Disc Filters to Increase Flow Capacity at Wastewater Treatment Plant in Ohio

The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (Ohio, USA) will be installing four Forty-X disc filters from Siemens Water Technologies (USA) at its Sycamore Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant. Part of a wastewater treatment improvement project, the filters will allow the plant to increase design flow capacity from 6 to 9 mgd (22,712 to 34,069 m3/d), with a peak flow capacity of 18 mgd (68,137 m3/d). The project also changes the plant’s process from conventional activated sludge treatment to advanced biological phosphorus removal.

The disc filters will replace the Sycamore Creek plant’s current sand filtration system, which has reached its usefulness due to increased flow volumes. Three of the disc filters will be operational, with one remaining in stand-by mode. The Forty-X disc filters’ small footprint and versatile hydraulic capabilities will allow them to be easily retrofitted into the sand filters’ existing concrete tankage, using only four of the eight filter concrete basins to meet the increased plant capacity.

The Forty-X disc filter’s pleated filter media panel design provides 40% more filtration area, compared to flat panel designs. The inside-out filtration design offers many distinct advantages over the outside-in filtration technology. For example, all mechanical and functional hardware as well as the filtration panels are accessible from the top of the filter without draining the filter tank. The filter panel’s spoke (housing) design discourages floatable materials from catching and impeding water flow through the filter. Additionally, for safety and convenience, permanently mounted sliding covers allow operators easy access to all the filter components as well as keeping blowing debris out of the tank and deterring algae growth within the filter tank.