SUP-LDG Magnetic Flowmeter: Wide Application in the Philippine Water Treatment Project

Dive deeper into the world of electromagnetic flowmeters (mag meters) through a real-world success story in the Philippines. This guide explores a major water treatment initiative in Metro Manila, highlighting how Sinoanalyzer‘s SUP-LDG series, including the standard and sanitary models, delivers precise, reliable flow measurement in challenging environments.

You’ll learn the project’s background amid the country’s wastewater crisis, the meter’s working principle based on Faraday’s law, key features like high accuracy and hygienic design, and versatile applications from raw sewage to food-grade processing.

Table of Contents:

1. Recalling the Water Treatment Project of the Philippines

2. Walking Through the Electromagnetic Flow Meter

Recalling the Water Treatment Project of the Philippines

In Metro Manila’s urban core, where a population exceeding 13 million contends with acute water stress amid rapid industrialization and frequent typhoons, wastewater management stands as a vital lifeline for sustainability. The Philippines confronts severe pollution from untreated sewage; only 10% of domestic wastewater receives processing, discharging over 1,000 tons of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) daily into vital waterways like the Pasig River, per Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) assessments.

Climate variability, including El Niño-induced droughts and 20+ annual storms, disrupts supply chains, while the Clean Water Act of 2004 enforces Class C effluent limits (BOD <50 mg/L) to protect ecosystems. A groundbreaking 50 million liters per day (MLD) facility in Pasay City, backed by Maynilad Water Services and $145 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), counters these threats through advanced biological treatment and sewer rehabilitation.

This expansion of the NEW WATER program, targeting 12 MLD potable reuse by late 2025, tackles influent variability from urban runoff and informal discharges, integrating nutrient removal to meet Philippine National Standards for Drinking Water (PNSDW). Central to its efficiency is precise flow metering for aeration and dosing, where Sinomeasure’s SUP-LDG magnetic flowmeter deploys non-intrusive electromagnetic technology rooted in Faraday’s law to handle debris-laden streams with ±0.5% accuracy, slashing energy use by 20% and enabling SCADA-driven optimizations. This initiative not only complies with Manila Bay rehabilitation mandates but paves the way for effluent repurposing in agriculture, fostering a circular model amid projected 2030 treatment demands doubling.

Building on the strict frontline role in influent tracking, the SUP-LDG Sanitary Electromagnetic Flowmeter (SUP-LDGS) emerges as the hygienic counterpart, ensuring treated effluent transitions safely into food processing and pharmaceutical workflows with unwavering precision and sterility.

Walking Through the Electromagnetic Flow Meter

Designed for conductive liquids in sanitary environments, this flowmeter leverages the same electromagnetic induction principle by generating voltage from fluid velocity in a magnetic field to deliver volumetric measurements free of moving parts, minimizing shear and contamination risks in sensitive applications.

Compliant with EHEDG and 3-A standards, the SUP-LDGS features electropolished 316L stainless steel wetted paths and crevice-free internals, ideal for post-treatment streams in the Philippine facility where disinfected water feeds beverage dilution or dairy cooling lines.

With a measurement range of DN15–DN1000 and velocities from 0.2–15 m/s, it accommodates low-conductivity reclaimed water (≥5 μS/cm for non-aqueous media) without pressure drops, supporting CIP/SIP cycles up to 180°C in split configurations. Outputs like 4-20 mA, pulse, and RS485/Modbus integrate effortlessly with existing SCADA, providing real-time diagnostics to prevent stagnation in booster stations.

In essence, the SUP-LDGS bridges wastewater origins to value-added reuse, embodying Sinomeasure’s commitment to robust, adaptable instrumentation that aligns with global hygiene norms while addressing local challenges like monsoon-induced flow surges.

Delving deeper into its engineering prowess, the SUP-LDGS boasts a suite of specifications that guarantee reliability in demanding sanitary setups, as outlined in Sinomeasure’s technical documentation. Accuracy reaches ±0.5% of rate (or ±2 mm/s at <1 m/s), with 0.2% repeatability for custody transfer, ensuring traceability in audited food exports. Liner materials—PFA, F46, PTFE, FEP, or neoprene—offer tailored corrosion resistance for pH 0–14 media, while electrode choices (Hastelloy C-276, titanium, tantalum, or platinum-iridium) endure aggressive sanitizers without leaching.

Fluid temperature tolerance spans -20°C to 160°C, with ambient operation from -20°C to 60°C and IP65/IP67 protection against dust and immersion. Power requirements are modest (AC 85–265V or DC 24V), drawing <0.65W, and installation flexibility includes flange (DIN/JIS/ANSI), clamp, or thread mounts, with cable glands up to 11mm. Explosion-proof variants (ExiaIICT6 Gb) suit volatile zones, and the meter’s modular design allows remote transmitters up to 50m away, facilitating maintenance in humid Philippine climates. These parameters, verified under JB/T 9248-2015 standards, underscore a 10-year electrode lifespan, far outpacing mechanical alternatives prone to wear in viscous slurries like pulp recovery.

Key features further elevate the SUP-LDGS as a low-maintenance powerhouse for precision flow control. Its dual-frequency excitation stabilizes signals in pulsating or low-flow conditions, eliminating noise from bubbles or solids common in effluent polishing, while the non-conductive liner prevents buildup, extending service intervals.

Integrated empty pipe detection via advanced algorithms halts false readings, and self-diagnostic functions, accessible via HART protocol, flag electrode coatings or liner breaches early, reducing unplanned downtime by up to 30%. For sanitary excellence, quick-disconnect tri-clamp fittings enable tool-free disassembly for validation, slashing audit prep time, and the absence of dead zones supports sterile validation per GMP guidelines.

Compared to ultrasonic meters, its insensitivity to density variations during pH adjustments yields tighter control, boosting yields by 5–10% in blending operations. These attributes, combined with bi-directional flow capability for reverse flushing, make the SUP-LDGS not just a meter but a proactive asset in ensuring effluent integrity from Metro Manila’s treatment vats to downstream hygienic pipelines.

The SUP-LDGS finds versatile applications across industries where sanitary flow integrity is paramount, particularly in the Philippine project’s effluent reuse ecosystem. In food and beverage, it monitors ingredient additions like water in syrup dilution or post-pasteurization cooling, maintaining batch consistency amid variable viscosities up to 1000 cP.

Pharmaceutical lines benefit from its traceability in purified water distribution or tablet granulation, upholding FDA-compliant logs for export certifications. Beyond dairy processing leverages it for milk standardization, while breweries track wort flows in fermentation tanks, all while adhering to 3-A hygiene.

In wastewater contexts like this Manila facility, it oversees reclaimed streams for agro-irrigation, preventing over-irrigation that spikes salinity in rice paddies.

Chemical sectors use it for neutralized effluents in batch reactors, and cosmetics for emulsion mixing, where precise metering curtails waste. With scalability from lab-scale DN15 to industrial DN1000, and pressures to 1.6–4.0 MPa, it supports zero-liquid discharge initiatives in mining-adjacent zones like Cebu, repurposing brines without microbial risks. Ultimately, these uses transform treated water from burden to boon, driving efficiency in water-scarce regions.