System Overview #
The reclaim water will have Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) which will be higher than the municipal water so care should be taken to use this water early in the wash process and on areas of the car which are less sensitive to water spotting.
The ideal application of reclaim will be used for the underbody, wheel blasters and car sides below the windows.
In addition, the Reclaim System includes a high flow re-circulation loop which can be used for under belt cleaning and pit flush. Please work with your innovateIT representative to help explain the best approaches for using the Reclaim System in your particular wash.
Principles of Operation #
Figure 1.1 – 1 (below) shows a simplified schematic of the innovateIT Reclaim System. The system uses a submerged water pump to take waste water from the clarifying tank (third in-ground tank) and perform a series of processes designed to reclaim water.
These processes include aeration of water, chemical dosing, mechanical filtering, recirculation and storage of treated reclaim water for use in the wash. This system uses a high flow recirculation loop combined with the tank mounted micro-bubbler aeration system to maintain circulation of the water and prevent stagnation of the water when wash is not operating.
The aeration system in the underground tank is installed to reduce the required chemical usage by using oxygen from compressed air to sanitize the water and remove odors.
Three air operated solenoid valves in combination with a programmable logic controller (PLC) provide control of the system to perform the following functions:
- Off Mode
- Auto Cycle (Automates reclaim and re-circulation loop)
- Multimedia Filter Flush Cycle
- Odor Eliminator Button
Each of these functions is designed to ensure a reliable and consistent supply of reclaim water for use in a car wash tunnel application.
fig. 1.1 – 1 – Physical Component Layout of the innovateIT Reclaim System
System Functions #
The brain of the Reclaim System is the PLC controller. This controller uses a number of inputs (switches, sensors, signals, etc.) to direct the unit and supply reclaim water to the car wash based on the tunnel command.
The unit includes maintenance screens and a setting screen which are accessible from the touchscreen located on the cover of the system controller.
The HMI screen provides a touchscreen input from which the operator may select the operating mode, visually monitor the system operations, and keep track of important maintenance and operation data. Maintenance screens show cycle counts for solenoids and hour meters on all the critical components (pumps, multimedia filter, valves, etc.)
The HMI screen connects to the PLC using a serial port which simplifies the wiring and permits the ability to update the system with addition features needed to support the car wash operating and maintenance requirements
OFF MODE
- The unit will always start-up in the OFF mode.
- In this mode, power is supplied to the PLC and the 24VDC signals are energized. However, the pumps and solenoid valves are all commanded off. The HMI will show a red dot in the mode button on the main screen.
AUTO MODE
- Auto Mode will produce reclaim water or re-circulate water based on status of the belt command signal from the tunnel controller.
- A 24VDC tunnel command signal is used as the request signal for reclaim water production.
- The normal operating mode when the tunnel command is OFF, is recirculation.
- When there is a demand signal for reclaim water (belt or chain command signal), then the unit will automatically switch to reclaim and will turn on the dosing pump to a manually selected level.
- Once the belt command stops, the unit will continue to run for a pre-selected time before switching to the re-circulation mode.
- During re-circulation mode, operator can select to run the re-circulation continuously or on an on/off cycle which saves electricity but still maintains adequate circulation through the in-ground tanks to prevent stagnation leading to odors overnight or if tunnel is closed for maintenance or other issue.
RECLAIM WATER REQUEST USES TUNNEL BELT SIGNAL COMMAND
- While operating in the AUTO MODE, the belt command signal is used to switch the Reclaim System from re-circulation to reclaim modes.
- This signal is controlled directly by the Tunnel System Controller and provides a 24VDC relay signal to the Reclaim System controller to provide reclaim “on demand”.
- The Reclaim System will continue in the reclaim mode after the tunnel command signal is removed for a set time to “top off” the reclaim tank.
- It is recommended that the reclaim tank has a back up municipal water supply controlled via float valve to ensure water flow to wash and protect pumps in the event of reclaim unavailability.
MULTIMEDIA FILTER FLUSH MODE
- The unit uses a multi-stage multimedia filter which provides water filtered to a 10 micron particle size.
