When conventional commercial pumps are used for the treatment of organic waste, they usually wear out in a short time. Under these conditions, the pumped liquid will attack the pump from two different angles: first, the additive with high abrasiveness, and second, the liquid with highly fluctuating pH value and therefore high chemical corrosivity. These conditions are very harsh for seals and elastomeric stators.
Therefore, these components must be replaced frequently to increase downtime. BioEnergie GmbH, located in the Austrian wine region, has found a solution. The company works with factory manufacturers Komptech Anlagenbau GmbH and Allweiler AG to optimize the materials used in these pumps. The result is significantly longer service life, even for pumps located at the beginning of the most vulnerable process. Organic waste and packaging materials The factory receives all possible types of organic waste. Domestic garbage, leftovers, restaurant garbage and plant materials are several examples of materials entering the factory. The annual total is about 15000 metric tons, of which 5000 metric tons are sent to the landfill or used as fertilizer.
All wastes are received and processed in their packaging without separation. Examples include glass, metal covers and seals, wooden pallets, plastic packaging, and even metal drums. The first step of this process is to reduce the material to a grain size of no more than 60 mm. Once the size is reduced, the conveyor belt transports the material to the separation container. Add process water to cause heavy foreign materials to sink to the bottom, which can be removed. The remaining liquid contains 10% to 15% dry matter with a minimum pH of 4.
At the first Screw pump Before conveying the material to the gravel separator, the sieve will intercept solids with a diameter greater than 12 mm. This is an AEB1E series pump, which can deliver 60 cubic meters per hour. Due to the highly variable chemical properties of liquids and the presence of sand and other abrasive solids, the pump must be capable of handling high levels of pressure. In particular, the composition of organic waste varies greatly, but it almost always contains sand, gravel and glass.
ALL WEILER pump is applicable to each process step. Use the same or similar Allweiler screw pump in the subsequent process steps. A total of 11 screw pumps were used in the plant. In addition to pumping process water in the plant, they also move biomass from disinfection to the biogas reactor and then to the separator.
Low speed and high quality materials are important features for long pump life. BioEnergie GmbH chooses to run the pump at a speed of about 200 rpm. In order to reach the required pump capacity of up to 100 m3/h at such a low speed, the plant uses large pumps equipped with frequency converter control. After the special stator is put into operation, the factory cooperates with the supplier to test the potential materials. With its adjustable polyurethane stator and specially coated rotor, the first pump (bearing heavy load) has been running for more than one year, and the running time exceeds 1000 hours. This is possible because Allweiler AG is one of the few pump manufacturers that produces its own stator and provides customers with more than 20 different materials.
It is required to pump highly abrasive and corrosive organic materials with volatile chemical properties in all steps of biogas production process. Solution ALLWEILER screw pump. The stator is made of special materials and can be adjusted again. The rotor is treated with special coating. Low speed, large capacity pump with frequency converter control. Results The super long service life is more than one year, and the working time is more than 1000 hours. Low maintenance can minimize production downtime.
About the author J ö rg Gertz has worked for ALLWEILER AG for eight years. For the past three years, he has been working as the sales director in the Bottrop factory of Allweiler, responsible for "water/wastewater" and other departments. About Allweiler – Allweiler AG is the oldest pump manufacturer in Germany, as well as the European market and technology of centrifugal pump, propeller pump, screw pump, progressive cavity pump, impeller pump, rotary cam pump, impregnator and peristaltic pump.
Allweiler, headquartered in Radovtsel, has offices in Bottrop and Gottmadingen, owns a foundry, produces its own stator, and manufactures ready to use fuel and lubricating oil skids for commercial ships, oil and gas, chemical processing, special equipment, and chemical and waste water applications for flushing water facilities.
About Colfax Corporation – Colfax Corporation is a global leader in key fluid processing products and technologies. Through its global operations subsidiary, Colfax manufactures positive displacement industrial pumps and valves for oil and gas, power generation, commercial shipping, global naval and general industrial markets.
Colfax's operating subsidiaries provide products from well-known brands Allweiler, Fairmount Automation, Houttuin, Imo, LSC, Portland Valve, Tushaco, Warren and Zenith. Colfax is traded on the New York Stock Exchange with the stock code of "CFX". For more information about Colfax, please visit www.colfaxcorp.com.
