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Home > WaterR2B > Sectors > Water Utilities > How can water contamination by hydrocarbons and VOCs be detected instantly?

How can water contamination by hydrocarbons and VOCs be detected instantly?

The challenge

Early detection of contamination from fuels, oils and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is vital in the water sector. Water treatment plants intakes need to be shut before damage is done to expensive equipment. Constant monitoring is needed to prevent contaminated industrial wastewater leaking entering rivers and waterways, thus avoiding fines and clean-up costs. Drinking water also needs to be protected from potential carcinogens such as trihalomethanes (THMs)

To be effective, monitoring systems need to be highly sensitive, reliable, low cost, easy to use - and provide users with real time data. 

The solution

Fundamental research at the University of Manchester, led by Professor Krishna Persaud, aimed to develop measurement systems that could detect, monitor and predict the odours that characterise gas and fuel leaks. An online system was ultimately developed using non-contact technology to detect trace gases in the water process industry. A prototype was tested and endorsed by the Water Research Council UK for water contamination monitoring, and its value was confirmed by pilot sales to major UK water companies in 2008.

This university technology formed the basis of spinout company Multisensor Systems Ltd, which provides monitoring systems for identifying hydrocarbons and VOCs in a wide range of settings. These employ the low maintenance and highly sensitive contactless monitoring technique to monitor water intakes and wastewater outflows and enable pollution event and process monitoring to part-per-billion levels of concentration. Recent extensions to the product range include monitors for THMs (a byproduct of water disinfection) and ammonia.

The systems have now been proven in demanding site conditions, and provide rapid and reliable detection of contaminants to a range of clients in the water sector, such as Anglian Water and Yorkshire Water in the UK and Heyward Inc in the US, and to a range of industrial users.

Resulting benefits

The non-invasive contactless Multisensor systems are robust, low-maintenance and provide real-time online data and alerts to users. They offer a wide range of benefits to users – for example in 2012, a sensor system gave advance warning of a fuel line failure that saved Cummins Engineering Company more than £50,000 in costs associated with fuel loss, clean-up, Environment Agency fines and legal costs.

In the water treatment sector, the Multisensor THM may reduce chemical consumption in water treatment plants by 30%, and reduce energy bills substantially each year. 

Future directions

The close relationship between the university researchers and Multisensor Systems is leading to a range of new applications being developed. These include the detection of ammonia in water; waste water treatment control; chemical process
emissions detection; agricultural installation management; and building monitoring systems.

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