Proactively Identify and Address Valve Issues with Flowserve RedRaven

RedRaven advanced IoT condition monitoring assists plants in monitoring valve performance and proactively identifying and addressing problems before they become failures. 

Used in conjunction with existing digital positioners or additional sensors, RedRaven notifies you when a valve deviates from normal operating conditions. With real-time performance data and analytics, you can immediately prevent valve problems from escalating into catastrophic failures.

Flowserve valve conditioning monitoring programs make it simple to avoid valve failures, increase uptime, reduce maintenance costs, and improve safety across all of your locations. 

Unlike other IoT offerings, RedRaven offers a comprehensive approach. RedRaven is a complete solution that includes sensors, software, communication technology, analytics, and expertise. It is a complete solution that will assist you throughout your IoT journey.

Instrument Specialties

407-324-7800

https://isisales.com

Important Covid-19 Early Warning Wastewater-based Epidemiology Webinar January 12, 2022

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR HERE

Extensive research has shown that people begin shedding the SARS-CoV-2 virus in their stools almost immediately after becoming infected. The virus's genetic material makes its way into the vast wastewater collection network, where it can be detected and quantified up to a week before individuals test positive in clinics, using modern sampling and analysis techniques. Public health administrators can use this early warning characteristic to control the spread better and prevent further damage by analyzing virus concentrations in specific facilities such as nursing homes and college dorms and selected neighborhoods or entire communities. This tested wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) approach depends on installing properly designed sewage surveillance systems in the study areas. In this webinar, Teledyne ISCO's Business Development Manager, Kaushal Trivedi, and Aquasight's CEO, Mahesh Lunani, discuss how to quickly develop and deploy a community-based underground sewage surveillance program for COVID-19 outbreak detection, including best practices for wastewater sampling, lab analysis, and the immediate delivery of actionable information to local public health officials and administrators. 

Covid-19 Early Warning Wastewater-based Epidemiology Webinar Topics

• Wastewater sampling site selection
• Sampling instruments - selection and installation
• Sample optimization and SCADA control
• Sample preservation and transport
• Lab testing and minimum detection levels
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Predictive analytics and advanced decision support tools including rapid identification of hot spots and high-risk areas

From this 45-minute presentation plus interactive Q&A session, attendees will gain valuable insight into community-based sewage surveillance, how to rapidly set up and operate an effective monitoring and detection system, and ensure it is well integrated for optimum public health actionability.

For more information about Teledyne ISCO product in Florida, contact Instrument Specialities, Inc. Call 407-324-7800 or visit https://isisales.com.

AUMA Electric Actuators for Critical Flow Control, Safety, and Security in the Water Industry

Potable water production, distribution, sewage treatment, and disposal are core tasks of modern water management. Drinking water abstraction, distribution, sewage disposal, and purification are fundamental prerequisites for infrastructure development. Security of supply is crucial for the modern water industry, and valves and actuators play a critical role in water management.

From individual actuators for municipal sewage treatment plants to major projects combining several hundreds of units, from the small butterfly valves and ball valves to weirs several meters high, valve actuators provide critical flow control, environmental protection, and safety.

Electric actuators are the well-established standard in the water industry.  Piping of different lengths and nominal diameters with many valve types must be automated. Electric actuators are also widely used in steel construction operating weirs and sluice gates for water systems.  Decades of developments in multi-turn, part-turn, linear actuators, valve communications, corrosion protection, and service life implanted electric actuators as the water industry standard.

AUMA, a leader in the long-term development of actuators for the water industry, earned themselves an excellent reputation by meeting the unique challenges and finding the perfect water management and treatment solutions. The AUMA brand is a synonym for long service life and ruggedness. AUMA provides solutions for all customer demands. Their modular products, control technology, and integration into established PLC control concepts or the latest Fieldbus technology are easy to retrofit in an existing installation when upgrading with modern actuation.

For more information about AUMA Actuators for the water industry in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit https://isisales.com.

Automatic Samplers Assist in Detection of Pathogens, Viruses & CECs via Wastewater-based Epidemiology

WBE (or wastewater-based epidemiology or sewage chemical information mining) is a technique for identifying a population's consumption or exposure to chemicals or diseases. A sewage treatment facility measures chemical or biological entities (biomarkers) in municipal wastewater to do so. In addition to illicit drug usage, wastewater-based epidemiology can quantify alcohol, caffeine, medicines, and other chemicals. Wastewater-based epidemiology can also detect diseases like SARS-CoV-2 in a population. Wastewater-based epidemiology is a multidisciplinary effort including wastewater treatment plant operators, chemists, and epidemiologists.

