WET News

18 WET NEWS MAY 2014 An untreated water system that had significant corrosion was incurring repeated blockages The challenge: Filtering out blockages W hen facilities manage- ment and water treat- ment company MSS Group was called in to clean up the process water in a globally renowned manufacturer of semi conductor wafers, the company was presented with an untreated water system suf- fering from significant corro- sion. The ongoing performance of the plant was suffering heavily due mainly to the fact that the murky brown process water had been accepted as being the norm. Water quality tests and particulate analysis had never been carried out and part of the plant's processing facility had deteriorated to such an extent that some of it had worn away. The resulting debris was repeatedly blocking the flow of water so the process was continually overheating and tripping out. INSIGHT FILTRATION & SCREENING The CrossFlow filtrer uses a vortex bed stabiliser The amount of scrap was considerable and costs were escalating to tens of thousands of pounds over a 12-month period. With the company's core business being the treatment of water using chemicals, in this particular instance the com- pany had to find a process that would co-exist with its chemi- cal treatment and filter out the high particulate content. Having known Industrial Purification Systems (IPS) for some time, Dave Robertson, director of MSS, called the com- pany in to provide a solution. Robertson says: "It so hap- pened that IPS had just com- pleted a similar project where the process was almost identical." He adds that over a six- month period, water filtration technology that had been installed by IPS had proven to be highly effective." n After analysis was carried out, IPS's CrossFlow 300 was selected as the filter of choice. A solution: CrossFlow 300 does the job H aving been called in by MSS, IPS carried out a particulate spread analysis. It was determined that IPS's CrossFlow 300 high quality water filter would be installed because it incorpo- rated a new controller with an electrically operated valve, en- suring that smooth transition between online operation and offline cleaning could be insti- gated. Operationally, the high quality water filter system uti- lises a patented vortex bed sta- biliser that maintains flat bed filtration with high surface turbulence. This ensures that no bio- fouling can be seeded whilst holding filtered contamination in suspension above the media bed. This gives lower pressure drops, longer filtration and shorter backwash cycles mak- ing direct savings on opera- tional costs. The high interstitial void volume of the media allows for greater dirt holding capacity and contamination interaction for the Zeta potential of the media to remove the finer particulates down to 0.45 micron. Backwash times Compared with conventional media filtration, the inlet con- figuration allows for high flow rates, these being five times higher than the normal accepted flux rates of conven- tional filters. Backwash volume used is also significantly lower, espe- cially when the longer opera- tional period is taken into con- sideration. It is also more effective with backwash times per unit being as low as two minutes. This technology has been shown to provide a high effi- ciency removal rate of more than 86% at 1.0 micron in one single pass, whereas conventional filters have to undertake multi- ple passes to get anywhere such efficiency. Robertson continues: "There was an improvement in the water quality within a fort- night. A¡er six to eight weeks we saw a remarkable improvement. "The water filtration tech- nology is now running concur- rently with a chemical package to eradicate future corrosion. "My relationship with IPS goes back a number of years and I have always been satis- fied that its technology would do what I hoped it would. "The end user has been so pleased with the results that it has bought another filtration unit for another system." Elsewhere, IPS has com- pleted an agreement with UK- based Airmec for the supply of IPS's patented CrossFlow AMF high efficiency industrial water filtration technology. The deal will see Airmec supplying the CrossFlow AMF. Airmec is a leading air hygiene and water treatment specialist, providing compre- hensive solutions and ongoing services to optimise air and water quality. The company is now using the CrossFlow AMF technology within its EssentialCare Vor- texflow filtration system, which has been specifically designed by Airmec for use within the commercial water treatment sector. n THE CONCEPT • The filter system utilises a vortex bed stabiliser that maintains flat bed filtration with high surface turbulence • Finer particulates down to 0.45 micron can be removed • The technology provides a high efficiency removal rate of more than 86% at 1.0 micron in one single pass • The backwash volume used is significantly lower NEED TO KNOW • Debris was repeatedly blocking the flow of water. • Some of the processing facility had deteriorated worn away • Murky brown water had been accepted as the norm • The process was continually overheating and tripping out • The backwash volume used is significantly lower • The technology has been shown to provide a high efficiency removal rate THE VERDICT • There was an improvement in the water quality within a fortnight. After six to eight weeks there was "a remarkable improvement". • The technology provides a high efficiency removal rate of more than 86% at 1.0 micron in one single pass "There was an improvement