One of the key benefits of having a Muffin Monster® grinder in a wastewater treatment works is that it improves overall maintenance and prevents breakdown of pumps. This is the case with the Banff, Alberta, Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) where a Muffin Monster located in front of the two peristaltic pumps helps prevent the rupture of the rubberized hose inside the pumps.
Known for having the oldest national park in Canada, Banff has a static population of 7,000. The park welcomes 5 million visitors each year, with about 50 percent in the summer months and 35 percent during the ski season.
The Banff treatment plant is a 14 mL/d activated sludge facility that discharges into the Bow River. The treatment train includes two sludge thickeners, tanks where the sludge is thickened prior to aerobic digestion. A line from the thickeners goes to the pumps which direct the waste stream to the aerobic digesters. The 4-in. hoses (one in each pump) work alternatively for four hours each day, to direct the waste stream through continuously churning wheels before the stream is pumped onward.
As Ryan Thomas, chief plant operator, explains, "The hose operates under extremely high pressure and if a solid object, such as a piece of metal, gets in there, the hose can easily rupture. If that happens, it costs us not only time but about $3,000 to replace the hose."
According to Thomas, the Muffin Monster was installed directly in front of the pumps at the time the plant was built ten years ago and has been effective at preventing hose ruptures while requiring very little maintenance.
For more information: JWC • Costa Mesa, CA • Phone 800-331-2277 • www.jwce.com
