Screw Pumps, Sludge

Twin screw pump solves sludge problems

Twin screw pump solves sludge problems

THE handling of sludge poses many questions and problems for designers of sewage treatment plants and systems.

Maskinfabrik’s twin screw pump - a solution to sludge transporation problems.

Do you transport it first so it is easy to pump and pay the extra running costs of transporting larger volumes, or do you dewater first and have the logistical and maintenance issues of transporting dried sludge?

The problem could be solved with the twin screw pump from J.S. Maskinfabrik of Denmark, now available in Australia from Engineered Products Group.

The new pump is capable of transporting sludge with a solids content up to 55 per cent and is able to transport the product in a wholly enclosed pipeline system, with discharge pressures up to 80 bar.

The pump was designed to overcome the usual problems associated with the transportation of sludge with high solids content.

Commonly used methods for transportation of sludge or dried sludge include conveyor belts, screw conveyor, mechanical means (eg. forklift and bucket) and also pumping with a piston pump or helical rotor pump.

Conveyor belts could be prone to spills, odour and also have problems moving the product vertically.

Screw conveyors are fine over short distances (although can still be a high maintenance item) but over long distances become uneconomical.

Using a forklift or other mechanical moving device is labour intensive and ties up equipment unnecessarily.

Piston pumps and helical rotor pumps can move the product vertically and keep the product in a wholly enclosed pipeline system but piston pumps are very expensive to buy and can be a high maintenance item.

Helical rotor pumps can suffer from large amounts of downtime due to high wear rates and also may have head capacity problems for high solids concentrations.

The solution is the twin screw pump from J.S. Maskinfabrik and it can be ordered through Engineered Products Group.

The pump keeps the product in a wholly enclosed pipeline system, is able to transport product with high solids content over long distances, and is "kind" on wearing parts because of its low speed and no contact between the moving parts.

11 July 2002