Reagent availability, accuracy and reliability are critical instrumentation needs for any water production plant. Whether a plant is urban, suburban or rural, it can’t settle for good enough or second-best. That’s the situation that the city of Beaumont, Texas, found itself in.
The City of Beaumont Water Production operates a 40 mgd surface water treatment plant and a 14 mgd groundwater treatment plant. Both facilities serve a population of 112,000 with an average daily demand of approximately 32 mgd.
“We had been dealing with supply chain issues with our chlorine analyzers and accuracy and reliability issues with our monochloramine analyzers,” says Daniel Baquera, assistant superintendent at the City of Beaumont Water Treatment Plant. “The poor customer service received from the manufacturer of the chlorine and monochloramine analyzers only served to aggravate the problems we were experiencing.”
To combat the less-than-stellar performance of their current instrumentation and ensure superior water quality for their community, Beaumont turned to HF scientific for a free trial run of the MCXTM Monochloramine Analyzer and the CLX Online Residual Oxidant and Chlorine Monitor.
REAGENT AVAILABILITY
“We were introduced to their readily available dehydrated reagents labeled JAW, which stands for ‘just add water.’ The availability was an immediate good sign for us,” says Baquera.
The HF scientific JAW Chlorine Reagent Kits have been specifically formulated for use in the CLX Chlorine Monitor. Boasting significant advantages over current pre-mixed reagents, the JAW Reagent Kits offer savings on shipping weight; no chance of freezing, making storage more convenient; and an extended shelf life of five years (before being mixed with water and DPD), according to the manufacturer. This easy, 30-day reagent replacement schedule allows for continued flawless operation.
ACCURACY
“We then noted the accuracy of both analyzers when compared to benchtop analyzers. This was a second good sign,” says Baquera.
The safety of a community’s water rests in the hands of the experts manning its water treatment facilities. There is no room for second-guessing your data. The MCXTM easy-to-understand monitors produce regular, accurate readings every 15 to 20 minutes. Accurate data allows you to make good decisions and work to control nitrification in your system.
RELIABILITY
“Finally, we noted that the monochloramine analyzer, or MCX, had remained in operation for a good, solid three months,” says Baquera. “We were lucky if we had one full month of operation from our previous monochloramine analyzers.”
Wasting time troubleshooting your analyzer can be frustrating. That’s why the MCXTM is designed with easy, reliable operation in mind. Designed for 30 days of unattended operation between reagent changes, the MCXTM performs its vital task while simultaneously minimizing downtime, saving you and your community money with lower costs of reagents and maintenance.
CONCLUSION
The city of Beaumont needed new monitoring solutions that could provide them with what their current instrumentation lacked: reagent availability, accuracy and reliability. In their own words, “Our Vector Controls representative listened to our complaints and was confident that HF scientific would be able to resolve our issues,” says Baquera. “We purchased the CLX and
MCX analyzers and have been happy with our purchase. We intend to buy another CLX and MCX analyzer in the near future.”
HF scientific offers good customer support, too, according to Baquera. “Their great customer service is the final selling point that we needed.”
HF scientific, a Watts brand, specializes in supporting industrial and municipal water systems with reliable water measurement tools, water testing equipment and chemical reagents municipal water systems use to monitor water quality. HF scientific also specializes in water analysis equipment for industrial process control systems and marine ballast water systems that help eliminate the damaging impact invasive species have on the environment.
