Optimizing Property Operations and Sustainability with Portable Ultrasonic Flow Meters

Meeting the Challenge

Monitoring the performance of water and controlling energy consumption within commercial buildings is vital to make sure systems operate to specification and are tuned for maximum savings to deliver fast return on investment.

A well-known facility management company based in the Middle East has spearheaded numerous energy-saving projects aimed at optimizing operations and reducing costs. Leveraging their expertise and experience, they installed energy-efficient and sustainable metering solutions from Badger Meter across various facilities, ranging from commercial buildings to residential complexes, hotels and retail centers.

With a large number of residential and commercial buildings earmarked for retrofit projects aimed at optimizing operations and advancing sustainability initiatives, water and energy conservation was imperative.

The Solution

To seamlessly measure flow rates and BTU energy across pipes of varying sizes, without disrupting operations, a series of Dynasonics^® DXN portable ultrasonic clamp-on flow/BTU meters were selected due to the reputation and long-term experience of Badger Meter in the field of non-invasive, clamp-on technology, product performance, customer support, return on investment and simplicity of installation.

In addition to measuring a liquid flow rate, the Dynasonics DXN is an ideal solution for hydronic energy metering, equipped with a built-in energy calculator. The DXN is a powerful tool used for troubleshooting flow issues and measuring the volumetric flow rate of the heat exchanger liquid, the temperature at the inlet pipe and the temperature at the outlet pipe. A true hybrid instrument, this meter is capable of measuring liquid flow with multiple technologies to provide accurate readings, offering application flexibility and simple installation.

Establishing a solid baseline was pivotal for this energy-saving project, requiring comprehensive audits to gather essential ground data. The precision of this data was paramount, serving as the cornerstone for establishing energy consumption benchmarks. Armed with reliable insights, the team could strategically formulate and execute energy-saving strategies, while fine-tuning operational efficiencies with precision.

Badger Meter provided a live demonstration at one of their sites, showcasing the utilization of DXN clamp-on meters for the measurement of flow and BTU across a diverse range of pipe sizes. A standout feature of the device is its battery-powered functionality, offering the added convenience of car charging. This solution was actively deployed across multiple buildings as part of their audit processes for retrofit ESCO projects.

The Dynasonics DXN is part of the BlueEdge^TM suite of scalable water technology, software and services solutions from Badger Meter. The meter is available in a variety of configurations to meet individual application requirements, supporting an encoder output for use with Badger Meter ORION^® Cellular Endpoints for connecting to the AquaCUE^® or BEACON^® Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud-based software suite. Alternatively, it can link directly to Building Management Systems.

BlueEdge provides actionable data for proactive decision-making and offers a comprehensive, solution-driven approach to water management that drives innovation and sustainability. This unique approach is designed to improve the visibility and optimization of assets, delivering instant access to data, performance analytics and alerts, layered on top of related system information to inform and improve response times. Expertly crafted and tailored to individual needs, BlueEdge solutions are deployable at every point along a smart water journey.

Conclusion

The facilities management company harnessed the capabilities of the Dynasonics DXN portable ultrasonic clamp-on flow/BTU meters to establish and integrate a precise and reliable flow measurement solution into their audit processes. This addition has provided heightened visibility and authoritative control over energy and water consumption to help them optimize their operations, along with:

• Streamlining costs
• Minimizing waste by ensuring the correct amount of water is delivered
• Identifying and understanding water consumption patterns
• Enabling data-driven decisions
• Extending the useful life of assets
• Long Term visibility and confidence

By utilizing DXN portable flow meters, the facilities management company identified areas that could benefit from improved water consumption, achieved better control over their energy-saving projects, optimized operations and reduced expenditure costs.

Offering a portfolio of leading-edge solutions for property operations, BlueEdge from Badger Meter provides solutions for every phase in a property’s lifecycle, from new construction to retrofit, building services, grounds and irrigation management, and gas detection. Our unique portfolio of flow and energy instrumentation, water quality sensing, cloud-based software platforms and toxic and combustible gas detection, provides versatile solutions for process optimization and control, while streamlining costs, ensuring regulatory compliance and extending the useful life of assets.