Pneumatics reduces the energy requirements of electrical pumps in the wastewater treatment process. With pneumatically actuated knife gate valves from Festo, the wastewater treatment plant in Sindelfingen, Germany managed to achieve savings of €11 300 per year.
The wastewater treatment plant in Sindelfingen treats wastewater for 250 000 inhabitants. The process valves with their pneumatic valve actuators DLP and DRD from Festo are distributed throughout the entire plant, sometimes in locations that are not easily accessible.
There are six centrifugal pumps in the pumping cellar each with a power consumption of 90 kW and a delivery rate of up to 500 l/s at a delivery height of 8 to 9 m. Before the use of pneumatic automation technology, the non-return valves had to be held open continuously via the pumps. This lowered the delivery rate by up to 10%. Now the new pneumatic automation of the existing knife gate valves has fully replaced the functionality of all non-return valves and thus increased operational reliability.
The Sindelfingen plant now achieves the same pump delivery rate as before with significantly lower energy consumption corresponding to a total saving of 2% of the entire plant’s electricity demand.
The pumping station is now more clearly laid out and the system requires less space. The noise level has also been reduced considerably and because the knife gate valves close tightly there are no more undetected leaks. When closing the valves, no water hammer occurs and thus no vibrations in the pipeline that have negative effects on service life. Gas bubbles that form when the pump unit is at rest can now escape when the valve is opened. This ensures the pump units start automatically.
Pneumatic components are resistant to continuous loads and maintenance-free over their entire service life. They are very easy to install and are cheaper than comparable electrical solutions, particularly when implementing complete system solutions. Pneumatic components are also impressive when it comes to safety. Compressed air continues to be available even during a power failure. An air reservoir is always available along with a compressor for generation and preparation purposes.
With the pneumatic solutions from Festo, the plant operator has managed to significantly increase durability, service life and energy efficiency whilst recouping costs back in a period of less than a year.
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