Tenselo is water treatment design software for Australian and New Zealand workflows. It separates treatment selection from equipment sizing: WTR-022 interprets the supplied laboratory results and proposes stages in flow order, while linked calculators assess capacity, chemicals, backwash, recovery and hydraulic requirements.
Start with the water analysis and the required duty
For water treatment design, first define the source, intended use, required treated-water quality and flow. Enter the laboratory results with their units and detection limits. Review missing tests before choosing treatment stages or equipment.
Use Tenselo's treatment selection workflow to review a preliminary sequence, then open the sizing guide for the stage you need: iron-removal filtration, softening, reverse osmosis or ultrafiltration design software and sizing. Check service flow, backwash or cleaning, waste streams and available pressure across the proposed system.
The bore-water report below shows that process with hypothetical inputs. Its missing results and withheld checks remain part of the design handover; a proposed sequence does not establish drinking-water safety.
Bore-water example: from findings to treatment order
The sample uses a direct, pressurised bore-water supply with a 60 L/min design flow, 350 kPa available pressure and 8 operating hours per day. The entered analysis includes iron at 800 µg/L (0.80 mg/L) and total hardness at 250 mg CaCO3/L. You can check the entered values on page 4 of the PDF.
Page 1 proposes the following sequence for those inputs. Read each stage alongside the unresolved checks before carrying it into a design.
Iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide removal
The entered iron result prompts this first stage. Manganese and hydrogen sulphide have no laboratory results in the example, so the report withholds quantitative sizing for this stage. Obtain bounded results before confirming the media, oxidant demand, vessel duty and backwash requirements.
Read the iron-removal sizing guideHardness and scale treatment
The report proposes softening after iron removal and shows a preliminary softener estimate for the entered service flow and hardness. The designer still needs to confirm the upstream stage, supplier duty and regeneration arrangements before selecting equipment.
Read the softener-sizing guideFinal disinfection barrier
The report includes a preliminary disinfection stage. E. coli and total coliforms are marked “not tested”, so this example cannot establish drinking-water safety. Confirm the missing microbiology, the selected barrier’s operating conditions and the treated-water testing requirements with a competent specialist.
Read the report’s warnings and treatment sequence
The pressure check remains open. The example starts with 350 kPa available, but Tenselo withholds the pressure budget while the first stage is unsized. Establish its clean and dirty pressure-loss allowances before calculating residual pressure or booster duty.
This example shows how to keep unresolved evidence visible during selection. Use the water-analysis interpretation guide for units, reporting limits and the difference between an untested result and a measured value.
Water treatment design software for Australian projects
The workflow uses metric units and keeps the source water, intended use, design flow, pressure and laboratory evidence beside the proposed treatment train. This makes each decision traceable before a supplier model is selected.
For Australian and New Zealand work, confirm the current drinking-water, plumbing, environmental, chemical-storage and waste-disposal requirements that apply to the site. The software records the design basis; it does not provide regulatory approval or drinking-water clearance.
Start with the duty and treated-water target
Record the intended use, water source, peak and daily flow, available pressure, operating hours and treated-water target before choosing a process. Add the complete laboratory analysis and keep seasonal or rain-related changes visible. A process that handles a steady bore can behave differently on surface water with changing turbidity and algae.
Preliminary process-selection map
| Finding | Potential stage to assess | Tenselo workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Suspended solids or variable turbidity | Screen, disc, media, cartridge, coagulation or UF | Filtration, WTR-012, WTR-013 and WTR-006 |
| Iron, manganese or hydrogen sulphide | Oxidation, contact time and catalytic filtration | WTR-015 iron-removal sizing |
| Hardness and scaling | Ion-exchange softening, blending or membrane treatment | DOM-004 or WTR-018, WTR-004 and WTR-003 |
| Dissolved salts or selected dissolved contaminants | Reverse osmosis with suitable pretreatment | WTR-003 RO design and WTR-005 mass balance |
| Microbial risk | Source protection, filtration and validated disinfection barriers | WTR-007 CT, WTR-008 residual decay, WTR-010 UV and related filtration calculations |
| Taste, odour or organics | Activated carbon after the upstream load is understood | WTR-011 industrial GAC or DOM-001 domestic filtration |
The table lists questions to investigate. It does not prove that a listed process is suitable for a particular site.
Check the treatment stages in flow order
The sequence affects performance. Sediment and iron removal may protect a membrane. Softening or antiscalant can change RO scaling risk. Carbon can remove oxidants that would damage some membranes, while disinfection barriers need enough upstream treatment to meet their validated operating conditions.
Tenselo links the interpretation to separate calculations so the designer can check each duty instead of treating a named product as the whole design. The report records the assumptions used for the sequence and sizing.
Carry the evidence into equipment sizing
Before accepting a model or vessel size, carry the same duty and source-water evidence into the next calculation. For the sample above, these checks remain part of the handoff.
| Design decision | Evidence in this example | Next check |
|---|---|---|
| Flow and operating duty | 60 L/min, 8 h/day, direct supply | Confirm the actual site demand, peak conditions and available backwash supply. |
| First-stage sizing | Iron 0.80 mg/L; manganese and H₂S not tested | Complete the missing analysis, then confirm treatment media, oxidant demand and backwash duty. |
| Softener selection | Hardness 250 mg CaCO3/L; preliminary softening stage | Check the upstream treatment and the supplier’s capacity and regeneration requirements. |
| Residual pressure | 350 kPa supply; pressure budget withheld | Account for clean and dirty losses through the complete selected treatment train. |
| Drinking-water use | E. coli and total coliforms not tested | Resolve microbiology and specialist verification before relying on the supply for drinking. |
Open the complete four-page sample report to compare the treatment sequence on page 1, results on pages 2–3 and entered inputs on page 4. The sample demonstrates the workflow; it is not a completed customer installation.
Evidence required before equipment selection
- A representative laboratory analysis with units, reporting limits and sample date
- Peak and continuous flow, daily demand and available pressure
- Seasonal variability and the worst expected source condition
- Backwash, cleaning, chemical storage and waste-disposal arrangements
- Current supplier performance data, material compatibility and maintenance requirements
- The applicable drinking-water, environmental and plumbing requirements
Use water-analysis interpretation to organise the starting evidence.
Questions
How does Tenselo select a water-treatment process?
The software combines the source, intended use, hydraulic duty and entered laboratory results to propose preliminary stages in flow order. Each stage links to a separate sizing calculation.
Can one water sample define the complete treatment plant?
Usually not. Seasonal variation, particle size, peak flow, cleaning and backwash, waste disposal, supplier performance and the required treated-water quality also affect the design.
Does Tenselo select actual equipment?
Some sizing tools can assess named supplier products or standard vessels. The user must confirm the current model, materials, operating envelope and complete process with the supplier and a competent specialist.
Is Tenselo water treatment software for Australia and New Zealand?
Yes. The workflow uses metric inputs and is written for Australian and New Zealand water professionals. The responsible designer must still confirm the standards, regulations, approvals and source-water evidence that apply to the project.
Is water-treatment selection the same as drinking-water approval?
No. A preliminary process selection and equipment calculation do not certify drinking-water safety or replace regulatory and specialist review.