DIMMINUTOR® Protects Pottstown Equipment From Abrasion, Clogging

The Pottstown, Pennsylvania Wastewater Treatment Plant handles the wastewater generated by 15,000 area homes, commercial businesses, and industrial sites located in the borough of Pottstown and three nearby townships. The facility is rated for 15.6 mgd and treats an average flow of 7 million gallons of sewage a day.

The plant uses a multi-stepped treatment process to purify the wastewater so it can be safely returned to the environment. Proper treatment of the influent remains an essential first step. By reducing plastics, rags, wood and other incoming solids to fine bits, downstream pumps, and other equipment are protected from abrasion and clogging.

With this in mind, the wastewater facility has relied upon the unparalleled grinding ability of the DIMMINUTOR® Wastewater Grinder to keep plant operations running smoothly. The units themselves are constructed for dependable service and simplified maintenance. Long life, too. This year, the plant purchased a Turbo DIMMINUTOR DM36 to be used in tandem with a unit bought in 1991.”That DIMMINUTOR was part of the original plant upgrade,” says Brent Wagner, Plant Superintendent. “ Over the years it has been rebuilt several times but is still operational. We have had no problems. The units do what they are designed to do.”

The two units are installed in channels at the headworks with a bar screen in front of each one. Once the solids are finely ground and screened, the wastewater flows into a grit system where centrifugal force removes the grit, pulling it to the bottom. The water passes into a pre-aeration tank and is oxygenated. It then flows to an aeration tank, mixing with microorganisms for treatment. A clarifier settles the organisms out and takes the cleared water off. The water is chlorinated and then returned to the Schuylkill River.

Mr. Wagner admits to some reservations about the way sludge is handled. “60% of our solids handling is exterior sludge. We currently send all of those solids to a landfill. With concerns about the long term effect on the environment, this doesn’t make sense. Hopefully, by the beginning of next year, the sludge will be recycled.”

In the meantime, the DIMMINUTOR, after 18 years, remains the grinder of choice. “We like the units. We have had no problems with them. They do what they are designed to do,” Wagner concludes.

The DIMMINUTOR provides the first line of defense in a wastewater treatment plant headworks or pump stations. Sewage solids are captured on a curved screen where rotary cutters sweep them into adjacent stationary cutters with a continuously rotating high torque action. As the cutters intermesh at close clearance, they shear, tear and crush the solids to a size small enough to pass through the fine screen slots. This unit’s rugged screens are cut with laser precision from heavy stainless steel plates.

Unique features of the Dimminutor include

• No seals or bearings located at the bottom of the unit where high concentrations of grit accumulate.
• Stainless Steel screens and cutters.
• Each cutter is independently removable and adjustable without unit removal.

The DIMMINUTOR is available in several models from 15″ (382 mm) through 36″ (915 mm) handling flow rates up to 30 mgd (1.3 cubic meters). They are available for submersible applications using our exclusive Submersible C.I.A. motors.

See our full line of wastewater grinders