Pumping or Lift Station level control Application Note

A5SL-BR-AN1.00Pumping or Lift Station level controlThe purpose of a lift station is to raise or lift the sewage to a higher elevation where it can then flow downhill via gravity tothe wastewater treatment plant. Raw sewage flows by gravity to the lift station into what is called a wet well. This wet wellacts as a holding tank for the raw sewage. When a set level in the wet well is reached, a pump will automatically start to pumpdown the well to a consistent level. If the first pump cannot maintain the set level a second pump will start and run until a lowlevel set point is reached. Some pump stations have as many as 4 pumps to maintain level. With millions of lift or pump sta-tions throughout the US a reliable, accurate level transmitter is required to avoid overflow.1The purpose of the level transmitter is to provide feedback to the pump allowing them to turn on and off when the levelreaches a set height. Floats, bubbler systems, radar and ultrasonic are all ways to indicate level. However these methodscan have installation difficulties, maintenance issues, high costs or reliability issues due to the environment.Blue Ribbon has developed the Model BC001, a submersible, hydrostatic level transmitter that can withstand the environ-mental conditions and provide a reliable, accurate level control. The large diameter sensing element is designed to resist clog-ging which is critical due to the level of fats, oil and grease found in the wet well. This design provides low maintenance,installation and initial purchase cost.The Model BC001 provides a heavy duty baffle plate, some times known as a Birdcage design, to protect the sensing ele-ment from installation issues or debris found floating in the effluent. The transmitters construction provides a weighted ad-vantage to keep the transmitter in place at the bottom of the wet well. The all stainless steel body provides a corrosionresistant design with an integral Polyurethane or Tefzel cable to resist compatibility issues. The cable also provides an inte-gral breather tube that allows for barometric reference.A typical sewage lift station layout is shown here.2Installation is simple due to the transmitters design. The transmitter is inserted in the wet well from the top and lowered tothe bottom of the well. The reinforced cable doesn’t require additional support, but in severe applications or for ease of re-trieving the cable if dropped into the wet well an external support cable is recommended.Typically the transmitter is terminated in a control panel where the signal is feed into a pump controller. Blue Ribbon alsoprovides a 2 or 4 channel pump controller that provides programmable pump rotation, level indication, alarms, seal leak-age indication and other features required for pump station control. Model BC001Features- Non-Clogging 3-1/2” Diameter sensor face- All 316 Stainless Steel construction to resist corrosion- ½” NPT Male electrical conduit connection for rigid installation support- Integral lightning protection- ~6lbs in weight to limit cavitation and movementCritical Specification Overview: (see data sheet for full specs)Pressure Ranges: 0-30” WC thru 0-300 PSIAccuracy: +/-0.5% FSO (+/-.25% FSO availableOutput: 4-20mA (0-5 VDC available)Wetted Materials: 316 Stainless Steel, Polyurethane & Neoprene.Please contact Blue Ribbon Sales & Services:1940 Howell Branch Rd. • Winter Park, FL 32792 Tel. (877) 677-8899 • Fax (407) 657-6622 E-mail:info@blueribboncorp.com www.blueribboncorp.com