Impurity Detection Systems
Challenges and Prevention
Challenges in mechanical preliminary wastewater treatment
The main task of the screens used and installed in the inlet to the sewage treatment plant is to remove coarse contaminants from the incoming wastewater flow. At the same time, such preliminary screens also protect the operation of downstream machinery and units, such as a screw conveyor or a wash press, and ensure the smooth operation of the entire wastewater treatment plant.
In addition to the type of material to be expected, however, other unforeseen materials are increasingly entering the sewage treatment plant influent, such as canisters, square timbers and tyres.
Even though screening plants are built for coarse and bulky material, such matter can cause damage, resulting in longer downtimes, higher costs and, above all, additional stress.
To prevent this, HUBER has developed a worldwide unique system for wastewater screens: the HUBER Detection System Safety Vision.
HUBER Safety Vision – innovative digitalisation module
The innovative HUBER Detection System Safety Vision enables the screen to “see” the screenings and reliably identify potentially critical contaminants. This is achieved by precise real-time measurement of the screenings with sensors, fast processing of the measurement results, and an intelligent evaluation logic that examines the measurement results for defined anomalies. As soon as potentially critical screenings are detected in this way, the operation of the screen stops immediately. At the same time, an image of the situation in the screen is recorded and transmitted to the operator.
Based on this message, the operator can decide individually whether the screen should continue to be operated or should stop until the debris is removed. This effective protection mechanism reliably prevents damage to the screen or the downstream equipment, which not only increases the availability of the machines involved, but also improves the operational safety of the entire plant technology.
Advantages and benefits of impurity detection
- Effective protection of the screen and downstream machinery
- Reliable prevention of damage to the machines
- Increased machine availability
- Increased operational reliability of the entire plant technology
Adaptive Operation and Runtime Optimisation
Adaptive operation
Adaptive operation addresses the challenge of sewer flushing surges. These occur primarily shortly after the onset of heavy rainfall events and cause an extremely high pollutant load in the inflow to the treatment plant. In unfavourable cases, the screen can become overloaded by the high freight volumes and fail, with the result that the wastewater reaches the next process stage almost unpurified.
To safely avoid such situations, the measurement results recorded by Safety Vision are used and checked for known events with the help of a sophisticated evaluation. If the evaluation registers signs of an incipient flush surge, the screen is automatically run clear and set to „flush surge mode“. This has the positive effect of reducing the risk of overloading the screen to a minimum.
If, in the course of time, the pollutant load and thus also the risk of overloading the screen decreases, the screen adapts to the current conditions by automatically switching to the appropriate operating mode. Adaptive operation thus both prevents overloading of the screen and ensures that the screen is always optimally utilised. However, this function does not only affect the screen, but also includes other HUBER machines that are directly connected to the screen.
Advantages and benefits of adaptive operation
- Avoids screen overloading due to anticipatory freeing of the HUBER machines at the beginning of a surge.
- Optimal utilisation of the HUBER machines
- Reduced machine running time during heavy rainfall events with low pollution loads
- Lower energy demand
- Reduced operating costs
Runtime optimisation
The third Safety Vision function ‒ runtime optimisation ‒ pursues a goal similar to optimal machine utilisation. With the help of this function, it is possible to reduce the operating times of downstream machines such as the HUBER Wash Press WAP® or HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8 T by up to 40 %.
This is achieved by permanently evaluating the measured screenings volume on the rake bar. The intelligent control system then ensures that the addressed machines are activated according to the actual screenings volume present and not according to rigid specifications. By reducing the running time of the machines, not only the operating costs can be reduced, but also wear. This consequently leads to both lower maintenance costs and a longer machine service life.
Advantages and benefits of runtime optimisation
- Optimum utilisation of downstream HUBER machines
- Reduction of operating times of downstream HUBER machines by up to 40%
- Reduced operating costs
- Reduced wear
- Lower maintenance costs
- Longer machine service life
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