Solution:
The Greenville Wastewater Reclamation Center had one goal: To make the flow of water coming into its treatment process rag and debris free.
And now – to reach that goal – the team would look to the HUBER Belt Screen EscaMax® to do the job.
In the old facility, Erwin’s team was constantly fighting rag balls so they could try to keep debris from damaging downstream equipment. In the new facility, EscaMax® gives them the freedom to focus on more than the rag balls – and still have confidence that their downstream equipment is not in harm’s way. Instead of constantly fighting rag balls, they do three or four walk-by checks to make sure that rags aren’t hanging up or bridging and failing to move into the compactor. If they find a hang-up, they just wash it down without a problem.
The EscaMax® gives them control over what gets in the stream whereas their previous process gave them no way to prevent rag balls from flowing into pumps and mixers and causing slowdowns and clogs. “Everyone dreaded their turn at deragging the pump or cleaning the rags out of the mixers,” said Erwin about the effects of the rags on his team’s processes. “The impact to the equipment is tremendously reduced because the bulky rags are just not there to cause the problems.”
Getting the rags out at the start
The concept of headworks fine screens is just common sense. After all, doesn’t it make sense to separate out and discard undesirables from ever getting into your system?
The benefits of fine screens:
- You control what comes into the headworks.
- You start with a cleaner flow
- You reduce stress on downstream machines
- You reduce amount of management required for equipment
- You reduce debris within the facility
- You give your team time to focus on other operational needs
According to Erwin, the EscaMax® keeps his team from dealing with the hassles, problems, repairs and slowdowns caused by rags and debris moving through the stream. The debris causes a chain-reaction that works its way through the process, wreaking havoc by causing clean-up and often downtime from breakdowns and repairs. These issues carry with them their own associated costs in man hours, lost production and consumption of repair budget.
Bonus effects of fine screening
Consider the new screens downstream protection. Taking the debris out at the beginning ensures that wear and tear is minimized to pumps, mixers – actually anything that beyond the headworks.
Helping to reduce loading in the plant. Practically eliminating solids and pushing a cleaner stream through the facility, reduces loading levels that are monitored for regulatory compliance.
Enjoying excellence in quality. Because of the HUBER Belt Screen EscaMax®’s simplicity and strength in its design and manufacturing materials it is incredibly durable and reliable. Greenville’s team has watched as the EscaMax® has been a workhorse for more than 16 months without a hitch. Making a smelly process less smelly. Greenville’s new facility wish list included odor reduction. Because the screen removes some of the odor culprits (rags and debris) at the headworks, the task of creating less offensive odors is less daunting.
Erwin said, “You could smell the evidence of the old plant a half mile away! The new facility has put low odor processes in place and you can tell it. We will never be odor-free. This process is just inherently odiferous. But we have been successful in bringing that odor level down significantly.”
“The EscaMax® has definitely met our expectations. It is a simple machine that does a good job. I’m glad we got it,” said Erwin of his experience.
This flawless operation also means that Greenville’s team has had:
- No downtime from issues or repairs
- No need to make service requests
- No additional repair costs
The initial fine screen requirements that Greenville Wastewater Reclamation Center identified have been met by the HUBER Belt Screen EscaMax® and it has helped them reach their original goal of minimizing rags and debris in its stream.
Get in touch with a member of our team for more information about HUBER Belt Screen EscaMax® including technical details, drawings, and specifications.