Professionals in water quality use the term contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) to describe pollutants found in water bodies that may harm the environment or human health but are not currently regulated. Agriculture, urban runoff, ordinary household products (like soaps and disinfectants) and pharmaceuticals are all sources of these pollutants. 

Natural and synthetic hormones are emerging contaminants, as is 1,4-dioxane. CECs can enter the water cycle after being discharged as waste via runoff into rivers, effluent discharge, or seepage and infiltration into the water table, eventually entering the public water supply system. Some emerging contaminants are known carcinogens and cause endocrine disruption and other toxic mechanisms.

The full line of Teledyne ISCO samplers can assist local governments, private industry, colleges and universities, and many others in detecting the COVID-19 virus, pharmaceuticals and CECs in wastewater and providing the information needed to create a plan of action.

For more information about Teledyne ISCO product in Florida, contact Instrument Specialities, Inc. Call 407-324-7800 or visit https://isisales.com.

The Ideal Air Release Valve for Chemical, Desalinization, Sewage, and Other Severe Applications

The Crispin X Series elevates valve maintenance into the twenty-first century. All of the valve parts are made of stainless steel, making them rustproof. Instead of a bolted, flanged connection, the X series uses a stainless circular clamp to secure the valve head to the body for the tightest seal in the industry. 

The X Series, available in Air & Vacuum, Pressure Air Release, and Combination assemblies, features Crispin's exclusive Head Exchange System, which includes head-fixed stainless steel valve internals. Simply loosen the head assembly, held in place by a sanitary stainless clamp fitting, to clean. Remove the original head, which weighs less than 10 pounds, and replace it with a spare. Then, at your leisure, clean the original internals. Backflushing inline is no longer possible. No more annoyances. ANSI/AWWA C512 compliant. 

The internals of all valves are attached to the head, which is available in three color-coded configurations: red for the Air & Vacuum valve, green for the Pressure Air Release valve, and blue for the Universal Combination valve. Each product's packaging is also color-coded for easy storage. 

When backflushing an inline X Series valve, the spare head replaces the original valve head immediately, allowing proper cleaning to take place off-site in a safer and more sanitary environment. 

All that stands between you and a clean valve with the X Series is a wrench, two bolts, and a clamp. 

All of the valve heads fit the same virtually indestructible 316 stainless steel body. It is one-third the weight of a standard cast iron body and has a polished interior that prevents buildup because debris has nothing to cling to. Crispin valves are all tested under the most recent ANSI/AWWA C512 standards.

For more information about Crispin Valves for the municipal water industry in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at (407) 324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

Smart Wastewater Pump Stations with MAID Labs Volucalc™

A wastewater lift station is a pumping station that transports wastewater from one elevation to another. They are essential in transporting sewage to a wastewater treatment plant. Lift Stations are an integral part of the overall infrastructure of the wastewater industry. They improve the efficiency with which sewage transports to treatment facilities. They also reduce the cost of installing underground sewer pipes. It is critical for wastewater treatment operators to closely monitor the health and efficiency of their equipment, paying close attention to alarms and notifications. Monitoring not only extends the life of the equipment but also ensures public safety (sewage is a hazardous material that must be handled and transported with caution.)

Multiple operational parts and components make up a functional wastewater lift pump station. Everything from a power supply to remote monitoring and control must be functioning to collect and treat wastewater properly.

A Flow-Based Lift Station Operating System changes the operation of the pumps based on the flow rate entering the lift station in real-time, increasing the pumps' capacity by reducing the head. It raises its ability to cope with storm surges by lowering the lead level during high flow conditions. Real-Time flow rate monitoring is mandatory to respond to rapidly changing conditions. 

Consistent monitoring is required to operate and maintain a wastewater lift station properly. A cloud-based monitoring system is the most effective approach to monitoring and controlling a lift station because they are simple, inexpensive, accurate, and accessible from anywhere. Such monitoring systems give wastewater operators access to data about their lift stations, including alert notifications and historical data graphs and charts. Monitoring ensures that lift station equipment is in good working order and protects the public by giving vital information about the wastewater being transported and processed.

MAID (Municipal And Industrial Data) Labs created the only wastewater pump station computer that significantly reduces the electrical consumption using the existing equipment. Power consumption, pump efficiency, level behavior, and real-time high precision volumetric flow metering are some elements used to highlight the embryonic catastrophic situation. The MaidLabs' Volucalc™ Hybrid Series provides a better way to manage wastewater pump stations and is the future of lift station analysis.

