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Wastewater Case Studies·February 23, 2017

How the Franklin Miller Dimminutor® Became an Olympic Winner

The Franklin Miller DIMMINUTOR® was selected for the state-of-the-art sewage system infrastructure project built to accommodate the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. After an intensive construction project, multiple Model DM36XF DIMMINUTOR® open channel comminutors were employed throughout the new sewage system. Each unit has the capability of 29 million gallons of raw sewage per day. As part of the preparation for the games, an advanced sewage treatment system in Sochi had to be built. Designed by Olimpstroy, the system is said to meet BREF standards and employ top available technologies including tertiary treatment with microfiltration. The advanced sewage plant is part of a series of state-of-the-art infrastructure projects that were built in preparation for the games. The extensive construction plan involved building and modernizing the telecommunications, power and transport infrastructure of the area, in addition to the construction of a new Olympic Park by the Black Sea coast. The DIMMINUTOR® reduces wastewater solids in open channel wastewater installations and wet wells. It was selected by virtue of its unique design that features reliability and ease of maintenance. The owner was shown a similar installation nearby and was impressed with the unparalleled design features of the unit. While other comminutors being considered required disassembly of the entire unit to replace even one of the many cutters, the DIMMINUTOR features only a few replaceable parts. Each cutter can be independently replaced without unit disassembly. Additionally, there are no mechanisms or seals down at the gritty channel bottom while other designs have bottom bearings and seals subject to wear from grit. Each DIMMINUTOR is equipped with a submersible motor. Unlike immersible motors, the submersible motor is designed to operate while submerged in water or sewage for unlimited time periods. “Franklin Miller is very pleased that the DIMMINUTOR was part of the Sochi Olympics with one of the largest installations in the world,” says Dave Schuppe, VP of Sales, Franklin Miller. Learn More About Our Wastewater Grinders

Wastewater Case Studies·February 23, 2017

Maximum Security with The Space-saving SPIRALIFT® SLV

Due to the waste from the Northeast Correctional Facility, Alliance Water Resources, the wastewater treatment plant in Bowling Green, Missouri, was constantly having problems. The prison, which produces 300,000 gallons of water per day, was creating a deluge of problems for the pump station, including clogged and plugged pumps, excessive power draw and the need for continuous service and ultimate pump replacement. The inmates were flushing paper, jumpsuits, and all manner of debris – pretty much anything they could flush. It was costing the plant a lot of downtime and tons of money. Once the pumps started needing total replacements on a very frequent basis, costing the plant more than $30,000 each year, they knew they needed a solution. “We knew we had to find something better. It was beyond expensive to maintain and very difficult to stay on top of the almost-constant plugging,” Bo Stinnett at Alliance Water Resources. Because the pit was 35 feet deep, there weren’t a lot of options. As a matter of fact, Bo says, “The Franklin Miller SPIRALIFT SLV was the only machine that had the technology to take care of the needs we had in the space we had. Because we have another Spiralift in our plant that we’ve been running for years, we were confident in buying another Franklin Miller unit.” The Spiralift SLV was installed and the results were immediate: no more clogs, no more downtime, no more wasted manpower or replacing machines. “We check on it once in a while,” Bo said. “But that’s it. It’s working great and has proven to be very, very low maintenance. It has worked wonderfully for us.” The Spiralift SLV is a unique fine screen that conveys solids straight up. With its small footprint, it fits into tight places where no other screens can fit. This unit combines Task master® grinding technology with a vertical screw screen to provide fine screenings of solids entrained in liquid flows.

