Reliance Automation — Automated Polymer Feed System for Wastewater Treatment

Why manual dosing falls behind

A manual jar test is a snapshot of a single moment. Wastewater doesn't hold still — a fryer dump, a marination discharge, or a sanitation cycle changes the zeta potential of the stream, and the dosage that worked an hour ago stops working.

Jar test results (mg/L) have to be manually converted to pump settings (mL/min) at the plant's actual flow rate
Flow increases mean dosage runs too low; flow decreases mean it runs too high
Operators often don't notice influent changes for hours — by then, non-compliant water has already discharged

What the automated system does instead

Reliance Automation's system watches DAF influent and effluent continuously. When it detects an upset, it runs the jar test itself — testing pre-programmed coagulant and polymer combinations — and implements new pump settings the moment it finds the combination that hits target clarity.

If more than one combination gets the same result, the system selects the lowest-cost option automatically.

How the optimization system works

A closed loop that runs whether or not anyone is watching the DAF.

Monitor

Turbidity or TSS sensors read DAF influent and effluent continuously, in real time.

Detect

When effluent clarity moves outside the set point, the system flags an upset and triggers a test.

Test

The PLC runs an automated jar test — incrementally trying pre-programmed coagulant and polymer combinations.

Implement

Once optimal clarity is found, new pump settings go live — the lowest-cost combination wins on a tie.

Built for high-variability wastewater streams

Ideal for plants where equalization is minimized and conditions shift shift-to-shift.

Food & Beverage Processing

Cooking oil discharges, marination, blood, and sanitation cycles all shift the zeta potential of the wastewater stream — often within the same shift.

Responds to fryer dumps and sanitation discharges automatically
Cuts surcharge exposure from TSS/BOD violations
Reduces the operator headcount needed to babysit the DAF

Industrial Manufacturing

Process water and pretreatment systems where flow and composition change with production — and a missed dosage window means a compliance event.

Tracks variable flow rates without manual recalculation
Operates multiple DAF units or clarifiers from a single unit
Ethernet, internet, or cellular wireless monitoring

Water & Wastewater Plants

Plants with limited operator coverage and minimal equalization, where discharge compliance depends on catching changes as they happen.

24/7/365 monitoring and control with alarm call-out
SPC/SQC data logging and trending built in
NEMA 4X touchscreen HMI for on-site operators

CASE HISTORY — POULTRY FURTHER PROCESSING, ALABAMA

From 6 full-time operators to 2

DAF unit skimming solids from wastewater at a treatment plant

THE PROBLEM

A poultry further-processing plant ran a three-part polymer program (coagulant, anionic, and cationic polymer) through a DAF unit before discharging to the city. Cooking oil, marination, blood, and sanitation discharges repeatedly shifted the wastewater's zeta potential faster than operators could react. Jar tests — run in mL/L and converted by hand to mL/min pump settings — rarely kept pace. Surcharges exceeded $300,000 in 2008 and were on pace to double in 2009, driven mainly by TSS and BOD violations. Six operators were needed to monitor the DAF around the clock.

THE SOLUTION

Reliance Automation installed turbidity sensors before and after the DAF and programmed a PLC with a range of polymer combinations. When turbidity rose above set points, the system automatically ran through combinations until it found the one that restored optimal clarity — and defaulted to the lowest-cost option whenever more than one worked equally well.

$600K+

in surcharges eliminated, saved annually

6 → 2

full-time wastewater operators required

40%

reduction in chemical consumption

What the system tracks and delivers

Beyond the Alabama result, these are the categories of impact the system is built to produce on any DAF or clarifier line.

FISCAL

Chemical use reduction, reduced manpower needs, and reduced chemical storage on site.

ENVIRONMENTAL

Fewer notices of violation, stronger regulatory compliance, and continuous wastewater data for reporting.

FLEXIBILITY

Automated control that adapts to variable flow rates and process changes without operator recalculation.

SUSTAINABILITY

Water reduction and reuse, sludge reduction, and system-wide chemical optimization.

PATENTED — UNITED STATES, MEXICO & CANADA

Built to run for years, not just a demo

Units installed in the field are still running after 9+ years of continuous service. Full technical documentation is available on request.

CONTROLSAllen Bradley PLC and components, with a NEMA 4X touchscreen HMI on-site.
SENSORSIndustrial, self-cleaning probes for direct ppm chemical measurement and DAF influent/effluent turbidity.
MONITORINGReal-time Ethernet, internet, or cellular wireless monitoring, with alarm call-out notifications.
DATABuilt-in SPC/SQC data management and trending across chemical dosing, flow, and influent/effluent clarity.
SCALEOne unit can operate multiple DAF units or clarifiers.

About Reliance Automation

Reliance Automation, LLC builds and installs the Automated Polymer Feed System — a patented control platform that replaces manual jar testing with continuous, automated wastewater treatment optimization.

We work directly with plant operators and engineers, from initial assessment through installation and ongoing support, fitting the system to each facility's existing DAF, clarifier, and control infrastructure.

EntityReliance Automation, LLC

ProductAutomated Polymer Feed System

PatentsUS, Mexico, Canada

SectorsFood processing · Industrial · Water/wastewater

Based inLouisville, KY

Request a plant assessment

Tell us about your DAF or clarifier setup and current dosing process — we'll follow up to scope what automation could look like on your line.