13 Sodium Hypochlorite System - Loss of Disinfection
- Loss of prime at the pump due to trapped air in the piping or low chemical level in the supply tank
- Incorrect valve status
- Broken piping
- Loss of communication to the pump due to analyzer issues or PLC communication issues.
Once the system is functioning properly, normal operation of the system should be apparent at the SCADA workstation.
The Sodium Hypochlorite System is comprised of seven chemical feed pumps, each with a specific function, as briefly described below.
- Pump No. 1 & No. 2: Chlorine Contact Basin. for secondary effluent chlorination
- Pump No. 3: Pretreatment Chlorination at the confluent or temporary back up for Pumps No. 1 and No. 2
- Pump No. 4: RS chlorination, temporary use to combat high SVIs, bulking or bad settling in the clarifiers
- Pump No. 5: Pre-chlorionation at the tertiary filters during the backwash cycle
- Pump No. 6 & No. 7: Provides the required chlorine residual at the CCBs for the Reclaimed Water System.
- Pump No. 3 can be used on a temporary basis as a back up for Pump No. 1 or No. 2. Pump No. 3 is smaller, however, and can only provide 25 – 30 gpm (which is typically not enough for continued disinfection).
Disinfection is required to meet the permit limits.
CCB: Chlorine Contact Basin
Any loss of disinfection is to be immediately reported to a Supervisor. Any loss in disinfection could be a potential permit violation that must be reported to the appropriate regulatory agencies.
- Ensure that adequate chemical supply is on hand.
1. Chemical Tanks (Troubleshooting & Corrective Action): a. Check valve status to ensure a chemical supply to the pump suction header. b. Open the draw down tube at each pump to bleed off air. c. Verify that the in service tank has a sufficient chemical level to maintain a prime at the in service chemical pump. Switch tanks if necessary by manually opening and closing the tank discharge valves. The tank in service must have a liquid level that is higher than the suction. The swing shift operators check tank levels each day. 2. Chemical Pumps (Troubleshooting & Corrective Action): a. Increase pump speed and stroke at the SCADA workstation to a higher than normal level. Leave in place long enough to resume prime. Reset to normal pump speed and stroke after the pump returns to normal operation. b. Connect the garden hose to the provided connection port for the in-service pump. Make sure the hose is securely connected before opening the isolation valve to the suction headers {tag no. 1604VLV6100B, 1604VLV6200B, 1604VLV6300B, 1604VLV6400B, 1604VLV6500B, 1604VLV6600B, 1604VLV6700B}. Turn on the water supply to the garden hose. Close the pump suction valve. When prime is restored, open the pump suction valve and turn off the garden hose. 3. Chemical Piping & Valves (Troubleshooting & Corrective Action): a. Check valve status on the in service pump to ensure that discharge piping is open. b. Remove trapped air from the system by opening the bottom of draw down tube. Let air escape and close the pump suction valve. Once the air is purged, close the draw down tube and reopen the pump suction valve. c. Check for breaks in the exposed chemical suction and discharge piping. Also, check the piping in the adjacent vault and under the stairs at the Chlorine Contact Tank. If a line break is discovered, immediately notify the supervisor and repair the break. d. Air can build up in the chemical piping while a pump is offline. This air needs to be purged from the system before that pump is rotated back into service. |
Equipment Name | Tag Number |
Pump No. 1 - Post Chlorination | 1604PMP/MTR6100 |
Pump No. 2 - Post Chlorination | 1604PMP/MTR6200 |
Pump No. 3 - Pretreatment Chlorination | 1604PMP/MTR6300 |
Pump No. 4 - RS Chlorination | 1604PMP/MTR6400 |
Pump No. 5 – Filter Pre-Chlorination | 1604PMP/MTR6500 |
Pump No. 6 – Reclaimed Water Chlorine Residual | 1604PMP/MTR6600 |
Pump No. 7 – Reclaimed Water Chlorine Residual | 1604PMP/MTR6700 |
Tank No. 1 | 1604TNK6692 |
Tank No. 1 Discharge Valve | 1604VLV6692B |
Tank No. 1 Level Sensor/Transmitter | 1604LE/LIT/LI6541 |
Tank No. 2 | 1604TNK6693 |
Tank No. 2 Discharge Valve | 1604VLV6693B |
Tank No. 2 Level Sensor/Transmitter | 1604LE/LIT/LI6542 |
Tank No. 3 | 1604TNK6694 |
Tank No. 4 Discharge Valve | 1604VLV6694B |
Tank No. 3 Level Sensor/Transmitter | 1604LE/LIT/LI6543 |
Suction Header Isolation Valve – Pump No. 1 | 1604VLV6100B |
Suction Header Isolation Valve - Pump No. 2 | 1604VLV6200B |
Suction Header Isolation Valve – Pump No. 3 | 1604VLV6300B |
Suction Header Isolation Valve – Pump No. 4 | 1604VLV6400B |
Suction Header Isolation Valve – Pump No. 5 | 1604VLV6500B |
Suction Header Isolation Valve – Pump No. 6 | 1604VLV6600B |
Suction Header Isolation Valve – Pump No. 7 | 1604VLV6700B |