Tag: filters

Understanding primary secondary tertiary treatment is where permits, budgets, and operations collide for municipal plants. This article gives municipal engineers, licensed operators, and equipment manufacturers concise, practitioner-focused guidance: quantitative performance ranges, key design and control parameters, sizing rules of thumb, and the retrofit tradeoffs that actually determine project success. Expect actionable monitoring strategies, common failure […]

INTRODUCTION One of the most persistent errors in municipal and industrial fluid handling involves applying centrifugal pump logic to positive displacement equipment. Engineers often approach pump curves expecting a single line intersecting a system curve, but when faced with an Air-Operated Double Diaphragm (AODD) performance chart, they encounter a complex grid of air pressures, air […]

INTRODUCTION A frequent failure mode in municipal water and industrial wastewater applications is not the catastrophic burst of a casing, but the silent, cumulative degradation of insulation and mechanical seals due to thermal stress. Engineers often prescribe Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to improve energy efficiency, assuming that slowing a pump down inherently reduces stress on […]

Introduction In the realm of municipal wastewater treatment and industrial slurry handling, the double disc pump has carved out a niche as a robust solution for difficult fluids containing solids, rags, and grit. However, a surprising number of these installations fail prematurely, not due to mechanical inadequacy, but because of improper Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) […]

Location: 8800 S Claiborne Ave, New Orleans, LA 70118Operating Authority: Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) FACILITY BASIC INFORMATION Plant Name: Carrollton Water Purification Plant Location: New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana Operating Authority: Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) Design Capacity: 232 MGD (Million Gallons per Day) Current Average Flow: ~135 […]

Also serving the Clark Regional Wastewater District (Bi-Jurisdictional Service Area) FACILITY BASIC INFORMATION Plant Name: Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant Location: 2323 W Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver, Clark County, WA 98660 Operating Authority: City of Vancouver Public Works Design Capacity (Max Month): 28.3 MGD Peak Hydraulic Capacity: ~60 MGD Current Average Flow: ~21-24 MGD Population Served: […]

1. INTRODUCTION In the hierarchy of unit processes within municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities, solids conveyance systems often receive less design scrutiny than liquid stream biological processes. However, the mechanical transport of dewatered biosolids, screenings, and grit represents one of the most mechanically intensive and maintenance-critical operations in a treatment plant. The failure of […]

INTRODUCTION One of the most persistent challenges in municipal and industrial treatment plant design is the “Proprietary vs. Custom” dilemma. Engineers frequently encounter this when selecting equipment for specialized unit processes—such as high-rate clarification, tertiary filtration, or anaerobic digestion auxiliaries. A surprising statistic from lifecycle audits reveals that while proprietary high-rate systems can reduce civil […]

1) INTRODUCTION UV disinfection systems are frequently over-simplified during the preliminary design phase as “pipes with lights,” leading to significant operational headaches down the line. A common challenge engineers face is distinguishing between conventional UV reactor designs and newer optical technologies when high-level pathogen log removal (e.g., Adenovirus) or difficult water matrices are involved. Statistics […]

1. INTRODUCTION The trickling filter is one of the oldest and most established biological treatment processes in municipal and industrial wastewater applications. Classified as an attached-growth (or fixed-film) process, a trickling filter operates by passing wastewater over a stationary medium—historically rock or slag, but increasingly structured plastic modules—where a biofilm establishes itself. This biomass metabolizes […]