5 Rotary Lobe Pumps Provide High Volume Mobile Wastewater Treatment

One of the most important things that needs consideration in planning is wastewater management when building any site or expanding it, and also during mining.

At remote locations consideration must also be given to reducing reliance on expensive freshwater supplies through the reuse of process wastewater, ensuring minimal disruption to the surrounding communities and infrastructure that may not have the capacity for the demands of the construction site.

With costs for the disposal of tankered waste reaching upwards of £35-100 per m³, mobile wastewater treatment is rapidly becoming popular worldwide as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative.

The need for mobile wastewater treatment often arises when a steady supply of clean water is essential, but permanent systems are unavailable under maintenance or not yet in place. Be it supporting a temporary site, a major event, or ensuring compliance while facilities are offline, flexible water treatment solutions can fill that gap.

North Ridge Pumps were recently contacted by a wastewater treatment company who required five new pumps for their mobile water treatment plant abroad inside a tight lead time. 

They wanted units which could deliver up to 170 m³/h be easy to maintain and operate via a variable-frequency drive to modularise flow as wastewater treatment requirements varied.

Advantages of rotary lobe pumps are that they offer gentle, shear-free handling of fluids; handle a wide range of viscosities and solids; deliver smooth, consistent flow; and maintain reliable performance. They can also be fabricated in all stainless steel to provide for the handling of fluids which may contain aggressively low or high pH fluids.

It is a positive displacement pump reliant on two synchronized counter-rotating lobes to move the fluids, in this case wastewater. As the lobes rotate, they trap fluid in pockets, drawing it into the pump and then forcing it out the discharge port as the volume decreases.

They are applied in a wide range of applications including:

• Wastewater treatment: handling of solids and viscous sludge
• Chemical processing – pumping polymers paints, and other viscous chemicals
• Food and beverages: To transport products such as chocolate dough sauces or whole solids without crushing
• Pharmaceuticals – transferring viscous shear-sensitive products such as creams gels and lotion

At North Ridge Pumps, we draw on more than 25 years of experience to choose the most appropriate pump for every client. This entails tailoring specifications to ensure long performance lives across a broad range of applications-never off-the-shelf models.

After discussing their requirements we supplied five 6″ rotary lobe wastewater transfer pumps complete with spares which included two complete bareshaft pump heads enabling the head to be completely swapped over should more in-depth maintenance or servicing be required.

They contained all kinds of design features to allow the units to work in remote areas for extended periods and without much maintenance.

This included Hardox wear plates which are resistant to abrasion and reduce wear to the pump head due to them being fabricated in a material with a higher hardness than that of the casing. 

A mechanical seal with seal quench to ensure seal faces remain free from solids and should the pump be run dry the seals are protected as they are immersed in an oil bath. Gooseneck inlet and outlet pipework which ensure the pump head remains filled with liquid for easy repriming and detachable front cover for expedited lobe replacement.

The units were designed to provide a flow rate from 65 to 170 m³/h at a working pressure of below five bar with a rotational speed less than 450 rpm to ensure wear was at a minimum. 

The five rotary lobe wastewater transfer pumps were delivered in less than six weeks as needed and shipped directly to the client's mobile water treatment plant overseas. From selection to solution, contact North Ridge Pumps for all your fluid transfer needs.