Sonar Transducers Offer Interface Level Measurement and Control

Aug. 13, 2008

Hawk's line of “fourth generation” sonar transducers is designed for improved sensing of interface levels in clarifiers and thickeners. The sensors offer improvements in overall power, penetration and calibration. They provide better capability under high suspended solids loading, ‘sliming’ and upset process conditions.

In municipal water and waste water plants, it is important to measure RAS and Floc (Fluff) levels in secondary clarifiers, bed levels for primary clarifiers and bed levels in thickeners. Hawk’s Orca Sonar Interface products can be used for both control and for monitoring. Sonar sensors may be used to locate and track layers of differing density within a process tank. The Orca Interface products allow users to control flocculent dosing, control settling time and control the density of a bed.

The Hawk transducer designs include three to seven sonar crystals mounted in a single head. Each sonar array produces a concentrated sonar beam, providing more emitted power and collecting more returned signals. Array transducers yield better penetration, higher sensitivity and better overall performance in the most difficult environments.

Hawk transducers and integrated self-cleaning systems offer an accurate “real-time” output representing the behavior of a density interface. This output can be used as a control input, not just for monitoring.

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