continued and by 2009 additional capacity
was needed. Plant #1 could accommodate
higher GPD with an upgrade in technology, so
ERS, with deep roots in the water filtration and
treatment community, was hired as the general
contractor on the expansion project.
Expanding Capacity on the Same Site
Made Sound Economic and Operational
Sense
“Our goal from the beginning was to keep
costs low and system performance high
through technology innovation,” said Nik
Radonich, project engineer, ERS. “One of the
process innovations we thought offered the
highest value was to find an automation supplier
with the experience and expertise to design and
deliver a complete turnkey control solution. We
believed that one point of contact would speed
communication and assign responsibility. We
wanted one source thoroughly knowledgeable
about the system to document, train, and
provide support services. Finally, we were
looking for automation system interoperability,
where the majority of components were
designed to integrate with one another.
“After evaluating and rejecting a number
of automation companies that could supply
a partial, but not complete solution, ERS
selected Festo Corporation, Hauppauge,
NY. Festo met all of our criteria and has
an extensive track record of successfully
completed projects in the global water/waste
water industry in Europe, the Middle East,
and the Americas.”
An Overview of the Automation
Solution
One of the first things ERS did was to
repurpose two treatment vessels no longer
in service. These 5 foot diameter by 15 feet
long horizontal vessels replaced four 5 foot
diameter by 7 feet long vertical vessels. The
horizontal vessels ensured more efficient/
higher capacity operation.
In the waste water reclaiming process,
water is forced, under pressure, through
a filter medium bed to remove the remaining
suspended solids from earlier treatment before
disinfection and final discharge. The filter bed
is made of crushed anthracite (hard coal)
Figure 1. Close up of Festo Process valve, actuator,
and limit switch assembly.
Figure 2. Top, left to right backwash supply valve,
effluent discharge valve, and backwash discharge valve.
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