Deragger proves benefits
in wide-ranging trial
In Focus: wastewater pump ragging
A
device which clears rag blockages
in wastewater pumps by
reversing the pump's impeller has
proved its worth in an independent trial
in partnership with two English water
companies.
The DERAGGER, made by Clearwater
Controls, was found to cut energy
consumption by up to 80 per cent, to
significantly reduce maintenance
requirements and to help extend asset
life. These were the findings of a study
delivered by the Water Research Centre
(WRc) in conjunction with United
Utilities and Wessex Water, which
assessed the performance of the device
over the course of a 20-week trial.
Wet wipe and rag blockages present a
massive headache to the water industry,
costing millions to remove, replace and
repair affected assets.
As well as the labour cost of
manually liˆing and cleaning pumps
– which it is estimated costs the industry
as much as £160M a year - there is a
significant associated energy cost, since
An innovative device which keeps sewage pumps free of rag
has been shown in an independent trial to save energy as
well as preventing disruption
pumps that are impeded by rags will
naturally have to run longer and
consume more energy in order to
maintain the required liquid flows. It is
estimated that this adds £50M per year
to water companies' energy bills.
While much emphasis in the industry
has been placed on keeping wet wipes,
rags and other unflushable detritus out
of the sewers, it is inevitable that
wastewater will contain some of this
material and so in recent years the hunt
has been on for innovative solutions that
WWT PUMP AND VALVE SUPPLEMENT 2018 5
Graham McIvor and
Simon Crompton of
Clearwater Controls
with the DERAGGER
