PC Pumps Solving Wastewater Problems

PC Pumps Solving Wastewater Problems

Blockages and failures occur more often with some pump types, but for many of today’s water operators, there is a solution. Here, we take a look at how progressive cavity (PC) pumps are solving some of the water industry’s key pumping challenges.

Pumps are integral to the successful operation of wastewater treatment works (WwTW). Whether moving untreated water, transferring dewatered sludge or metering chemicals, the pumps in use at WwTW need to be easy to monitor, robust, reliable and able to handle a variety of materials. But not all pumps are the same.

Blockages and failures occur more often with some pump types, and with water companies delivering efficiency savings that have resulted in more unmanned sites, the discovery of process problems can be delayed, sometimes resulting in pump downtime. For many of today’s water operators, there is a solution. Here, we take a look at how progressive cavity (PC) pumps are solving some of the water industry’s key pumping challenges.

Monitoring and maintenance

Many of today’s WwTW were originally designed to be manually supervised by on-site operatives who checked for blockages, process or equipment problems and corrected them in a timely manner. Due to partial process automation, many sites are now unmanned, with maintenance planned at specific intervals.

When unforeseen problems occur, such as pump blockages due to ragging, or lack of suction lift due to grit contamination causing excessive pump wear, a maintenance team has to be despatched to rectify the issue. However, some PC pumps, such as SEEPEX’s Smart Conveying Technology (SCT) range, can be remotely monitored, making it easier for problems to be anticipated and enabling predictive maintenance.

For example, the use of variable frequency drives (VFD) and the ability to monitor speed means operators can foresee when maintenance will be required. As the pump stator wears, the pump speed increases; once this is identified, the SCT pump can be very quickly adjusted to match its original capacity, keeping efficiency high and providing more time to plan for maintenance.

Read full article from World Pumps: Solving wastewater problems the PC way

SEEPEX Water Treatment Systems at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

SEEPEX Water Treatment Systems at Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

The Hetch Hetchy reservoir to the east of San Francisco plays a central part in supplying drinking water in California. The reservoir stores up to 442 billion liters of drinking water and provides for about 80% of the population in the San Francisco Bay Area. That’s 2.6 million people! The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) is responsible for storing, regulating and checking the drinking water quality. The SFPUC was unsatisfied with their previous pump type and was looking for an alternative. SEEPEX won them over.

Read entire case study: Water for Millions

Envirogen and Inotec to Advance Bioreactor Performance for Water Treatment

bioreactorThe initial focus of the development activity will be on reducing the amount of substrate (electron donor) required to successfully operate anoxic bioreactors as well as on minimizing the amount of solids generated during operation. Bioreactor treatment operating costs are among the lowest of any type of water treatment technology on the market today with electron donor and solids handling representing a significant portion of long-term project costs. Were excited at the opportunity to work with Inotec to advance the state-of-the-art of bioreactor technology.