 

Volucalc™ Hybrid CS (Constant Speed)

VOLUCALC™ HYBRID CS is a volumetric flow meter and an open channel flow meter applicable to lift stations with constant speed pumps reporting abnormal behaviors using real-time diagnostics with flow and efficiency monitoring. The CS potentially decreases electric bills by 15% to 30% using the flow-based operating system. 

Volucalc™ Hybrid VS (Variable Speed)

VOLUCALC™ Hybrid VS is a volumetric flow meter, a derived flow-based flow meter, an open channel flow meter, a backup pump controller, and an efficiency optimizer applied on lift stations having constant speed and variable speed pumps. On constant speed pumps, flow is calculated with a volumetric algorithm. On variable speed pumps, the flow rate is derived from the calibrated pump curves. A rain gauge can also be connected for infiltration studies.

For more information in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call (407)-324-7800 or visit https://isisales.com.

Video Demonstrates Teledyne ISCO Automatic Sampler's Real-World Role in Detecting COVID-19 in Wastewater Systems

Researchers at UC Berkeley are using a simple and effective method for detecting the presence of the Coronavirus in wastewater flowing through municipal sewer systems. Water testing will assist public policymakers to determine where and how to implement COVID-19 prevention and treatment plans. 

Wastewater testing, also known as "wastewater quality indicators," is a broad term for the various test methodologies used to measure water quality. These tests investigate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of wastewater.  Wastewater naturally collects waste from hundreds to even millions of people in a single sample.  By drawing a representative sample of wastewater and analyzing it, you can gain a tremendous amount of information that you would likely not be able to achieve by testing people individually. 

The amount of viral matter in wastewater from a community could reveal the prevalence of COVID-19 in the population. This information can trigger the necessary mitigation initiatives and response plans, such as individual testing, contract tracking, and quarantine. It also allows for collecting data on a cross-section of the population, allowing for the monitoring of public health solutions for large groups. However, it is challenging to detect tiny virus particles in the wastewater that flows through our sewage pipes, considering it includes toilet water and sink water, shower water, and everything else that goes down the drain. Teledyne ISCO is leading the way in the use of automatic samplers for gathering wastewater to identify virus evidence in sewage.

Teledyne ISCO is a leading manufacturer and supplier of rugged, dependable field-portable instruments for water quality monitoring.  Their automatic sampler readings analyze the characteristics and presence of the Coronavirus in parts per million quantities, which, when compared to population numbers in a geographic area, aids in determining the presence and amount of virus in the wastewater. 

The above-referenced UC Berkeley videos provide a real-life example of how the Teledyne ISCO water sampler collects wastewater for COVID-19 analysis. In this video, samples are gathered from their University Village and sewers draining from UC Berkeley's undergraduate dormitories and surrounding neighborhoods.

The full video link is here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwsRUw4y_dU.

The full article outlining UC Berkeley's initiative is here.

For more information about Teledyne ISCO samplers used for Covid detection in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties, Inc. Call 407-324-7800 or visit https://isisales.com.

The Eye-Hye SmartLevel Boiler Indication System from Clark Reliance

The Eye-Hye® SmartLevel Boiler Indication System from Clark Reliance incorporates proprietary technology to automatically monitor the status of its probes, which detect the level of water in the boiler's steam drum. When the probes require cleaning to eliminate residue and mineral build-up to maintain accuracy, the system's innovative technology tells the control room or other remote locations without ambiguity that a probe column blowdown (cleaning) is required. A blowdown is needed if the blue light on the indicator illuminates.

All New SC Series Control Unit

• Status Indicator for Each Level Sensing Module
  • Operator can quickly be alerted to loss of power, processor interruption, water indication and blowdown mode.
• Lamp Test Feature
  • Comes standard without cost of additional circuits or field wiring.
• Voting Logic Circuitry
  • System is field-selectableto set the level of alarm or trip output. Standard feature.
• System Fault or Blowdown Indication of External Switch
• Can direct alerts to any external system or device, not just control room indicator.
• Accepts up to two Separate Power Sources from Separate Breakers
  • Assures continuous system operation.
• System Operates on 85 to 264 VAC 50/60 Hz
  • One model for worldwide use. Simplifies specification requirements for EPCs, OEMs and contractors.
• Multiple Remote Indicators Can be Installed up to 1 Mile (1.61 Kilometers) Away
  • You can have duplicate indicators wherever you choose for operator convenience.
• Level Detection Sensitivity
• Field selectable:
• Sensitivity for extreme water conditions
• Time delay on actuation and release 

DOWNLOAD THE BROCHURE HERE

For more information, contact Instrumentation Sales, Inc. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

AUMA Electric Actuators for the Water Industry

Clean water is the basis of all life. Potable water production and distribution, sewage treatment, and disposal are core tasks of modern water management.

