The wastewater industry is constantly under mandates to improve service and meet higher standards while maintaining or tightening their budgets. At the same time, equipment upgrades are needed to maintain current service demands. Here is a case study that proves it is possible to reduce costs and improve infrastructure at the same time: a case of a wastewater management equipment upgrade with a hidden benefit.
Efficiency upgrade pays for itself
The city of Newburgh recently came to Master PT for equipment upgrades. According to John Bushek, Chief Operator of Newburgh Water Department, the Reeves INNOVAdrive conversion has allowed the site to reduce the use of Polyaluminum Chloride, the flocculation agent used, by roughly 50% to achieve desired results. This has been a tremendous savings for the city and that alone has justified the conversion to the INNOVAdrive.
Water processing
Wastewater goes through many stages and processes in its journey from the sewer back to the fresh water supply. In this article we will discuss just one of these processes: flocculation – not a word most people use!
Flocculation is the process of causing particles to form into masses or small clumps, also known as floc, either through biological action or forced through the use of a chemical agent. The flocculation process, when used in the treatment of water, is a multi step process with the final goal of clumping particles into masses large enough to be easily filtered from the water.
In the flocculation process, chemical agents are introduced to the water through a process known as flash mixing. The flash mixing process is very brief and is designed to get the chemical agent properly distributed throughout the water. Once this is complete, the water then moves into larger, multispeed mixing basins where the flocculation process occurs. Each basin operates with a progressively slower mixing speed, typically determined by lab test results, using water samples along with the proposed agent to determine the correct recipe. The recipe used is critical for an efficient flocculation process. If the mixing occurs too rapidly, the floc can be sliced. However, if the mixing is too slow, the agent may not bond properly. In order to give water treatment facilities the flexibility to adjust churn speeds based on their specs, machine designers for years have relied on the Reeves MotoDrive.
Reeves INNOVAdrive is a good fit
Due to its variable speed design and known capabilities of a true ‘workhorse’, The Reeves MotoDrive for many years has been the trusted drive of choice for rotary mixers used on flocculation basins.
For the city of Newburgh, the Reeves MotoDrive units have been in service for over 30 years but were no longer operating at the speeds needed for the floc to properly form. When faced with the need to rebuild these units, city officials discovered that Reeves has expanded their lineup of variable speed products with their newest product, The Reeves INNOVAdrive.
The INNOVAdrive serves its users as a modern drive design that utilizes VFD technology to achieve the variable speed range matching the original design specifications. The design stands alone in the market as the only complete solution, engineered based on the torque and speed curves of the original MotoDrive, while also providing the user a simple drop-in design that matches the existing bolt pattern footprint and shaft placement.
Multi-level savings
Newburgh officials determined that the INNOVAdrive design was the solution they were seeking. After a seamless installation and the INNOVAdrive performing as desired, city officials made the decision to convert all the rotary mixer drives on the flocculation tank to the INNOVAdrive. Post conversion analysis showed that the INNOVAdrive provided a reliable solution that eliminated high wear components. More than that, the city found further savings in energy and flocculation agent material usage.
Master PT is a community citizen
As community citizens, Master PT is pleased to help a necessary infrastructure improve and save money. The environmental benefits of using less of any chemicals in water is a further win for everyone. We are confident that these results can be repeated in wastewater facilities across the country, and welcome the opportunity to help communities make improvements to their systems.
For more details on how Reeves can help you with your variable speed applications, please contact the Product Specialist team at Master Power Transmission at 864-312-5100 or visit https://master-pt.com/.
