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How Gems Non-Contact Radar Sensor Is Used in Sewage Lift Stations

 

Further Information and Online Configurator >

 

A wastewater or sewage lift station is a pumping station that will move the waste from a lower elevation to a higher elevation.   This is critical where the elevation of the source of waste does not allow for gravity flow to move the waste to the treatment facility.  Unfortunately, waste cannot flow uphill.  Typically lift stations will have two pumps to handle the load and will alternate to prolong the life of each pump.  A dual pump also allows for a backup in case one pump fails or needs to be taken offline for  maintenance.   

 

 


Challenge:  Finding an Intrinsically Safe non-contact and accurate level sensor that can handle high condensation and sewer gas from sewage lift stations.
Radar Sensor
Solution:    Gems  Non-Contact Radar Level Sensor

The Gems Radar Level sensor is a non-contact continuous level sensor.   Radar technology works by sending out short microwave signals toward the liquid via the sensor.  The microwave signal then hits the liquid surface and bounces back toward the sensor.  The sensor utilizes the time-of-flight principle which uses the known speed of the microwave, and the time it took for the signal to return, divided by two (since it had to travel down to the liquid and then back up to the sensor) to determine the distance between the liquid level and the sensor.  Since most level is based on the height of the liquid, not the height of the non-liquid (air), the air height is subtracted from the total tank depth to determine the liquid level!    



So, what makes Gems Radar Level Sensor a good fit for sewage lift stations?  Gems Radar Sensor is a perfect fit for sewage lift stations for several reasons.    

  • Non-contact design means no media ever  comes in contact with the Radar sensor.  This eliminates the need to worry about material  compatibility between the media and sensor components.  
  • The non-contact design is by default a no moving parts solution, which eliminates the potential for any mechanical failures from a float-based sensor.    
  • Also, since it never comes in contact with the media, there’s no issues with debris coating or causing a float to get stuck.    
  • Radar through the air technology is a very accurate sensing technology and can detect liquid level within 5mm, with no effect on its accuracy based on changes in temperature or pressure.    
  • Radar technology is not affected by condensation or dust in the air like ultra-sonic based sensors.  
 

The above characteristics make Gems non-contact Radar sensor an ideal solution  to work in sewage lift station applications.  With a standard 4-20mA output it is compatible with almost any type of controller or display.  Gems Radar sensor also has built-in Bluetooth® capability making configuring the sensor to your specific sensor easy and hassle free.  Gone are the days of manually filling and emptying the tank to configure your sensor.    

In addition, this simple configuration setup is more efficient than installing a multiple channel relay with individual probes or floats per channel.  This helps save countless installation man hours and eliminates the potential failure modes from dozens down to  practically one.     

Gems Non-Contact Radar Level Sensor is an excellent match for sewage lift stations. 


Additional Sensors used in Sewage Lift Stations:  

Further Information and Online Configurator >