Wastewater Case Studies·February 23, 2017

Screenmaster® CS Bar screen Helps Township Weather the Stormwater

When the township of Little Ferry, New Jersey constructed a new bridge, it created a big problem. The bridge, constructed at a traffic circle in town, created changes to the road that left a drainage pond below the water level of the Hackensack River. The problematic effect this had was immediate as local neighborhoods were flooded on a regular basis. The town knew they had to fix this problem immediately and decided to install pumps to combat the flooding. Because the runoff was stormwater, the problem was compounded by the large solids such as leaves, branches, sticks and other debris that would enter the pumps and clog or even shut them down. After careful research, the DOT (Department of Transportation) specified a Franklin Miller Screenmaster® CS bar screen to protect the pumps. A complication was that the unit had to be installed while the system was running as the flow could not be shut off or diverted. The township installed a custom, oversized Screenmaster® CS bar screen, which fits in an 8 ft. wide, 20 ft. deep channel, with 13 ft. of max. water height and providing 239” of lift to the discharge. The unit was designed with a special bottom grating to handle the quantity and size of debris in the stormwater. The Screenmaster has been hard at work since its installation, filtering solids from the stormwater before they have a chance to reach the pumps, and helping keep Little Ferry flood free. The SCREENMASTER CS features a series of rakes mounted on oversized perforated rake baskets that clear solids from a stainless bar rack and lift them up and out of the channel. It’s easy to install in new or existing channels. The SCREENMASTER installs at a 75-degree inclination so it has a very small footprint. The design features a simple, continuous rotary motion. As the rake head passes through the bar slots collecting debris, it travels up the unit’s dead plate until it reaches a special scraper supplied with a dash pot for smooth operation. The screenings then drop out the unit’s discharge chute into a bin, conveyor or SPIRAL IFT SC screenings washing system. The unit is available in a variety of widths up to 78” wide (2 m) and for a lift height of up to 38 ft. (11.6 m).

Wastewater Case Studies·February 23, 2017

The TASKMASTER® TITAN® saves time and worries

The Roseland, NJ pump station is one of the largest high-flow stations feeding into the Caldwell Wastewater Treatment Plant. The pump station originally used a trash rack in the channel coming into the station. This arrangement made it necessary for a worker to climb down into the confined space once a day to access and empty the trash rack manually. This was a very time-consuming process and was expensive for the station to keep up with such frequent manual maintenance. By installing the TASKMASTER® TITAN®, the challenges were instantly resolved. The brand new machine was installed in front of the bar rack. This eliminated the manpower needed and a big portion of their day that was spent manually maintaining the system. The TASKMASTER TITAN is a workhorse that can handle such heavy objects as sanitary wipes, rags, shoes, blocks of wood and many different items that find their way into wastewater systems. The Titan is a powerhouse and is working well at handling the high flows. The station has no more maintenance issues at all. Its unique design features two cutter stacks. One stack intermeshes with a second one that has oversized cutters. The result is unsurpassed grinding performance, durability, superior solids feeding and high flow capacities. “Time was saved, and worries were saved,” said Ray Cornetto who worked with the installation of this machine. “The TITAN is a powerhouse and is working well at handling the high flows. The station has no more maintenance issues at all.”

Wastewater Case Studies·February 23, 2017

Union Township, NJ Automates Pump Station with TASKMASTER®

Union Township, New Jersey was having a lot of trouble with their pump station. Although a small pump station, it was extremely cumbersome to maintain. The station was using a trash basket with a ladder and rail system to screen solids. This was extremely time-consuming, used an excess of manpower and proved to be ineffective at times. They knew they needed a better solution. Because Franklin Miller had successfully retrofitted a competitor’s machine in the past, the Township of Union, Department of Public Works decided to approach FMI for a solution. The county removed the trash basket when Franklin Miller fabricated a machine and components to fit directly in the same space while still using their current rail system. “It was an extremely easy installation for us,” said Ray Cornetto, who worked on the installation. “There were no issues installing this machine and there have been no issues with running it.” He went on to report that the Franklin Miller TASKMASTER TM8500 series not only solved the issue of manpower, but automated their “We no longer have to clear the basket. This automated system has made everything simple. The station is checked once in a while and that’s it. They can move on to the next job.”

