PR19 final determinations stipulated that during AMP7 England and Wales water companies Outcome Delivery Incentives shall on average reduce Leakage by 16% and Supply Interruptions by 41% no later than 2025.
But, it’s impossible to effectively manage Leakage if you’re reliant on outdated or unproven network flow models rather than real-time dynamic data. More often than not, there’s no flow measurement where you need it, or the inline electromagnetic flow meter has long since reached end-of-life and hasn’t sent valuable flow data for a very long time. But how do you replace it without supply interruption?
Let’s be honest, Ultrasonic Clamp-On Flowmeters will not be the replacement for all electromagnetic flowmeters across UK water sites. Electromagnetic flowmeters are widely used across the industry and successfully provide thousands of flow measurement points across UK water networks. Furthermore, they can be battery powered and installed in the most remote of locations. So, mag meters have their rightful and valued place in the UK water industry for the foreseeable future.
But how many “dead” flowmeters are there across the UK water networks? Frequently inline meters are installed on single pipelines with no isolation valves or bypass. Any mag meter that fails on such a pipe proves substantially challenging to replace because of the potential for undesired supply or production interrupted, inaccessibility, or even the escalating cost of standby wastewater tankers. Operating the site blind, reduces the operator’s capacity for network flow optimisation or even leakage detection, but nonetheless countless sites remain operationally blind due to a mag meter past it’s use-by date.
Permanent ultrasonic clamp-on flow metering can be the answer. Reliable, repeatable, MCERTed flow metering from FLEXIM, the only clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter company approved for safety critical duties in the UK nuclear sector. High integrity metering that keeps you safe every time you fly on an Airbus worldwide by providing high accuracy hydraulic flow leak detection.
FLUXUS clamp-on meters are available in 316ss, with IP68 rating for submerged use in flooded chambers. Also available ATEX rated for hazardous methane environments and the company have solutions for water or wastewater at flowrates from 0.01m/s to 25m/s in pipes from <50mm to 6.5m. Reverse flow detection and monitoring comes as standard, along with class-leading temperature-compensated transducers (meeting the requirements of ASME MFC-5.1–2011). The company even provide FOC derived water temperature, a feature that provides potential warning of bacterial growth in unduly warm summers and possible advance indication of pipe freeze/thaw bursts during harsh winter weather.
Installation is a relatively easy task; fit in the smallest of spaces during flowing conditions – due to factory pre-calibration there is no need to isolate or zero the flow. No cost for notifying local households of supply outages, no cost for skilled water company personnel to attend site, operate isolation valves, divert flows, use lifting gear, replace mag meter, etc. No costs for standby tankers, costs to flush the pipe after installation and & no consequential reputational issues for water discolouration.
FLEXIM clamp-on permanent metering solutions can easily restore network or plant metering, improve visibility and leakage monitoring, at a lower “installed cost” than a replacement mag meter and with zero supply interruption to clients. Not to mention the safety benefits: substantially reduced challenges working in confined space; quicker, simpler, easier and thus safer work, especially during Covid-19 conditions.
FLUXUS flowmeters can even be kept on hand as emergency flow replacements in the event of unexpected failure of a system critical inline flowmeter.
