Any water treatment plant manager will tell you that maximizing system uptime and protecting critical process equipment from damage is a top priority. Technological advances in smart and connected differential pressure monitoring on duplex or wye strainers now allow operators to perform system maintenance proactively rather than reactively.
Mueller Steam (a Watts company) is helping facility engineers detect when strainer maintenance is needed to prevent production downtime. New differential pressure monitoring technology now comes standard on all the company’s duplex strainers and is optional on their wye strainers.
“This is the first smart strainer technology of its kind,” says Jennifer Carlino, senior product manager at Mueller Steam Specialty. “Facility engineers will now be able to perform strainer maintenance proactively, rather than reactively, which will help protect costly equipment from damage as well as maintain consistent flow and efficient system performance.”
With the purchase and activation of an add-on connection kit, the preinstalled pressure sensors at the inlet and outlet of the strainer monitor the pressure drop that occurs over time when a strainer screen becomes clogged by foreign particles. Alerts are triggered via an existing BMS connection or cellular gateway when the strainer basket is 75% full and 100% full. These sensors do not change the operation of the strainer — they still comply with all the necessary certifications and do not interfere with the normal function of the strainer.
Connection is also simple. After installing the strainer as usual, the operator then purchases and installs a connection kit to activate the differential pressure monitoring technology. Once installed, the kit allows the user to enjoy reliable pressure monitoring and alerts via a wired or cellular connection with Syncta – the mobile app from Watts, or BAS/BMS. According to Carlino, any drilled and tapped strainer in the field can be retrofitted with SentryPlus Alert Technology.
Using the technology effectively allows the user to maintain consistent flow and efficient system performance, as they receive real-time alerts when pressure drop exceeds a preconfigured threshold. Strainer maintenance can be performed proactively, as automated blowdown automatically flushes the system, reducing maintenance time. Finally, it prevents costly property damage, as performance data enables informed decisions to be made pertaining to the maintenance of the strainer.
800-334-6259; www.muellersteam.com
