Pumps Installed at Water Treatment Works Improve Efficiency

Two of NOV Mono’s (UK) revolutionary EZstripTM progressing cavity (PC) pumps have been installed at United Utilities Fairbourne wastewater treatment works in Wales to improve process efficiency by reducing downtime on a critical site process.

Fairbourne WwTW was constructed in 2003 and treats flows from Fairbourne and Bryn Coch pumping stations. Flows to the works pass through a two stage screening process into an anoxic zone and then into a submerged membrane bioreactor (MBR) plant comprising MBR cells. Final effluent from each MBR cell is pumped out to sea through the Fairbourne outfall.

The two Mono EZstripTM maintain in place (MIP) pumps have been installed to pump return activated sludge (RAS) from one MBR cell to another at 55m3/h. Due the critical nature of the process, the pumps are required to operate continuously and an additional EZstrip pump has been supplied as a spare to United Utilities Operational Services, the site operator.

Mary Alexander, Senior Mechanical Engineer at Imtech Process, the project contractor, commented: “We specified the Mono EZstripTM pumps because as well as offering a massive
reduction in downtime for maintenance and repair, they eliminate the requirement for stator dismantling space, allowing the installation to be kept compact.

The Mono pumps are reliable and have been operating smoothly since their installation. We are very happy with their performance.”

Mono’s EZstripTM progressing cavity pump is the biggest leap forward in progressing cavity (PC) pump design for 30 years and is an extension of Mono’s popular Compact C Range. The EZstripTM has been specifically designed to provide a quick and easy way to disassemble, de-rag and maintain a PC pump in-situ, eliminating the costly maintenance and down time that servicing can often cause.

The EZstripTM pump can be installed into new plants or retrofitted into existing Mono Compact C installations. No electrical disconnection is required and suction and discharge pipes remain untouched.

The EZstripTM pump offers dry run protection and all operational parameters are unaffected. The model range has a capacity of up to 165m3/h and 12 bar pressure, and is available in either cast iron or stainless steel. WRAS compliant elastomers are available together with a pre-assembled drive train which comes with a two year warranty.