Innovative Kuntze Analyzers Save $16,350 Operation Expenses per Year in an Alberta Surface Water Drinking System
Background
A public surface drinking water system (DWS) located in Alberta, Canada operates two level 2 drinking water treatment plants, one level 3 drinking water treatment plant, and three drinking water storage systems. The DWS used both a membrane-covered amperometric sensor and an on-line colorimetric sensor to control and monitor free chlorine residual levels in their drinking water systems.
Challenge
Both analyzer systems required significant preventative maintenance, the need for replacements parts, and the purchase of consumables. The DWS was also concerned that the measurements of the membrane-covered amperometric sensor would be influenced by bubbles, which occurred frequently in their system.
Kuntze Solution
ClearTech suggested the installations of Kuntze Krypton® Multi analyzers to measure and control the disinfectant residuals. The DWS agreed to trial the Kuntze analyzer and installed it at the distribution system header right next to the existing membrane sensor. The Krypton® Multi system also featured Kuntze’s patented ASR® automatic sensor cleaning technology, which was set-up for automatic cleaning once per week to prevent the sensor from fouling. The membrane sensor of the competitive system was manually cleaned once per month.
The trial was conducted for one month in September 2020. The operators used a handheld colorimeter taking manual DPD reference measurements five days per week. The free chlorine residual target range was 1.0 to 1.5 ppm, and the reference measurements were compared with the readings of both the Krypton® Multi system and the analyzer with the membrane sensor.
Results
While both analyzers were able to stay in the residual target range, the Krypton® Multi system had on average less deviation from the reference measurements providing more accurate readings.
Conclusions
The Kuntze Krypton® Multi system became the preferred technology to monitor and control the free chlorine residuals while significantly reducing the preventative maintenance requirements. The Krypton® Multi system requires no consumables or reagents generating significant cost savings for the drinking water system.
Recently the DWS replaced two on-line colorimetric analyzers with two Kuntze Krypton® DIS analyzers at one of their 750 cubic meter storage tanks to measure the free chlorine residuals at the inlet and discharge points. The DWS reported following reasons for their decision:
- Reduced installation and start-up time - commissioning is much easier and faster due to the plug-and-play nature of the Kuntze analyzer
- Reduced waste - sampling water can be returned into the well water storage tank, eliminating the need to discharge the sampling water of the on-line colorimetric analyzer to a sanitary sewer (4 m3/day or 1,500,000 liters/year). This water system purchases the water from another municipality at a rate of $3.15m3; savings of $4,725 per analyzer per year.
- Increased safety - no reagents are needed to create the measurement; savings of $1,920 per year per analyzer
- Reduced maintenance time - elimination of internal preventative maintenance service hours and external analyzer recertification – total savings/year = $1,530 per analyzer
- Monthly manual sensor cleaning (10-12 operator hour savings/year - $330/unit)
- Annual recertification of analyzer by manufacturer ($1,200/unit)
Replacing the two on-line colorimetric analyzers with the two Kuntze Krypton® DIS analyzers has generated total savings of $16,350 per year.
Duncan Family Farms - First to install Innovative Irrigation Water Treatment System
.jpg?width=489&name=_MG_5719%20(1).jpg)
Application
Duncan Family Farms, a leading family-owned, multi-regional grower of over 7,000 acres of certified organic produce, today announced the installation of a highly effective, controllable and transportable treatment system for irrigation water.
Challenge
The installation, including five systems on organic baby tender leaf crops in Oregon, represents the first agricultural use of water treatment systems from Germany’s Kuntze Instruments, a leading global supplier of industrial water treatment and process control equipment. “We take the health of our soil, along with the safety of our employees and products, very seriously,” said Jeremy Vanderzyl, Duncan Family Farms Director of Technical Services. “We were looking for the best solution to safely meet the recently adopted Leafy Greens Marketing Association (LGMA) sanitation requirements for irrigation water, and Kuntze presented impressive technology that could positively impact our growing operations and the entire fresh produce industry.”
Solution
Duncan Family Farms’ new water treatment system includes sensors for real-time monitoring and management of chlorine, pH levels and temperature in surface-sourced irrigation water. The application of chlorine is automatically adjusted to maintain the optimum levels for water treatment. This prevents the over-application of chlorine which is often seen in manual applications, reducing chlorine use and related costs, while protecting the rich organic soil and employees from hazardous chlorine exposure. The system is connected to Kuntze’s Cloud Connect® service, providing Duncan with real-time information, alerts and control to remotely manage their system from any Wi-Fi connected device.
“Our Cloud Connect® data tool and industrial process control systems are perfectly suited for agriculture irrigation water sanitization application providing 24/7 key information for an efficient operation,” said Andrew Barker, President at Kuntze USA. “Once a field is harvested, the compact, self-contained units can be easily moved to another field, saving the capital costs of a permanent installation.”levels and temperature in surface-sourced irrigation water. The application of chlorine is automatically adjusted to maintain the optimum levels for water treatment. This prevents the over-application of chlorine which is often seen in manual applications, reducing chlorine use and related costs, while protecting the rich organic soil and employees from hazardous chlorine exposure. The system is connected to Kuntze’s Cloud Connect® service, providing Duncan with real-time information, alerts and control to remotely manage their system from any Wi-Fi connected device.
“Once we understood Duncan’s needs for a portable, cost effective solution for irrigation water treatment, we were able adapt Kuntze’s existing technology into a compact, integrated package utilizing Axiall’s Tablet Chlorination Equipment that can withstand the rigors of a farm operation while maintaining chemistry levels to strict tolerances.” Said TG Bles, General Manager of Industrial Service & Supply. “We now have a great solution for any farm operation that needs to sanitize their irrigation water before harvest.”
Duncan is a leader in large-scale organic innovation. Their experiment of on-site composting has become one of the largest privately-owned composting operations in the Southwest United States, accepting green waste from several local municipalities, landscapers, dairies, and ranches. “Irrigation treatment is still a young concept with much of the research and development laden upon the grower. Ensuring crops are safe for consumers, and without harming the soil, is such an important issue to the industry and we are committed to sharing our experiences and sources with other growers.” Vanderzyl concluded.
About Duncan Family Farms:
Duncan Family Farms is a family-owned, multi-regional grower of over 7,000 acres of certified organic produce, specializing in baby lettuces, greens, kale and herbs using sustainable, state-of-the-art farming practices. Founded in 1985 by Arnott and Kathleen Duncan, the company is one of the largest growers of organic produce, nationally recognized for their environmentally-sensitive farming techniques and premium-quality fresh vegetables. duncanfamilyfarms.com.