Wastewater Case Studies·September 22, 2015

DIMMINUTOR® Saves Monterey County Time, Money, and Manpower

The pump stations at Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) were having a problem with their channel grinders. The twin-shaft, drum-style channel grinders were used in the ten pump stations in the region that feed into the main Monterey Regional plant. The plant is located in northern Monterey County, California, on 100 acres, and has a capacity to treat 29.6 million gallons per day. It receives 18.5 million gallons of water each day from the 250,000 people it serves, and uses a primary treatment processes of physical separation using a bar screen and settling tanks, and a secondary treatment of using microscopic organisms found naturally in the environment. The pump stations were having major trouble with the channel grinders. They were constantly breaking down and needing to be rebuilt. It was causing a lot of downtime, extra manpower, putting a strain on their maintenance budget, and interrupting their treatment process. They knew they had to replace the machines with something better. That’s when they turned to Franklin Miller, to learn more about the DIMMINUTOR®. “When we heard about the stack cutter assembly in Franklin Miller’s DIMMINUTOR, we wanted to learn more,” Bret Boatman, Maintenance Supervisor, said. “The fact that the DIMMINUTOR has no bottom bearings was very attractive, as the bottom bearings on the other company’s units kept giving out.” Once they installed the DIMMINUTOR, the effect was immediate and dramatic. “We have so much less downtime and maintenance costs on the new machines. Ordering, installing and using the DIMMINUTOR has been very straightforward.” Over the past seven years, the plant has switched out eight of their old twin-shaft units to the Franklin Miller DIMMINUTOR. The DIMMINUTOR provides automatic screening and grinding of liquid-borne solids with a straight through open channel design. This unit reduces plastics, wood, vegetable matter, disposables, and other oversized items to a fine particulate. The DIMMINUTOR’S unique design, heavy precision construction, dependable operation and simplified maintenance have earned it a solid reputation amongst operators and specifying engineers worldwide. The unit has been specifically designed to handle tough wipes which have been a significant issue for plants nationwide. The DIMMINUTOR is designed for reliable operation and easy maintenance. For example, with its cantilevered design, the DIMMINUTOR needs no seals or bearings near the gritty channel floor. The unit’s screen is stationary so it never wears against bottom grit. Each cutter is interchangeable and cutters can be removed or adjusted independently. The unit’s seals and bearings are immersed in an oil bath for long life and low maintenance. “The experience with Franklin Miller has been great, from the machines, of course, down to ordering parts and the exceptional customer service.”

Wastewater Case Studies·April 20, 2015

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

Wastewater Case Studies·February 5, 2015

Case Study: Channel Disintegrator Solves Ragging Problem, Eliminates Downtime For Maryland Pump Station

The Route 108 pumping station located in Howard County, Maryland serves a large, affluent mostly residential area. The station pumps 3.5mgd of wastewater for further processing to the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant in Baltimore. When necessary, the treatment plant is bypassed and the wastewater is sent instead to the Little Patuxent Water Reclamation Plant. This arrangement, though uncommon, had always worked well until one day things took a turn for the worse. “The problems began when the station was taken off-line while we did some upgrades to it,” said Superintendent, Bob Funk. “When we went back on-line a year later, the pumps were unable to run a full day without clogging up with rags.” “Something had changed,” Funk explained. “We think that it was the construction of some nursing homes nearby. We began to see a lot more rags that were probably flushed down the toilets including shredded diapers, cleaning cloths, and other debris. It was a real mess. Every day someone had to spend up to four hours cleaning out the pumps. We desperately needed to find a solution and soon.” “”We contacted several vendors and asked them for their ideas on how to best manage the situation,” he continued. “One suggestion was a climber screen to catch the rags before they entered the pumps. But that meant dealing with the collected screenings. A better option was a grinder placed in front of the pumps to grind the debris finely enough so that it could be passed along to the treatment plants for further processing.” “Our first choice was a Franklin Miller DIMMINUTOR® T25 Channel Disintegrator which we ultimately purchased. Before we made a final decision, we were invited to Ocean City, Maryland where we could see the DIMMINUTOR in operation and talk to the operators using it. They said they were very happy with it.” “Franklin Miller did a great job of engineering the DIMMINUTOR for our conditions. Everything was prefabricated, making it easy for our maintenance crew to install and maintain. We are now able to run our pumps twenty-four hours a day every day with virtually no pump clogging. In the time we’ve owned the unit, we’ve cleaned out just two jams; one caused by a log and the other by a plastic manhole cover. In both cases, the DIMMINUTOR went right back to work.” “The DIMMINUTOR T25 has proven to be an excellent choice,” Funk concluded.