in the water quality within a fortnight. After six to eight weeks we saw a remarkable improvement. The water filtration technology is now running concurrently with a chemical package to eradicate future corrosion." Dave Robertson, director, MSS MAY 2014 WET NEWS 19 Cadar Media filters www.cadar.ltd.uk Cadar is firmly established within the municipal and industrial water treatment markets as well as the food, pharmaceuticals and chemical industries where liquids that require processing through either media filters such as sand, ion-exchange resins and carbons or sprayed into, on to or mixed with foods, drugs, refractories and chemicals. Hydrok Screening technology www.hydrok.co.uk Hydrok has developed the stainless steel wedge wire screening technology utilised in the Hydrok Peak Screen and MecMex; and has supported the UK water companies in the design and installations of reliable, cost effective and low maintenance screening solutions for a number of years. Specifiers file: HUBER TECHNOLOGY Preliminary Treatment Solutions Packaged inlet works incorporating screenings, grit and optional grease removal. Large range of screens with various bar spacings and perforation sizes. Screenings processing plant with wide range of throughput options. Micro screens for screening upstream of sensitive processes. Low running costs. HIGH PERFORMANCE PUMPING - FOR HIGHLY DEMANDING JOBS • High Head and High Volume Pumps • 24/7, 365 days a year from nationwide depots • Heavy duty build At Sykes Pumps we possess the broadest range of equipment available, from general purpose pumps to silenced, submersible and high performance units, ensuring that whatever your pump hire need we have a model that can help you. For those really challenging applications our range of High Performance Pumps are the the best available and can be used in environments such as mines & quarries, the marine industry, power generation, civil engineering projects and, of course, the water and wastewater industry. Any applications where high heads and/or high flows are required these pumps will deliver. WWe are continuously developing and improving our range of pumps to meet the ever increasing challenges our customers face and our newest addition to the fleet, the HS200 Super Silenced unit, delivers the power and performance needed whilst still operating at reduced noise levels and lower emissions. Kalsep Membrane filtration www.kalsep.co.uk Kalsep supplies Fibrotex and membrane filtration systems for potable, wastewater treatment and water reuse. It can design, manufacture, install, commission and service all the products and packaged solutions it provides. Its technology provides compact, reliable, cost-effective and high performance filtration solutions. Micronics Filter manufacture www.micronicsinc.com The company is a leading specialist in filter presses, filter cloths and filter belts as well as dewatering solutions. It offers process, mechanical and electrical design, supply and project management of equipment supply, To date it has seen significant growth with press cloths, later adding belts, dry filtration & vacuum media products. The kit: High pressure filters Atlas Copco www.atlascopco.co.uk Atlas Copco Compressors has a range of DD+, PD+, DDp+ and PDp+ standard and high pressure filters that enable users to efficiently reduce all types of contamination in their compressed air system and ensure equipment and processes are protected. The innovative design of the filters provide for a pressure drop of half that associated with conventional coalescing or particulate filters, translating into significant energy savings for end users. In any compressed air system, high filtration efficiency is a pre-requisite for high air quality. With this in Hydro Whirl Storm BETE www.bete.co.uk With climate change increasing the frequency of storm events, health and safety legislation resulting in higher costs for manual cleaning methods, BETE says there is a demand, particularly from water utility operators, for an effective way to thoroughly clean storm tanks and screens in an automated way. Generally, storm overfill tanks are cleaned manually where someone with a pressure washer would enter the tank to perform regular cleaning as part of tank maintenance. However, this is a labour intensive process and it also raises safety issues. A solution has now been developed by spray nozzle specialist BETE with the introduction of its HydroWhirl Storm blaster an automated storm tank and screen cleaning system. This system will be particularly appreciated by water utility mind, Atlas Copco's filtration competence team invested a significant amount of time to research and develop the new filter range, which provide for maximum contaminant removal and offer significant energy savings due to their optimal air flow path with low resistance. The filters' carefully engineered housing and cartridge, and a unique and highly efficient head design, also ensure minimal pressure drops which enable users to reduce their operational costs. operators where storm tank cleaning and screening can often be an expensive, labour intensive process, said the company The Storm Blaster can be configured to deliver high-impact cleaning to between 80º and 180º downward spray pattern. This and the combination of its twin head, eight nozzle design, results in powerful cleaning to storm tanks up to 20 metres in diameter with a cleaning cycle of under ten minutes. Search for suppliers at www.wwtonline.co.uk

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