The Polymer Control System (PCS5500XRD) helps to reduce polymer costs, improve cake dryness, and optimize the dewatering process. The PCS5500 measures electrokinetic charge of a continuous sample. This streaming current reading can be used to automatically control feed pump output for optimum polymer dosage.

The ideal situation in any wastewater treatment system is steady state conditions: constant solids, concentration (and type), and constant chemical feed. This is rarely the case. As solids holding vessels are filled and pumped out, flow rates and solids concentrations change. Polymer make-up may not always be the same, nor pump rate consistent. It is impossible for the equipment operator to keep up with these changes and adjust flocculant dosages accordingly. Therefore, the tendency is to overfeed to smooth out the bumps.

This overfeed can amount to a sizeable amount of money annually. Polymer costs in many sludge dewatering operations is a major concern. Although new and improved methods are continually being developed to dewater sludge, most equipment still requires polymer to attain desired throughput and cake dryness. If improvement in cake dryness can be obtained with less polymer, the savings in large plants can be enormous, especially when the cake is being incinerated or hauled to a landfill.