- The system uses 2 methods of flushing:
- Based on pressure drop (Delta P)
- The preferred method is to flush when Delta P reaches 18 psi to reduce the use of municipal water.
- Based on the time of day
- For washes with limited municipal pressure and flow a daily back flush after closing is recommended.
- Based on pressure drop (Delta P)
As the unit operates, particles in the reclaim water will be removed by the multimedia filter. These particles will slowly increase the pressure drop in the filter which will reduce flow as the filter “loads up”.
To maximize the life of this filter, the system uses municipal water for the flush cycle. The backflush of the filter should be performed at the end of the day to clean the multimedia filter. The municipal water flush will help preserve the filter media. The backflush will occur automatically based on the differential pressure across the filter or at a set time after closing..
After flush, allow a 1 minute delay in going back to reclaim to allow the media to settle in the tank. No forward flush is required to place the filter back into service. Clean filter pressure drop should be in the 4-5 psi range during reclaim operation.
if the filter delta P is over 6 psi after flush, the filter flush needs to be extended to allow the filter media a longer flush cycle. Extend the flush by one minute intervals until the drop gets back to a like-new condition. If the delta P is consistently high, it may indicate the flush water has been turned off or the flush solenoid is not opening to give adequate pressure to flush the media.
Over time the filter media may need to be cleaned by using a caustic (if organic material) or acid (if inorganic). The reclaim water varies greatly from site to site based on the local water supply, chemicals used in the wash, and the type of dirt being removed from the cars. In many cases, you can use the Odor Eliminator to inject increased level of hydrogen peroxide into the media for cleaning. Please consult innovateIT for additional cleaning details.
ODOR ELEMINATOR BUTTON
- The odor eliminator button is designed to provide a quick dose of chemical to eliminate any odors that might occur from the unit being turned off overnight or during extremely warm weather when the potential increases for having odors in the tunnel.
- The odor eliminator button is programmable for both length of dose and the dosing percent from 0-100% of the dosing pump capacity.
- Default value for the Odor Eliminator:
- Standard Flow: 20 minutes at 20 doses per minute
- High Flow: 20 minutes at 40 doses per minute
System Performance #
innovateIT’s Reclaim System is designed to provide up to 20 GPM (Standard Flow) or 40 GPM (High Flow) of reclaim water based on usage of the 30 inch diameter multimedia filter size. This flow level has been engineered to ensure high quality reclaim water and long system life.
The chemical dosing system which uses deodorizing agent allows for adjusting dosing level based on the water quality of each site. The unit is designed to operate in the Auto Mode continuously and utilizes three water treatment technologies to efficiently provide odor free reclaim water.
The system should be turned on and operated 24 hours a day to ensure proper treatment of the water. The auto cycle is designed to automatically control the reclaim cycle and includes user selectable cycle length and dosing levels to optimize the reclaim treatment.
The tunnel command switches unit to reclaim mode to fill the reclaim tank. Once all vehicles have exited the tunnel and the reclaim tank refills, the unit will start a cycle sequence to protect the water system from generating odors. This cycle uses a recirculation mode, followed by a reclaim mode and finally the unit (if desired) will enter a sleep or stop mode.
These modes are programmable by the operator for both duration and dosing levels. The filter flush mode occurs at a set time when the wash is closed to allow the backflush cycle to use the municipal water.
The chemical dosing and aeration systems are designed to increase the dissolved oxygen level of the water. The dissolved oxygen levels are reduced as the chemical and biological oxygen demands increase in the water.
The aeration micro bubbler is located in the second tank of the three underground tanks and should be set to provide aeration 24 hours per day. This requires that the air compressors used in the wash are left on overnight. The air usage is a small amount of the compressor rated flow but it adds oxygen to the recirculating water, reducing the amount of chemical required to eliminate odors in the tunnel.
Performance Specifications #
Unit | Output GPM | Filter Volume | Particle Size | Pump Voltage | Pump Output | Auto Backflush |
Standard Flow | 20 | 14 Cubic Feet | <10 Micron | 480 | 4hp | Yes |
High Flow | 40 | 28 Cubic Feet | <10 Micron | 480 | 4hp | Yes |