US 4,830,757 A · Telemetry system for water and energy monitoring

Abstract

A water quality monitor computer (10) repeatedly accesses transducers (12) which monitor physical properties of a water system, such as total dissolved solids, pH, and the like. The water quality monitor computer determines from the monitored water conditions when bleeding or the addition of water treatment chemicals is required. An energy and water management computer (20) periodically accesses the water quality computer and operates valves and pumps (22) to bleed the system or add chemicals, as is appropriate. The management computer further monitors the quantity of chemical supplies on hand with chemical inventory transducers (24), the amount of electrical energy consumed with kilowatt transducer (28) and the like. The energy and water management computer controls energy usage and stores energy and chemical consumption data in a memory (40). A polling station (B) selectively polls one or more of the remote stations to change the energy or water management programs or to receive data and water system physical property data therefrom. One of the polling stations includes a central computer (250) which polls each remote station daily. The central computer causes a printer ( 254) to generate daily reports indicating abnormal conditions at each remote station and to generate shipping orders and invoices for replacement chemicals as replacement becomes necessary. The central polling computer also generates a monthly report of energy and chemical consumption, water treatment system physical property data, energy savings, and the like.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method of telemetrically monitoring water treatment and an inventory of water treatment chemicals and adjusting water properties in a recirculating system including a boiler, cooling tower or scrubber with a computer-based system, comprising:

at each of a plurality of remote locations, automatically monitoring by telecommunications the level of a plurality of physical properties of water in said recirculating system including conductivity and temperature, at least one of the physical properties being indicative of dissolved solids;
automatically monitoring the inventory of water treatment chemicals;
establishing a range of temperature and conductivity of the water at which said temperature and conductivity is to be maintained;
periodically automatically comparing the monitored levels of inventory, temperature, and conductivity with the established ranges for each with the computer-based system;
automatically changing the conductivity measurement of the water as required to keep the conductivity in the established range by either addition of a first water treatment chemical from said inventory or bleeding water from the system and adding fresh water;
periodically automatically monitoring the levels of inventory of the chemicals remaining;
and
automatically telemetrically monitoring the amount of new water added to the system.

5 more elements

A computer-based apparatus for telemetrically monitoring water treatment and an inventory of water treatment chemicals and adjusting water properties in a recirculating system including a boiler, cooling tower or scrubber the apparatus comprising;

a remote water property monitoring means for telemetrically monitoring at least a plurality of physical properties of water in the recirculating system including conductivity and temperature at a remote location, the conductivity being indicative of dissolved solids;
means for establishing a range of temperature and conductivity of the water at which said temperature and conductivity is to be maintained;
automatic comparing means for comparing the temperature and conductivity level with the preselected range of temperature and conductivity;
automatic means for bleeding water from the recirculating system and automatic means for adding fresh water to the system being operatively connected to the automatic comparing means, for bleeding water and adding fresh water in response to one of the monitored physical property levels being outside of a preselected physical property range;
an automatic chemical adding means for adding at least a first chemical to the water, the chemical adding means being operatively connected with the automatic comparing means for adding the water treatment chemical to the water in response to one of the monitored physical property levels being outside of the preselected physical property range;
an automatic chemical quantity monitoring means for monitoring a quantity of the water treatment chemicals at the remote location;
a storage means for storing the monitored chemical quantity;
a polling computer means for periodically polling the stored chemical quantity in each of a plurality of storage means and comparing each polled chemical quantity with a chemical quantity specification.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Telemetry system for water and energy monitoring

Life of this patent

Telemetry system for water and energy monitoring

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17