Why does this happen?
For Water Distribution
In water distribution systems, the bulk of the microorganisms are usually associated with the surfaces (sessile microorganisms) rather than those that are free-floating in the water (planktonic microorganisms).
Microbes tend to form thick deposit layers known as biofilms on tank and pipe surfaces in order to establish a favorable ecosystem for growth and for protection against disinfectants. This leads to microbially-induced corrosion (MIC) and many other challenges.
The key is the ability to precisely locate contamination hot spots quickly so as to facilitate rapid action.
For Water Treatment
Traditional regulated measurements for microorganisms can only detect a portion of all waterborne microorganisms. On top of that, the technologies behind these test methods can date back to 130 years ago and will take as long as weeks to answer a simple “yes or no” question as to whether or not a specific microorganism is present. During this lag, problems can become exponentially worse.
In addition to health concerns from pathogenic microorganisms, water quality management has significant implications on infrastructure integrity. Membranes, pipelines and storage tanks can all be affected by microbial growth. The best defense against microbial proliferation and premature equipment failure is early detection.
Cooling Water System
Why does this happen?
The warm environments of cooling systems are ideal for the growth of microorganisms. As microorganism communities grow in cooling systems, they can attach to pipe walls and form biofilms.
These biofilms pose serious risks, from human health risks like Legionnaire’s disease to reduced operating efficiency and eventually to equipment failure via microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC).
The solution is to reduce overall biological loading by introducing fast microbial monitoring solutions to ensure that operational targets are met, and that risks associated with non-target organisms do not go overlooked, from feed water to cooling surface and to basin.
Upstream Oil & Gas
Why does this happen?
In the formation, microbes can impede inflow, corrode infrastructure, and sour the formation. At the surface, production problems associated with microbial infection include corrosion and fouling of wellheads, pipelines, separators and storage tanks.
The solution is to provide field technicians with the ability to address microbial challenges and validate corrections immediately while on-site. The rapid feedback that is provided enables proactive adjustments to ensure that localized problems do not evolve into major problems.
Wastewater Treatment
Why does this happen?
Most operational challenges – bulking, upsets, excessive costs and non-compliance –stem from inaccurate measurements of the true, living biomass in your process. Relying on suspended solids measurements to quantify biomass in your process is insufficient because these measurements also count dead microorganisms and inert materials.
This limitation can lead to delayed or missed diagnosis of operational challenges, resulting in high cost of operation and/or poor quality effluent. The solution to these challenges is accurate, real-time microbiological testing results that enable you to save time, optimize operating costs, and manage treatment process risks.