Dry solids in Iron Sludge and Iron Slurry
Accurate measurement of dry solids concentration (DS%) is essential for the economical and environmental management of iron sludge and iron-rich wastewater.
DS% indicates dewatering process efficiency and informs optimization strategies for transport, minimizing both costs and environmental impact.
Online monitoring of DS% allows for real-time optimization of the dewatering process and reduces unnecessary transport of low-concentration iron-rich wastewater.
Traditional methods like optical and microwave sensors have proven unreliable for these measurements; only the Olpas sensor has achieved successful and consistent results.
Measuring Dry Solids (%DS) in Iron Sludge
Iron sludge/slurry, also known as iron oxide sludge or ferric sludge, is a byproduct of drinking water production from water that contains iron.
Common methods for managing iron sludge include dewatering or drying to reduce its volume before recycling or reuse in certain applications. A reliable measurement of the sludge concentration (Dry Solids or %DS) is key to a correct handling and processing of the sludge.
"As a drinking water company reliant on groundwater, we produce several truckloads of iron sludge weekly. We tested optical and microwave sensors from several suppliers. Only Olpas provides a technology that can sucessfully measure %DS in Iron Sludge."
Key features
Fouling resistance, also in challenging environments
Much less drift, compared to traditional sensors, even with a much longer maintenance interval
Not influenced by colour changes of the fluid
Mounting:
Silo/bassin: free hanging on a chain, in a guiding tube, or fixed mounting
Inline: in a pipe
Comparison of Olpas Dry Solids (DS) sensor to traditional DS-measurements
Olpas Sensors | Optical (UV) | Microwave | Sampling | |
Applicable in high turbidity medium? | ✅ | ❌ Not applicable | ✅ | ✅ |
Unaffected by signal reflection of iron particles? | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ Not applicable (☠️) | ✅ |
Unaffected by colour variations? | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
Online measurement | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Maintenance interval required | x1 per season | x2 per week | x1 per month | Manual action |
Measurement of dry solids in iron sludge is clearly very challenging with traditional measurement technologies.
Olpas DS-measurement in Iron Sludge is suitable for measurements in
Free hanging in a silos or bassins: chain mounted, fixed mounting or mounted in a guiding tube
Inline measurement in a pipe
IoT-ready
IoT-ready, with digital output optimised for energy efficient data communication
Low energy usage
Easy to connect to an external powersupply (batteries or solar)
Available Product-ranges
Dry Solids (%DS) measurement in Iron water / Iron sludge (Chain mounting)
Measurement of dry matter (dry solids, DS) in iron water, iron sludge, ferric (hydr)oxide.
Product Variations:
Product-range Code:
OBO-IWAA
Dry Solids (%DS) measurement in Iron water / Iron sludge (Inline mounting)
Measurement of dry matter (dry solids, DS) in iron water, iron sludge, ferric (hydr)oxide.
Product Variations:
Product-range Code:
OTU-IWAA