Flow Measurement & Control


Flow measurement made easy

April 2014 Flow Measurement & Control

The Nantong Water Treatment Company serves the city of Nantong with its population of about 7 million. The company’s Langshan plant pulls water from the Yangtze at a rate of about 600 000 tons per day for treatment. When built in the year 2000, the plant boasted the most advanced and automated water treatment in China.

WaterMaster meters for Nantong plant

ABB products and systems participated heavily towards the plant’s sophisticated reputation. The plant contains an ABB distributed control system (DCS) and 15 ABB electromagnetic flowmeters that measure water flows and chemical dosing throughout the plant.

ABB is now participating in a new project called Chong Plant currently nearing completion. The project will help four nearby cities keep up with the increasing water requirements caused by burgeoning population growth, which will be the recipients of treated water from a giant pumping station nine kilometres from the river intake. An Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) company called Pacific Water, based in Nantong, is managing the control system and instrumentation of the pumping station and its associated wide-ranging piping network.

According to Mr Shaojian, the general manager of the Chonghai Water plant project, it has a capacity of 800 000 tons of water per day and will add 40 new employees to the company’s current 600. “The station’s 12 large pumps will supply 5 million more people residing over an area of 460 square kilometres,” he says.

The new plant chose 28 ABB WaterMaster electromagnetic flowmeters for custody transfer of treated water to the four cities. “One of the main factors in picking ABB WaterMaster magmeters is that the primary sensors are inherently submersible and may simply be buried in the ground,” says Shaojain. “These large meters are installed in 2-metre pipes and they eliminate the necessity of being installed in large, underground concrete enclosures.”

He says that meter installation merely involves excavating to the underground pipe, fitting the primary sensor, cabling the transmitter and then backfilling the hole. “Buried meters result in significant installation savings,” says Shaojian. Once a meter is installed, the company fills the hole with water to make sure its performance is unaffected.

Additionally, the meters are highly accurate, an important attribute for custody transfer operations. An automatic calibration process within the transmitter occurs every 45 seconds without interrupting the flow measurement. Digital Signal Processing (DSP) contributes to the superior accuracy for real-time measurements and maximum reliability. Using DSP, the transmitter separates the real signal from the interference from vibration and hydraulic noise associated with pumping stations.

With the increasing demands and costs for water, the company is also considering the purchase of ABB Aquaprobes, insertion magmeters, to monitor leak detection in the treatment plant. Another possibility is the installation of up to 400 ABB AquaMaster magmeters for direct billing of industrial water users.

The pumping station also includes ABB motors and drives to power the pumps while maximising energy efficiency.

For more information contact Jacolize Goosen, ABB South Africa, +27 (0)10 202 5000, [email protected], www.abb.com/za



Credit(s)



Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page

Further reading:

Smart power solutions for a low-carbon future
ABB South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
As the world marked Earth Day 2026, ABB is highlighting the role of low-voltage smart power solutions in improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions and enabling more sustainable infrastructure.

Read more...
DCS for maximum plant efficiency and reliability
ABB South Africa PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
ABB has introduced SPR2025, the latest Symphony Plus DCS package release to enable modernisation and efficient performance for the process and power industries.

Read more...
Sustainable manufacturing
ABB South Africa IT in Manufacturing
ABB’s production facility in Shandong province, China is delivering measurable energy and emissions reductions through the implementation of advanced digital energy management and electrification solutions.

Read more...
Never waste a drop
Flow Measurement & Control
Manufacturers of pumps, valves and related equipment have an important role to play when systems for water are being designed or upgraded and should be included at every stage of a project to ensure that the work is carried out within the equipment’s capabilities.

Read more...
South African paper producer partners with ABB
ABB South Africa Motion Control & Drives
Neopak, a leading manufacturer of containerboard and paper products, has renewed its partnership with global technology company, ABB to upgrade the existing automation system at its Rosslyn Paper Mill in Pretoria.

Read more...
Powering the future of Africa’s smart cities
ABB South Africa Electrical Power & Protection
ABB Electrification is driving Africa’s transition to smarter, more sustainable cities through its suite of integrated technologies designed to improve energy efficiency, resilience and connectivity across urban infrastructure.

Read more...
ABB’s new flagship DCS
ABB South Africa PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
ABB has launched the latest version of its flagship distributed control system, to help industrial operators modernise without disruption and accelerate their path toward next generation automation.

Read more...
Extended DCS enables industrial innovation with continuity
ABB South Africa PLCs, DCSs & Controllers
ABB has introduced its Automation Extended programme, a strategic evolution of its distributed control systems (DCS), designed to help industries modernise without disruption.

Read more...
Ultrasonic flow meters
ifm - South Africa Flow Measurement & Control
The ultrasonic flow meter of the SU series from ifm - South Africa monitors liquid media such as water, glycol solutions or industrial oils. It detects the three process categories volumetric flow quantity, consumed quantity and medium temperature.

Read more...
How utilities identify water losses in Northern Europe
Flow Measurement & Control
Norwegian leak detection specialist, Ovarro outlines how municipalities are responding to hidden water loss using acoustic monitoring and analysis tools that provide early indications of developing leaks.

Read more...









While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved