effluent pH levels. With the pH and flow integration in place, the eDAS® has the ability to collect data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from all three pH probes and the flow meter and display this data as real-time values and historical trend graphs to enable operators to visualise potential issues before they present a problem.
The second phase of installation required integration between the eDAS® and a number of dosing pumps. These pumps are designed to administer either acidic or alkaline solutions to the final effluent in order to neutralise any strong pH levels. Unlike other data acquisition solutions, eDAS® is unique in its ability to perform logical operations in real time. In this instance the system uses data collected from the pH probes to regulate dosage of acidic/alkaline solutions depending on the current pH level. As well as controlling dosing, the eDAS® also logs dosing records for future reference.