AUMA electric actuators ensure dependable valve automation in these areas of water, wastewater treatment, and municipal water facilities:

• Sewage Treatment Plants
• Water Treatment Plants
• Drinking Water Distribution
• Sewage Disposal
• Sea Water Desalination
• Irrigation Systems
• Civil Engineering Constructions for Water Applications (Sluice Gates, Weirs, Dams)

AUMA actuators earned an excellent reputation by meeting the particular challenges and finding the perfect solutions in the water industry. Today, the AUMA brand is a synonym for long service life and ruggedness. For several decades, AUMA actuators have provided reliable and efficient service worldwide while requiring very minimal maintenance.

From individual actuators for municipal sewage treatment plants to major projects combining several hundreds of units, from the small butterfly valves, to ball valves, to weirs several meters high, AUMA solutions meet all customer demands.

AUMA modular products are easy to retrofit in an existing installation when upgrading with modern actuation and control technology.

Whether integration in established PLC control concepts or the latest Fieldbus technology, AUMA actuators guarantee adaptability into any control system design.

For more information about AUMA electric actuators for the water industry in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at (407) 324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

Control Valve Cavitation Solutions

Cavitation is the formation of vapor spaces (bubbles) in the control valve cavity resulting from a rapid change in pressure. When the bubbles move downstream and are exposed to a larger cross-sectional area, velocity decreases and pressure increases, the surrounding higher pressure causes the lower pressure bubble to implode, which causes shockwaves. These shockwaves can cause metal fatigue and cause excessive wear on the internals of the valve. As the bubbles collapse, they make a discernible sound with accompanying vibration, and the damage to a valve can happen quickly (weeks or months).

Cavitation is very destructive and may wear out the trim and body parts of the valve in a short time. Using hard internal materials provides a slight improvement but costs more.

Flowserve Valtek Cavitation Solution Control Valves prevent cavitation damage and minimize hydrodynamic noise even under the most severe liquid applications. Their unique, patented designs eliminate cavitation damage and provide straightforward maintenance and a long life even with demanding applications. 

For more information about Flowserve Valtek Control Valves in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties by calling +1 407.324.7800  or visiting https://isisales.com.

Actuator Advancements in the Water & Wastewater Industry

AUMA actuation solutions are used for open/close valve applications to divert flow to respond to the water treatment plant requirements and perform flow control duties to operate the valve. In modulating applications, the actuator precisely controls the flow to adjust the amount of medium passing through the valve into or out of the treatment plant.

AUMA has a long history as a leader in electric actuators for the water management and water treatment sectors. They maintain their leadership position through innovation and technological advancements. Here are a few examples:

Leading the Effort for Automation of Electric Actuators in Water & Water Treatment

• AUMA Cloud - Cost-Effective Asset Management and Condition-Based Predictive Maintenance
• AUMA Assistant App - Quick & Easy Setting, Comprehensive Diagnostics, Data Cloud Storage, Fast Support, Documents at Your Fingertips
• Electric Actuators for Continuous Underwater Use

VISIT THIS LINK TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW AUMA IS ADVANCING ACTUATOR TECHNOLOGY IN THE WATER INDUSTRY

For more information about AUMA in the water, wastewater, and water treatment industry in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at +1 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

Pressure Switches Are Unsung Heroes in Many Process Control Applications

In today's highly connected world of process control instrumentation, the unacknowledged and uncelebrated pressure switch quietly does it's job protecting people and equipment from unsafe conditions and ensuring consistent, efficient operation.

A pressure switch is an electromechanical device that senses fluid pressure and responds by opening or closing an electrical or pneumatic circuit. That's it. That's their job.

However, pressure switch applications exist in almost every water treatment plant, power plant, refinery, chemical plant, paper mill, steel mill, or other manufacturing plant. Pressure switches are everywhere.

Pressure switches are easy to use and consist of four essential components: a pressure port or connection; a sensor that moves in response to changing pressures; an electrical or pneumatic switch that opens or closes in response to movement; and finally, a housing that protects the pressure switch's internals from the environment. 