Wastewater Case Studies·February 5, 2015

Wastewater Treatment Upgrade: Embracing Efficiency with Franklin Miller's DIMMINUTOR®

Fredericton, Canada, a city of 50,000 residents, is the capital of the Canadian Province of New Brunswick. The Wastewater treatment plant, operated by the Fredericton Pollution Control Commission, is a secondary activated sludge system designed to treat an average flow of 5mgd. Septage and incoming wastewater flow through screens which direct oversized objects to the channel grinders where they are reduced to a fine particulate. The solids are allowed to settle in the primary clarifier, are dewatered and sent to a compost site. Treated effluent is discharged into the Saint John River. Until 2009, when the plant began construction for a major upgrade to the existing infrastructure, equipment was purchased as needed. Replacing the existing channel grinders with more cost effective units became a priority. “We had two Muffin Monsters at our wastewater treatment plant, but the cost of overhaul every three years got to be very expensive and our maintenance budget took quite a hit,” explained Doug Sewell, Maintenance Supervisor. “We began to look for a less costly alternative,” he continued. “We installed the first DIMMINUTOR® DM25 xf in 2003 and liked it so well that we purchased another one in 2006.” According to Sewell, the decision was a very good one. “The units are extremely reliable, the cost to operate them is very low and the company’s service and personnel have been topnotch,” he concluded. The DIMMINUTOR DM25 Channel Comminutor provides effective, automatic screening and grinding of wastewater solids in straight through channels and wet wells. This powerful unit reduces plastics, wood, rags and other solids to fine bits, enhancing plant operation and improving the reliability of pumps and other downstream equipment. The unit employs a smooth, continuously rotating design with high torque. As its three bidirectional rotary cutters intermesh at close clearance with stationary cutters, solids are finely reduced to a size small enough to pass through a sizing screen. With no gaps or openings between the screen and cutters, output is controlled and complete reduction assured. The DIMMINUTOR has an intrinsically open design to handle high flow rates with low head-loss. This unit is extremely easy and economical to maintain and features individually replaceable cutters, oil lubrication and a simple rotary design requiring no auxiliary diverter screens. A unique, cantilevered design eliminates seals or bearings near the gritty channel floor. Every component of the unit is constructed for precision and long life.

Wastewater Case Studies·February 5, 2015

Case Study: Greasy “Air-Craft Carriers” Destroyed By Taskmaster®

The Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Water Works Authority in Levittown, Pennsylvania is an activated sludge primary treatment plant. The facility is responsible for thirteen lift stations in the district and processes 10 million gallons of wastewater per day. One of the stations had chronic problems because it had no catch basin for rags, debris or grease. To make matters worse, it was located directly in the path of two major shopping centers that disgorged massive quantities of all these waste products into the wastewater. “The pieces of grease were so big, we called them aircraft carriers”, said Lift Station Mechanic, Ken Balcom. ” They’d come in and, without a catch basin, would block up the pumps and corrode the valves. We would be down for 8-12 hours of operation because we’d have to clean the pumps.” These rag-laden grease mounds would float downstream and present a menace to the entire system. That was until they installed a TASKMASTER® grinder. Purchasing the TASKMASTER TM8516, a powerful grinding unit, employing counter-rotating banks of intermeshing cutters, made all the difference. The unit was installed right over the influent pipe, negating the need for a bar screen or a catch basin. When the debris entered the station, it passed directly through the grinder where it was ground up into small particles. As a bonus, the “aircraft carriers were completely destroyed and the grease was dispersed. Thereafter, it smoothly and easily passed through the pumps with no difficulties. “We’re very pleased with the unit,” said Mr. Balcom. “It has improved system operations, cut down on maintenance and is very reliable. We maintain it according to the specs and we’ve had no trouble whatsoever.” The TASKMASTER is a rugged workhorse of a grinder. The unit’s twin shaft mechanism is especially rugged due to the use of the CUTTER CARTRIDGE®, instead of standard individual cutter and spacer disks. This design gives it the extra strength needed to successful process these tough rags and grease. ‍ SEE OUR FULL LINE OF WASTEWATER GRINDERS

