6 Benefits of Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flow Meters

According to the American Water Works Association, public water systems lose approximately $2.8 billion in annual revenue from water loss. Non-Revenue Water (NRW), combined with the environmental impact, has drinking water specialists looking for more flexible and accurate flow measurement technologies to locate, and  quantify, sources of loss. The Transit Time Ultrasonic technique provides a…

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Solar Power for Flow Monitoring without AC. No Power No Problem.

Solar power arrangements for flow monitoring systems can be an effective remedy for remote locations where power is often unavailable, or too time consuming / expensive to run. Several models of flow meters, auto samplers and water quality analyzers come in models that can operate on 12 or 24 VDC. A solar power system mainly…

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Measuring Flow in Gravity Sewers

ISCO Signature Flow

There is nothing more difficult than measuring flow in gravity sewers. WRUA bought 34 Isco Area Velocity Meters – Quality Equipment & Post-Sales Service Sealed the Deal.  By Mary Therese Gookin West Rankin Utility Authority (WRUA) provides wastewater treatment for seven neighboring members serving a population of 100,000.  Bruce Stephens, Executive Director of WRUA, a…

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Multiple Outfall Flow Monitoring Application Challenge

ISCO Signature Flow Meter

A recent application challenge was presented to us by an industrial customer in the Southeast Texas area. The customer was relocating their final outfall from their wetland treatment system to a remote area without AC power. They needed a way to measure flow rates in three side by side 36” culverts and collect flow weighted…

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Excessive Approach Velocity in Parshall Flume Flow Measurement Applications

Plasti-Fab Parshall Flume

Since the 1930s, wastewater professionals have relied on the Parshall flume as the primary device for open channel flow measurement applications. Parshall flumes provide a very repeatable relationship between water level (Ha) and flow rate; but, only so long as the approaching flow conditions are appropriate. For any flume design, the hydraulics must cause a…

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Teledyne Isco FlowCalc App For Android Release

ISCO flowcalc app

The release of the Isco FlowCalc app for the iOS platform during WEFTEC 2012 received an excellent response.  I am now pleased to announce that Teledyne Isco has made the application available for the Android platform. The Android version will have the following additional features: Calculation for the Manning Equation Calculation for the Cipolletti weir…

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Safety Moment – City Engineer Loses His Life After Entering A Manhole To Retrieve A Flow Meter

On May 28, 2003 a 32 year old city engineer entered a 7’4” deep manhole to retrieve a flow meter and lost his life. Air quality monitoring performed in the manhole at the time the fire department retrieved his body indicated an oxygen concentration of only 2.1% and flammable vapors over 60%.

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Don’t Forget Your Calibration

Calibration of permitted outfall equipment is a requirement on most NPDES permits today and can prove to  be valuable documentation when the regulatory agents come visit.  C.C. Lynch provides flow meter, sampler, and parameter equipment (i.e. pH, DO, Turb, etc) calibrations onsite and will provide the necessary documentation to satisfy regulatory agencies.  

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A Comparison of the Dye Dilution Method to Continuous Wave Area Velocity and Clamp-On Ultrasonic Flow Meter Technology

We were recently called upon to perform flow validation in a wastewater treatment system at a power plant in Alabama. They were performing a dye dilution flow study and were looking for alternative methods to validate the flows derived from their dye study. In the Dye Dilution method the flow rate is measured by determining…

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Teledyne Isco 2150 Flow Meter Found After Hurricane Isaac

For several years the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has utilized 3 Teledyne Isco 2150 Area Velocity Flow Meters to monitor freshwater flow into Coastal marshes. The Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion Project takes sediment laden freshwater from the Mississippi River and allows it to flow into the marsh providing nutrients and sediment needed to restore…

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Proper Flow Meter Mounting

The mounting location of your flow meter is critical to the overall flow monitoring station layout.  It should be in a convenient location that lends to easy access for authorized personnel while taking into account security and environmental considerations.  In open channel applications where a flume or weir is used, the meter should be located…

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“Made for the Shade” Temperature Effects on Ultrasonic Sensors

Ultrasonic flow meters are commonly used to measure flow through a flume or across a weir.  Often, the temperature effects on ultrasonic sensors are overlooked in the design and  installation process.  This type of flow meter utilizes an ultrasonic sensor which is mounted above the flow stream.  The sensor transmits a sound wave, or pulse, which is reflected off…

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Gravity Flow Measurement in Smaller Pipes – Application Toolkit Part 2

ISCO Flow Metering Inserts Gravity flow measurement in smaller pipes (6 – 12 inches) can present challenges; from access, to technique and cost.  With everything below grade, access tends to be the final manhole; out near the site’s perimeter. In these cases, ISCO’s Flow Metering Inserts can play an important role in our Application Toolkit.…

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The New Isco LaserFlow Non-Contact Flow Meter

We are excited to announce that in October 2012, Teledyne Isco will begin shipping the new LaserFlow non-contact flow meter. The LaserFlow meter remotely measures flow in open channels with non-contact Laser Doppler Velocity technology and non-contact Ultrasonic Level technology. The LaserFlow is unlike other non-contact flow meters which only measure surface velocity.  The LaserFlow…

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Selecting a Flume For an Existing Pipe or Channel

Open channel flow measurement can be a challenge in applications that require the placement of a flume in an existing pipe or channel.  While most everyone is familiar with Parshall Flumes, in many cases, there are other flume options that can provide for equal or better accuracy and are better suited for a particular pipe…

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Visit Us at WEFTEC 2012 in New Orleans – September 29th – October 3rd

Are you attending WEFTEC this year?  If so, be sure to stop by and visit us at the booths of our principals.   Teledyne-Isco Booth 4535, Hall F – See the new Isco 5800 Refrigerated Sampler, the new Isco LaserFlow, and the new accQpro Flow Meter s::can Measuring Systems Booth 6821, Hall H – See…

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Flow Measurement at an Industrial Outfall Using the Index-Velocity Rating Method

Channels with a large depth to width aspect ratio present a challenge when it comes to accurately measuring flow rates in real time.  The index velocity method provides a solution for real time flow rate reporting in situations where traditional stage-discharge ratings are not possible.  The index velocity method uses a mathematical model to calculate…

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Parshall Flumes – Free vs. Submerged Flow

As often as we use Parshall flumes for open channel flow measurement, it is important to understand “free versus submerged flow” conditions; as it greatly impacts the accuracy of the installation…or the lack thereof. While any primary device could be affected by submerged flow conditions, there isn’t much data to be found on the topic.…

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Flow Validation of London Avenue Pumping Station for the USACE New Orleans Levee System

On July 26, 2007 C.C. Lynch & Associates Inc., participated in a flow validation study in conjunction with the USACE Engineering Research Development Center (ERDC) for the purposes of determining the pumping capacity of the New Orleans Levee London Avenue Pumping Station pictured below.

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