SOR pressure switches, the recipient of a 2021 CONTROL Readers Choice Award, have been field-proven in many industries for primary and redundant pressure applications. SOR continues to broaden its product ranges to meet evolving market needs, even though the technology of the initial Static "O" Ring mechanical switches set industry standards more than 50 years ago.  In any situation, there's a SOR switch designed to meet or exceed the minimum requirements for any hazardous area or agency approval. 

SOR pressure switches are designed and offered with various agency permits, housing enclosures, sensor materials, and switching configurations. The wide range of product components allows for the best instrument configurations to handle even the most demanding applications.

For more information about SOR pressure switches in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit this web page.

Your Local Teledyne ISCO Representative is Ready to Assist with Applying Portable Samplers

Portable samplers enable water quality monitoring in a variety of remote locations. However, determining the right equipment and optimum configuration for the site can be a challenge. An asset you can reliably turn to is your local Teledyne ISCO Representative. They are your local source for new products, proper application, product obsolescence, and replacement. Also, because these experts have access to so many different types of applications and situations, your local Teledyne ISCO Representative is a wealth of tacit knowledge that they readily share with their customers. 

For example, more and more municipalities are testing their wastewater for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) uses Teledyne ISCO portable samplers to track COVID-19 in wastewater collection systems, proving helpful in controlling the pandemic. The use of sewage pathogen monitoring in wastewater treatment facilities as a public health surveillance tool is now a reality. Municipalities have at their disposal portable and refrigerated samplers ready for widespread collection and testing. Your ISCO Representative is prepared to outline the best ways to use this equipment as part of your overall Coronavirus strategy in any type of environment or testing situation. 

Teledyne ISCO Representatives can assist you in applying portable samplers in these challenging situations:

• Sites with low flow
• Deep vertical sampling
• Fast flow, solids, ragging, and other challenging conditions
• Special considerations for wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE)
• Tracking COVID-19 in wastewater to help control the epidemic
• Sample preservation, cooling, and battery life
• Selecting the proper sampler for the location

It makes sense to develop a close relationship with these factory-trained, technical sales experts for water treatment professionals. They will help you gain better insight into the most commonly encountered problems in portable sampling applications and how to handle them. 

In Florida, contact Instrument Specialties, Inc. Their phone number is 407-324-7800. You can also learn more at https://isisales.com.

Electric Actuators for the Water and Wastewater Industry

Drinking water abstraction and distribution and sewage disposal and purification are essential prerequisites for infrastructure development and security. As witnessed by recent events, the security of supply is crucial for the modern water industry.

AUMA is ubiquitous in the water industry due to its broad product portfolio, including multi-turn, part-turn, linear actuators, reliability, state-of-the-art communications, and security. In combination with high corrosion protection, they guarantee a long service life and low maintenance.

Because of this, you'll find AUMA electric actuators around the world in:

• Sewage treatment plants
• Water treatment plants
• Drinking water distribution
• Sewage disposal
• Seawater desalination

For more information about AUMA in the water, wastewater, and water treatment industry in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at +1 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

Siemens Medium Voltage Drives: Digitalization

The maintenance of a medium voltage drive train system can be challenging. The drive train equipment is often exposed to extreme stresses subject to varying levels of wear and tear. These strains can remain invisible to the naked eye until it is too late, leading to outages and unplanned downtime. 

With Siemens Drive Train Analytics, customers can breathe easy knowing that Siemens experts are continuously monitoring and analyzing their drive train equipment's health and operating conditions remotely from our Service & Support Center. 

Siemens provides valuable insight into equipment health as a service to maintenance personnel, enabling them to be notified and act, often before the equipment breaks down. It's like having your drive train expert on staff – working together with maintenance personnel 24/7 and taking care of your drive train equipment with real-time intelligence. 

For more information about Siemens Medium Voltage Drives in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com​.

Recommended Blowdown Procedure for Boiler Level Instruments

Proper maintenance of boiler water level instruments is crucial to keeping your plant running safely and efficiently, at all times. This educational video demonstrates how to conduct a proper blowdown procedure on a glass boiler water gage and a remote level indicator. Courtesy of Clark-Reliance.

For more information contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

Seametrics iMAG 4700 Series Flanged Magnetic Flow Meter

Flanged In-line Magmeter with Pulsed and 4-20mA Outputs

Used in water & wastewater treatment, municipalities, pump skids, pump stations, packaged plants, filtration systems, reclaimed water, hydraulic fracturing.

