NIRAS VOLUME 5 [5.1] 20
plant operation will always be made by operators on the basis of the operators' analysis and interpretation of information provided by computers. Operators will always be needed to see if mixed liquor suspended solids look OK, to listen to a pump to be sure it sounds proper, and to smell influent wastewater and the equipment to determine if unexpected or unidentified changes are occurring. Wastewater treatment plants will always need alert, knowledgeable, and experienced operators who have a "feel" for their plant.
CONCLUSIONS 1. Computers can save time and money as well as increase efficiency. 2. Computers can help operators do a better job in many areas of plant operations. Specific areas include: • analysis of lab results • equipment maintenance • pretreatment monitoring • process control • report generation 3. Computer software and hardware should be purchased only after the tasks to be performed have been clearly specified. 4. Computers cannot and will not completely run your plant. They can even lull you into a false sense of security, which may mean that you do a worse job.
5.1.5 Basic electrical monitoring & troubleshooting Electric system management Electric system management is the process through which a facility management team ensures that a plant or building receives a sufficient, reliable supply of power at the level of quality required. This process also involves seeking to obtain that power at the lowest possible cost for the required class of service. Until recently the main objective of electric system management was to guarantee uninterrupted operation of a facility’s lighting, process, and environmental systems.
This “lights on, motors turn” approach originated during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when energy consumption was dominated by linear loads. In recent years, however, nonlinear loads such as variable-speed motors, programmable logic controllers, and other electronic equipment have proliferated. Compared with linear loads, these nonlinear loads are