A safer wastewater environment

A new and patented self-cleaning sump is now available in Australia through Hydro Innovations. Developed by Hydro-Plus of Belgium, in conjunction with Gorman-Rupp, the self-cleaning sump is said to address many of the issues confronting owners of sewage pump station assets.

The issues confronting asset owners include high capital costs, high energy consumption, and the cost of intervention when the likes of sediment, solids or fat build up, or for removing chokes from pumps. Operator safety is also an ever present issue with ever changing regulations.

The self-cleaning sump (SCS) concept has been developed to address these issues. The conventional 2-3m diameter cylindrical wet well is replaced by an inclined collector pipe from which self priming pump suction lines access the wastewater. Nothing electrical or mechanical is in the SCS. This system is used in conjunction with VFD controlled pumps and an air bubbler liquid level control system to reduce energy consumption over the conventional DOL or soft starting pump systems.

The philosophy behind the system is to keep solids (sediment, fat, rags, etc.) in suspension and moving, and to take all issues associated with operator intervention (maintenance, blockage removal, etc.) to the surface where it is easier and safer for operators to address them.

Keeping the solid matter in suspension and removing it quickly does not allow time for fibres and rags to ball and mat together, or for sediment or fat to build up. This should reduce the incidence of pump blockage caused by balling rags and greatly reduce the need for vac truck intervention.

Because pumps are mounted on the surface, there is no need for operators to open wet well lids (exposing them to falls or drowning) or employ lifting devices (exposing them to heavy swinging weights and the associated dangers of working with cranes). This makes any sort of intervention much easier and safer for operators. Blockage removal, clearance adjustments, oil inspection or changes, valve greasing or exercising can all be done safely by one operator working out of a standard vehicle, rather than a crane truck with an additional person or two.

The civil construction costs are also said to be much lower using this system because of the inexpensive HDPE collector pipe, which is much cheaper than a full concrete wet well/valve vault combination, and the smaller excavation footprint.

More information, including a white paper, can be obtained from Hydro Innovations at [email protected].

Find Sewage Pumping Stations Related Companies In The Pump Industry Capability Guide

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