Pump more wastewater with less chokes

The work of a solids-handling pump is getting tougher across a range of industries and applications. Because of water-saving devices and schemes, the percentage of solids to water in our sewage systems is increasing, coinciding with the increased use of wet wipes, putting strain on operators in this industry to keep wastewater streams flowing.

Pumps in the meat processing industry are also being put to the test for a different reason. During drought times, farmers are having to feed their stock with hay as grass becomes scarce, and the animals also ingest more dirt and grit as they eat closer to the ground. The partly digested stringy hay gets into the waste streams, choking pumps, and the grit causes accelerated wear.

These issues cause an increase in downtime and greatly affect productivity.

To combat these changes, self-priming pump manufacturer Gorman-Rupp has announced the release of the “Eradicator” version of its high-performance Ultra-V Series self-priming centrifugal wastewater pump.

Some applications are tougher than others. Whether you are dealing with today’s “New Sewage”, sanitary wipes, plastic bags, feathers, hair, sludge, undigested hay, or other stringy materials and debris, downtime causes frustration and costs you money.

The Ultra-V Eradicator is able to deliver higher pressures than any other solids-handling self-priming pump, while reducing blockages in wastewater streams from the likes of rags, wet wipes, undigested hay and feathers. The new pumps are an extension of Gorman-Rupp’s Ultra-V series pumps that are heavily used by sewage treatment plants, meat process plants and other industries with solids in their wastewater streams.

The “Eradicator Solids Management System” now comes as an option including rugged and robust design features that minimise the downtime associated with blockages, improving efficiency in wastewater treatment.

The new design features include an aggressive self-cleaning wear plate incorporating a number of notches and grooves as well as a patented lacerating tooth that helps break up stringy materials and scrape them off the impeller vanes, passing them through the pump discharge without impacting performance or interrupting service.

A special cover-plate is now incorporated into the pump to make it safer and easier for operators to access pump internals, without disconnecting any of the inlet or outlet piping.

For existing Ultra V Series installations where stubborn, clog-prone materials are affecting uptime and maintenance costs, the Eradicator Solids Management System is now available as a retrofit kit, and can easily be installed on any existing Ultra V Series pump in the field. Gorman-Rupp’s upgrade kits include everything you need to put the best self-cleaning pump technology in the industry to work for you.

Easier access to the impeller, increased uptime, improved operational efficiency, reduced maintenance costs and lower life-cycle costs are only some of the benefits of the “Eradicator” system.

The pump is available in standard cast iron or with hardened iron internals to cope with abrasive applications. Pumps are capable of flows to 100 litres per second and pressures to 90 metres.

Superior performance

• The Ultra V Series and VS Series solids-handling, self-priming centrifugal trash pumps offer up to three times the pressure and up to 60% more flow.
• Available in a variety of pump station configurations or stand-alone in 3˝, 4˝ and 6˝ sizes.
• The superior solids-handling and increased pressure capabilities of the Ultra V Series pumps make them ideally suited for a variety of industrial and sewage applications.
• Greater efficiencies
• Self-cleaning features
• Reduced footprint
• Unique configuration capabilities
• Further improved solids-handling
• Externally removable suction check valve
   

The “Eradicator” is a proven system for handling stringy materials. Hydro Innovations has several “before and after” examples of where “upgrading” to an “Eradicator” has in fact eradicated choking problems.

One example comes from a Northern NSW sewage treatment plant, where the plant was using a standard Super T Series sewage pump to turn digesters over. Although the pumps are successfully used for pumping raw sewage and sewage sludge, this particular application had a very heavy loading of rags and other stringy materials. The pump was choking 2–3 times per week, frustrating operators and causing downtime. The plant was given details on the Eradicator system and decided to upgrade their pump.

After installation it was three months before the plant had another choke.

Another example comes from a beef process plant, also in NSW. The plant had installed a “standard” Gorman-Rupp T3 solids handling self-priming pump, a pump that had previously been hugely successful in pumping “paunch” at plants all around Australia. But because the plant was processing animals being fed on hay, this stringy material was causing frequent blockages, and also suffering premature wear because of the grit load. A previously successful pump was now struggling with these new circumstances.

An Eradicator upgrade kit with hardened steel wear plate was recommended and installed, along with a hardened impeller. After installation, the plant experienced zero blockages and the wear rate dramatically decreased, minimising downtime and maximising uptime.

Safer and more cost effective

Because these pumps are self-priming and can be mounted up to 7.6 metres above the wastewater, the pumps can be accessed at ground level without the need to open wet well hatches and safety screens. This not only improves the safety aspect of maintaining the equipment over alternative types of pumps (like submersible pumps), it also improves maintenance efficiency. Operators do not need to use overhead cranes or any other lifting devices, do not need to enter confined spaces and do not have to deal with a pump that has been immersed in sewage or other types of wastewater. This increase in safety brings with it a raft of other advantages for the asset owners.

As can be seen in the “Hierarchy of Controls”, by eliminating the risks often associated with wastewater pumping, the level of engineering, administration, supervision and the use of large amounts of personal protective equipment is vastly reduced or eliminated. The need for lengthy HAZOP meetings and safe work procedures, permits and forms is also greatly minimised, simplifying tasks and the life of operators, supervisors and asset managers. Eliminating the risks by using self-priming pumps therefore has a real and positive impact on not only safety, but on the bottom line.

The Ultra V is available in three sizes and with materials of construction to suit specific applications. They are the safest and easiest pumps to maintain, and with the added benefits of the Eradicator, will make a safe and cost-effective addition to any plant’s wastewater treatment or transfer system.

More information: https://www.hydroinnovations.com.au/pump-applications/wastewater-ultra-v-with-eradicator/.