Galien River Sanitary District Sewer Authority is a municipal wastewater plant located in southwestern Michigan that serves a population of 30,000 with a daily average flow rate of 3.0 mgd.
GRSD had two centrifugal chopper pumps that were used to transfer co-mingled waste activated sludge and primary sludge from primary clarifiers to either a primary digester or a thickener tank. These centrifugal pumps operated well when the sludge was thin, but did not perform as well when the sludge was thick.
Both pumps had a dedicated suction line that was approximately 85 feet in length and 6 inches in diameter. The pumps had a flooded suction of approximately 11 feet, but were required to pull a maximum suction lift of approximately 4 feet when draining the clarifiers.
Designing a replacement
Over time, transferring co-mingled waste and primary sludge became too thick for the centrifugal chopper pumps. GRSD decided that the pumps needed to be replaced, so they hired an engineering company to help with the design of their pump replacement project.
Through this partnership, GRSD learned about Penn Valley Pump and installed two 6-inch PVP Model 6DDSX76CNU 10 hp pumps. These pumps have been flawlessly operating since startup in February 2020, with timers turning the pumps on and off multiple times throughout the day. By pumping out high- and low-sludge concentration levels with no operator involvement, GRSD has been able to save valuable time and money each month.
Penn Valley Pump Company, Inc. has developed and manufactured Double Disc Pumps for the municipal, industrial and chemical industries for the past 40 years. The company has created a range of positive displacement solids-handling pumps that provide durability, reliability and performance.
800-311-3311 | info@pennvalleypump.com | www.pennvalleypump.com
