The Challenge
- Belt press pan scale had reached around 5 mm of hard struvite
- Hard scale bridged the holes in the press drum
- Polymer dosing and cleaning frequency were both under review
- Cleaning required belt removal and hot water
- Centrate was transferred continuously, 24 hours a day
The Solution
One HydroFLOW® Custom 12 inch unit was installed on the belt press influent pipe, downstream of anionic polymer injection, and run continuously for 150 days on an AshBrook Klam press with two 2 metre wide belts. New struvite accumulation was controlled and existing deposits softened, with pan scale falling from 5 mm to 1 mm of brittle scale. Flocculation improved enough to cut average daily polymer use by about 20%, and the press ran the full 150 days without a scale clean.
Testimonial
“After 10 days of use, there was a marked reduction in the amount of struvite buildup and eventually the struvite had softened to the point that it could be wiped off by hand. During the demonstration, the unit was run continuously without any cleaning.” — Steve Shelnutt, Plant Manager, Water Conserv II
