Flow control in water treatment plants is an exact science. That’s why accurate instrumentation is a requirement. The Intuition-9 Series flow controller from Walchem, Iwaki America offers versatility and powerful programming for complete control of chem­ical metering pumps and valves in a broad range of water treatment applications.

The universal sensor input provides extraordinary flexibility, allowing it to be used with almost any type of sensor needed. Its four I/O slots allow complete flexibility in adding sensors, analog outputs and Linear Polarization Resistance corrosion sensors. Three to 12 relay control outputs allow the controller to be used in more applications.

In a water treatment plant, the controller can monitor and tabulate flows throughout the plant and can be tied to appropriate metering pumps for chemical feed throughout the plant including, but not limited to chemistries for treating the incoming water such as flocculants, permanganate, lime, caustic soda and alum prior to flash-mix and flocculation tanks. It can also be used to monitor turbidity of treated water off of the filters and has the ability to perform filter backwash. Users can monitor and feed chemicals to control the free chlorine, pH and fluoride prior to entering the clear well and finished water storage, along with other chemical feed control, such as corrosion inhibitors prior to entry into the distribution system.

“Intuition-9 is a cost-effective, powerful controller that is a perfect fit for the municipal rural water and wastewater markets,” says Robert Rumelfanger, northeast regional sales manager for Iwaki America. “Its capabilities also make it an easy fit into larger plants where it can be tied into an existing SCADA system via Modbus TCP.”

According to Rumerfanger, customer feedback on the controller has been encouraging, with many citing ease of use, such as the ability to quickly change control set points and control strategies with little effort. Easy remote access is also highly touted by customers. 

“They find that they can check in on the systems that they are monitoring from afar and easily visualize current and past conditions to optimize their system operations,” he says. “They like the ability to quickly visualize key data on their system’s operation, connect to the device with a single click and customize alarm outputs, including alarm repeat and escalation with acknowledgement.” 508-429-1110; www.walchem.com