1. Introduction Mixing equipment serves as the kinetic heart of municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment facilities. Unlike passive components such as piping or static storage, mixers are dynamic machines responsible for facilitating chemical reactions, maintaining solids suspension, blending disparate fluid streams, and optimizing heat transfer. In the context of consulting engineering and plant […]
Introduction In the municipal water and wastewater sector, the electric actuator is often the single most critical interface between the control room (SCADA) and the physical process. Yet, despite their importance, actuators are frequently treated as commodity items or last-minute additions to valve specifications. This oversight often leads to a staggering statistic: industry analysis suggests […]
Introduction Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) is frequently the unit process of choice when dealing with low-density solids, algae, or fats, oils, and grease (FOG)—contaminants that defy gravity settling. However, a surprising number of DAF installations fail to meet performance guarantees not because the tank is the wrong size, but because the whitewater system is improperly […]
Introduction One of the most visible failures in municipal water distribution is the overflow of an elevated storage tank. Beyond the public embarrassment of a “waterfall” cascading down a tower in the town center, the engineering consequences include structural icing loads in winter, erosion at the foundation, and significant wasted pumping energy. While SCADA systems […]
Comprehensive Odor Control Solutions for Wastewater Facilities Understanding the Sources of Odor in Wastewater Treatment Ever walked past a wastewater treatment plant and thought, Wow, that smells like a bad day at the beach? You're not alone. The reality is, odors from wastewater facilities can be downright offensive, and they often stem from some surprisingly […]
Introduction One of the most persistent yet overlooked threats to municipal pipeline integrity is the mismanagement of entrapped air and vacuum conditions. Design engineers often treat air valves as commodity items, specifying them based on nominal pipe diameter rather than hydraulic performance or operational longevity. This oversight frequently leads to catastrophic line failures due to […]
Introduction One of the most frequent causes of pipeline failure in municipal water and wastewater infrastructure is not structural weakness of the pipe itself, but rather the mismanagement of entrained air and vacuum conditions. A startling number of force main bursts and transmission line collapses can be traced back to improper sizing, placement, or selection […]
Introduction to VAG Flow Control Technologies One of the most persistent challenges in municipal and industrial water infrastructure is the management of high-energy water streams without inducing catastrophic mechanical failure. Engineers frequently underestimate the destructive power of cavitation and water hammer, leading to premature valve degradation and pipeline ruptures. Within the global water sector, VAG […]
Introduction In the modern wastewater treatment landscape, the “ragging” phenomenon has evolved from a nuisance into a critical operational crisis. With the proliferation of non-dispersible synthetic wipes and fibrous materials entering collection systems, the reliable operation of downstream pumps, heat exchangers, and centrifuges hangs in the balance. For engineers and operators, the failure of a […]
Introduction The interface between a valve and its control mechanism remains one of the most frequent points of failure in modern water and wastewater treatment plants. A surprising industry statistic suggests that nearly 60% of “valve failures” are actually actuation or interface failures—issues with sizing, mounting, signal loss, or power delivery—rather than a failure of […]