AWWA MTC50240

Pilot testing continues to be a necessary part of ultra and microfiltration (UF/MF) system implementation. Pilot study objectives include developing design criteria, receiving regulatory approval, and familiarizing the owner and operators with the systems. With the increasing number of UF/MF systems in the drinking water market, pilot testing has become more complex and monitoring and control issues have become more important. A data acquisition and control (DAC) system was developed to improve pilot study results and quality. Benefits of DAC include providing a standard platform of automatic data acquisition to allow equal comparison of performance, allowing continuous pilot operation thereby simulating full-scale operation, providing automated control of the pilots to account for changes in temperature and other water quality parameters, assuring the design engineer detailed pilot results, allowing project communication of data between all project stakeholders, and providing on-line analysis tools to aide in assessing pilot performances. The DAC system is described as well as application of its benefits in pilot studies across the United States. Includes 10 references, figures.