Volume
170 m3/h
Material
Sludge Dewatering, Digester & Tank Cleaning
Output
High Quality Sludge, Grit & Rag
THE CHALLENGE
Situated on the southern edge of the Cotswold, the Thames Water Wantage Sewage Treatment Works is well positioned in the centre of TWUL’s western region. The introduction of an S:MAX sludge screen at the site is part of a £5.4 million investment project to improve the quality of waste water.
THE SOLUTION
Thames Water serves 14 million wastewater customers with 350 sewage works treating an average of more than 4bn litres per day. The decision to install the S:MAX SRU:10 at the Wantage Sewage Treatment works follows the successful implementation of the same system at the Thames Water Reading site which had experienced similar problems prior to the installation of the S:MAX SRU:25. The additional sludge screening capability provided by the S:MAX SRU:10 at Wantage offers support to the Thames Water sewage treatment network.
The S:MAX SRU:10 sludge screen is specifically designed to handle a small flow rate. Based on the successful SRU:25 model, the SRU:10 is applicable to a wide range of sludge screening applications. The SRU:10 offers a sludge screening capacity of 33 l/s and is equipped with the same design features that are available on the larger model. It allows for reduced capacities in particular indigenous sludge applications whilst maintaining the capability for tankers to discharge directly to the S:MAX, eliminating the need for a reception tank. The S:MAX will screen the rage to 6mm and pump the screened sludge to the downstream process.
The S:MAX SRU:10 can accept waste from two streams; the imported waste from tankers collected from the surrounding areas and indigenous sludge generated from the sewage treatment works. Once screened, the sludge will go through anaerobic digesters under a controlled process to capture methane for energy production. While the S:MAX SRU:10 is designed to handle a smaller flow rate it can still accept material from a tanker without any buffering and still be a cost-effective sludge screening solution for Thames Water.
The S:MAX SRU:10 is fitted with a progressive cavity pump, this development has been made following feedback from the water utility industry. The pump is fitted to the side of the S:MAX above ground level so if any problems occur with the pump it can be easily accessed and does not require a pump well.
THE RESULTS
The introduction of the S:Max SRU:10 has allowed the site to increase their sludge handling capacity and improve the efficiency of their sludge screening operations overall.
The S:MAX is proven to eliminate blockages in the sludge screening process which reduces the cost of operation and maintenance overall, providing a more consistent process and increased levels of end products. The power and water requirements for the unit have been developed to work at the optimum level which also reduces the cost of running the plant.
The S:MAX unit fitted seamlessly into the existing set up at the Wantage sewage works with no further civils work required. The increased screening rate has ensured that the digesters capacity is not affected with rag which performs no useful function in the digestion process.
