Zero downtime and no drop off in performance with SEEPEX PC pumps and Digital Solutions
facility at Cotton Valley ,” explains Luke Fish , Production Manager at Anglian Water . “ This has not only allowed us to increase the sludge throughput on site and therefore generate more biogas but has also given us significant savings in logistics and raw cake storage costs .”
AT A MAJOR ADVANCED DIGESTION PLANT IN THE UK
Existing competitor ’ s progressive cavity ( PC ) pumps at a large AD plant were unreliable , causing downtime to the thermal hydrolysis streams . When the THP feed pumps were offline , this affected production and biogas generation . To address this , SEEPEX delivered a custom-made open hopper PC pump fitted with Maintain-In-Place technology to replace the original pump , incorporating condition monitoring and digital solutions .
SEEPEX
Maintain-In-Place technology includes Rotor Joint Access ( RJA ) and Drive Joint Access ( DJA ) which simplifies maintenance and improves availability of equipment . To complement these features , the pump ’ s baseplate is manufactured in three pieces ( on wheels ) which enables individual sections of the pump to be removed for maintenance or major overhaul .
Due to the reliability and performance of the new SEEPEX pumps there is an increase in uptime of the cake import facility at Cotton Valley .
SEEPEX
Digital Solutions facilitate preventative maintenance , equipment availability and process optimisation , which has a direct impact on reactive costs and biogas production – contributing to net zero objectives and increased sustainability .
Since installation , there has been zero downtime and no drop off in performance , and the sludge handling process has gained resilience .
AT ANOTHER MAJOR UK THERMAL HYDROLYSIS PLANT
SEEPEX open hopper pumps were used to replace unreliable chain conveyor systems . These pumps are used in two applications .
Firstly , to transport the imported dewatered sludge from the imported belt facilities at a capacity of up to 75 m3 / h with dry solids up to 32 % to either of the two pre-THP silos , enabling a 20-minute turnaround time for the trucks to unload and prevent backlog of vehicles . Secondly , to transport the indigenous dewatered sludge from the four decanting centrifuges to a third pre-THP silo .
Pump maintenance is carried out at ground level , improving health and safety issues associated with working at height with the previous conveyor installation . In addition , with the new SEEPEX pumps , the site now benefits from increased availability of their THP streams with subsequent improvements in gas yield .
THE KEY : RELIABILITY AND RIGHT FEEDSTOCK
To achieve the full benefits of advanced digestion by thermal hydrolysis requires reliable and efficient delivery of feedstock to the process .
SEEPEX solutions combine back mixing expertise with open hopper PC pump technology to both transfer and blend imported and indigenous dewatered sludges to the precise DS % content . This ensures optimum digestion and maximises biogas production , reducing carbon footprint .
For further information , please visit www . seepex . com
Issue 59 PECM 89