DOWNLOAD BROCHURE HERE

iMAG 4700 Features

• Easy setup
• External AC or DC Power Versions with Battery Backup
• Minimal Straight Pipe
• Meter Mounted Rate/Total Indicator
• Pulse and 4-20mA Output Standard. Additional Optional Output: HART/4-20mA, Modbus or Digital
• Optional Datalogger
• NSF-61 Approved and IP68 Rated

For more information contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

Pinch Valves Play Vital Role at Modern Water Treatment Plant

Tampa Bay Water supplies wholesale drinking water to more than 2.5 million people in the Florida counties of Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, and the cities of New Port Richey, St. Petersburg, and Tampa. The Tampa Bay Water Regional Water Treatment Facility, located in Clearwater, is considered one of the country's most modern water treatment facilities. This showcase water treatment facility is home to over 60 Onyx Valve pinch valves, which regulate everything from the precise flow of chemicals into the water to the water flow entering and exiting the facility.

Image courtesy of Onyx Valve.

Onyx Pinch Valves are relied upon for controlling the flow of disinfectants and water purifiers into the water system. These are critical applications that make it possible to deliver a high-quality drinking water supply to each of the homes in the city of Tampa Bay and surrounding suburbs.

Manually operated pinch valves and electrically (AUMA) operated pinch valves.
Images courtesy of Onyx Valve.

For more information about Onyx Valve in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

Schools and Universities Turn to Portable Wastewater Samplers for Coronavirus Outbreak Tracking

Wastewater testing, or "wastewater quality indicators," are broad descriptions for the various testing methodologies used to measure water quality.  Wastewater testing analyzes the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of wastewater, which now includes the novel virus, SARS-CoV-2, which is the virus that causes Covid-19. 

SARS-CoV-2 is known to invade the gastrointestinal tract and, consequently, is extracted in human sold waste. The recently demonstrated ability to reliably identify and measure COVID-19 genetic material in untreated wastewater is one of the most exciting advances in Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE).

As schools and universities work to arrest the spread of Covid-19 and care for those infected, some university campuses use wastewater testing as a possible method for identifying and predicting outbreaks of Covid-19 in their facilities. This advance has put a powerful new tool in the hands of those trying to defeat the virus, giving schools the ability to detect potential outbreaks weeks earlier than conventional population monitoring.

Schools using wastewater-based epidemiology methods have shown the potential to detect COVID-19 in wastewater samples well in advance of an outbreak compared to individual students' testing. The information discovered by WBE can then be a trigger for the required mitigation initiatives and response plans by schools and universities, such as testing individuals, contact tracing, and quarantine.

Teledyne ISCO is paving the way with the use of portable refrigerated samplers to identify hot spots. The portable analyzer takes daily aliquots at sensitive locations to determine the characteristics and presence of the Coronavirus in parts per million quantities. By assessing the presence of SARS-CoV-2, researchers can predict COVID-19 flareups through a "Virus Radar" system.

Teledyne ISCO offers two popular portable samplers used on schools and campuses today: the portable Avalanche with powered refrigeration that is perfect for genetic material preservation and the Glacier with its 12-volt deep-cycle battery 48 + hours of unpowered refrigerated composite sampling.

Wastewater-based epidemiology efforts, using wastewater testing or wastewater quality indicators that incorporate these kinds of sampling instruments, are valuable in keeping schools open and keeping students safe.

For more information about Teledyne ISCO portable samplers in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties. Call them now at 407-324-7800  or visit their website at https://isisales.com.

The MSA Chillgard 5000 Refrigerant Monitor

Monitoring of the presence of leaked refrigerant in HVAC machinery spaces is motivated by compliance, economic and safety issues. Refrigerant gas in enclosed spaces can displace oxygen and contribute to an unbreathable atmosphere. Refrigerants are costly on the economic front, and leakage needs to be replaced. Also, steadily leaking coolant would potentially result in system charge levels that harm the system's operation and efficiency.

The MSA Chillgard 5000 Refrigerant Monitor, capable of detecting refrigerant gas down to 1 ppm, is designed to track up to eight remote areas and be fully programmed to detect either a single refrigerant or a group of refrigerant gases.

DOWNLOAD THE CHILLGARD 5000 BULLETIN HERE

For more information about MSA fixed gas detection products in Florida, contact Instrument Specialties, Inc. Call them at 407-324-7800 or visit their website at https://isisales.com.