Wastewater Case Studies·February 5, 2015

Case Study: Grinding Technology Reduces Tough Solids

“In 2007, flushable wipes came on the market and these products did not degrade before they got to the sewer pumps. The wipes tended to bind and clump together, creating huge balls that became tangled in the pumping equipment. The situation worsened as the wipes became more and more popular.” – Bruce Walczyk, Pump Station Foreman Northline Lift Station, Laguna Woods, California For years, three pumps installed at the Laguna Woods, California Northline Station easily handled the 2.5 MGD average flow and even an occasional el Niño deluge. Maintenance was limited to deragging typical solids from the pumps every 3 months. Then, in 2007, flushable wipes changed all that and presented a real problem. Says Bruce Walczyk, Pump Station Foreman, “eventually it was taking two men four hours each, three times a week to de-rag the clogged pumps. They’d often be out at midnight on Sunday fixing a jam.” A unit to pre-shred the debris before it reached the pumps was desperately needed. Dale Gruel of Dudek Consulting engineers, Encinitas California recommended grinding technology to alleviate the problem. After evaluating several units, the pump station chose a Franklin Miller SUPER SHREDDER® SS1200 inline disintegrator. Franklin Miller was the one company that made a heavy duty grinder with a short lay-in length that would fit into the site. The disintegrator was installed at the suction side of the pump. The debris was sucked in, shredded and then easily passed through the treatment plant. This placement avoided the potential for clogs and blockages in the pumps further down the line. Mr. Walczk reports, “Since its installation, the Super Shredder has run flawlessly, saving us countless labor hours.” The problem with wipes is not going away anytime soon. In fact, “flushable” wipes sales are predicted to increase by 6% a year for years to come and the problem is not only in the USA. In London, a lump was discovered that was actually the size of a city bus that consisted of a mixture of cooking grease and wipes. Fortunately, Franklin Miller heavy-duty grinders are playing a critical role in combating this problem in plants nationwide and internationally. Says Franklin Miller President Bill Galanty, “every one of our grinders is certified to reduce tough mops and solids such as flushable wipe products. We’re proud that our grinding equipment is solving this difficult problem that many plant operators are facing nationwide.”

Wastewater Case Studies·February 5, 2015

DIMMINUTOR Cuts at High Flow; Withstands 125 Year Storm

The Millbury, Massachusetts pumping stations are part of a regionalized consortium of eight communities that discharge their wastewater to the Upper Blackstone Water Pollution Abatement District for treatment. The 56 MGD facility sits at the Headwaters of the Blackstone River, once considered one of the most polluted river ways in the country. As a result of plant upgrades and projects, the water quality was considerably improved, and the river will be swimmable by 2015. “We originally were a secondary trickling filter treatment plant, but were decommissioned after the town of Millbury joined the district,” explained Plant Superintendent, Bradford Lange. “From then on, we were responsible for the maintenance and operation of sixteen pumping stations.” “In 2005, we began a major upgrade of old equipment, including a Worthington comminutor that needed to be taken out of service,” said Lange. “It was very important to have an inline unit that could efficiently grind and screen wastewater solids so they could be easily processed by the pumps.” “On the recommendation of our engineer, we installed a DIMMINUTOR® T20 Channel Disintegrator,” Lange continued. “The unit has an extended shaft and this was a major consideration in our selection. We are located in a flood plain and we needed that shaft to keep the motor up above any flooding that could occur.” According to Lange, purchasing the DIMMINUTOR was a wise decision. “The unit has so many great features. It easily chops up everything in its path, rocks, sticks you name it. In case of a jam, there is a reliable reverse mode. Because of its open design, the unit has a lot less head loss. It takes in as much water as it can get, resulting in a higher velocity of flow. This higher flow speeds the entire process up for us.” “We recently bought another DIMMINUTOR T20.The two units are placed side by side in a channel and are rotated monthly,” said Lange. “The original unit has never been taken out of service. It works as well four years later as the day it was installed. The DIMMINUTOR is a fine rugged piece of equipment. When you’re in the field, you want something dependable. We’re very satisfied.” “Incidentally,” Lange concluded, “shortly after we installed the first unit in 2005, we experienced a tremendous flood, the kind that occurs once in a hundred and twenty five years. We were literally underwater for two day, but the DIMMINUTOR kept right on going.” The DIMMINUTOR offers effective, automatic screening and disintegrating of wastewater solids in straight through channels and wet wells. This powerful unit reduces plastics, wood, rags and other solids to fine bits, enhancing plant operation and improving the reliability of pumps and other downstream equipment. The DIMMINUTOR employs a smooth, continuously rotating design with high torque. As its three bidirectional rotary cutters intermesh at close clearance with stationary cutters, solids are finely reduced to a size small enough to pass through a sizing screen. With no gaps or openings between the screen and cutters, output is controlled and complete reduction assured. The DIMMINUTOR has an intrinsically open design to handle high flow rates with low head-loss. This unit is extremely easy to maintain and features individually replaceable cutters, oil lubrication and a simple rotary design requiring no auxiliary diverter screens. A unique, cantilevered design eliminates seals or bearings near the gritty channel floor. Every component of the unit is constructed for precision and long life.

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