Diaphragm pumps single source for Scottish Water

Energy conservation, low maintenance and health and safety are some of the key factors when looking at the transfer of waste water and slurries within the waste water industry

Energy Pumps meet all these key factors, and this is why we have just been awarded a single source framework supplier status for diaphragm pumps to Scottish Water, comments Heath Waring, Sales Manager at Energy Pumps.

Capital cost are no longer seen as the key procurement factor when selecting the correct pumping solution.

Nowadays there is a greater emphasis on the reduction on energy, man hours and maintenance travel costs.

These can be a major financial headache for all the Utility Companies, especially as they are now under ever increasing scrutiny from both the shareholders and the consumers to deliver a cost effective service for the treatment of sewerage and wastes generated by the UK population.

Within the waste water industry virtually all of its processes, whether settlement of solids, aeration, sludge digestion, sludge mixing or advanced sludge processes like sludge pasteurisation, require pumps to transfer the fluids/sludges around the process plant and treatment works; the main pump types currently being progressive cavity, positive displacement lobe or centrifugal type pumps.

Having the correct pump for the duty is no longer just down to how well it pumps, but how energy efficient it is over its life span.

This aligns to the push for environmentally friendly goods, such as the energy efficient lightbulbs.

As a rule of thumb, the Energy Pumps diaphragm pumps are providing up to 50% savings on installed power over our current competitors which will, over time, provide Scottish Water and any other Utility or process company with lower energy costs as they move from more traditional pumps to Energy Diaphragm Pumps.

The main advantages for both engineers and site operators working with diaphragm pumps has been the simplicity of design and robustness of the construction providing a pump which has the ability to self prime up to 6.5mtrs, handle grit laden and raggy sludges up to 15% d/s and delivery heads of up to 60mtrs (dependent on drive type and valve arrangement).

This type of pump will dry run indefinitely without damage to any of its parts, and in most cases has now been provided with warranties on the pump and the wear/consumable parts like the non-return valves and diaphragm of 12 months.

This now enables the pump user, for the first time, to accurately budget for his maintenance spend for year 1, and history has proved very little spares will be required for both years 2 and 3 and is another key reason why Scottish Water turned to Energy Pumps for the supply of diaphragm pumps.

One of the limiting factors for diaphragm pumps used to be low flowrate, from 0.5 l/s to 3 l/s, which was fine for general desludging duties.

What Scottish Water required was a new range of diaphragm pumps to actively compete against PC, Lobe or Peristaltic pumps on higher flow duties, In February 2006 Rene Clarke, Managing Director of Energy Pumps made a key commercial decision to design, build and add 2 new Diaphragm Pumps to the range, one of which is now available offering flows up to 10 l/s and heads up to 60 mtrs and in October 2007 Energy Pumps will be unleashing the 'Manta': this will probably be the largest single acting diaphragm pump in the world offering flows up to 35 l/s (126 m3/h) and delivery heads up to 60 mtrs, again dependant on valve and drive arrangement.

The full range of diaphragm pumps will also be available as trailer or trolley mounted units to enable Scottish Water to use our diaphragm pumps as a heavy duty emergency pumping solutions, these pumps will be driven by high quality Yanmar Electric Start Diesel Engines which have proven themselves to be the right engine choice for quality and reliability,further strengthening our range of pumping options to Scottish Water and all other utility or process companies.

So where are diaphragm pumps now being used in the water and wastewater treatment process? Typical applications include desludging of primary/humus/final settlement tanks, RAS, SAS and humus sludge return, digester feed, sludge tank recirculation/transfer, and press feed to name a few.

The pumps are also able to handle a wide range of harsh or aggressive materials like sand and grit, sodium hypochlorite, sodium bisulphate, ferric chloride, lime slurry, carbon slurry, sodium hydroxide, potassium permanganate, aqueous ammonia, alum, methanol, oil slurries and a range of polymers, this is dependent on pump casing and elastomer suitability and has the ability to demonstrate that this flexible and inherently simple pumping technology represents a genuine lowest whole life cost option and means that Energy Pumps are increasingly being chosen over conventional pumping solutions.

The hard solids limitation is governed by what will pass through the non-return valves, in most cases we use our 100mm Mallard Valve which can pass hard solids up to 70mm, but have been known to pass crushed tin cans, golf balls, broken glass and stones without damage to the non-return valves or diaphragm, the simple reciprocating action of the diaphragm which can be electrically, hydraulically or diesel engine driven, provides a gentle pumping action which is well suited to sludges that are dosed with flocking agents or for prevention of rat holing during desludging.

Where high heads above 40mtrs are required the rubber non-return valves are replaced with ball valves as the rubber valves have the potential to collapse, ball valves will still provide high solids passage while allowing the higher delivery heads and years of trouble free use.

Energy Pumps have been manufacturing and supplying pumps to the majority of the Utility Companies for nearly 30 years from our purpose built manufacturing facility in Southwell, North Nottinghamshire.

Please contact Heath Waring or Rene Clarke for further information.

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