The current focus for many wastewater utilities is on achieving operating efficiencies. These include improvements in energy utilization, chemical usage, and the cross-training of plant personnel. While these gains can be substantial, significant gains can be achieved through technological optimization.
BioChem's expert consultants offer the following technological optimization services:
Capacity Assessments and Facility Re-Rating
The re-rating of a treatment plant may involve no physical or operational changes to a facility, but instead a reassessment of the treatment capacities of the facility in light of actual loading and performance results. BioChem Technology has performed many performance evaluations for wastewater facilities. Your plant can most likely continuously treat higher flows than the amount for which it is rated. Many state environmental regulators are familiar with the sound technical analysis of BioChem Technology's process assessments.
Optimization Services
An optimization opportunity occurs when a process can be adjusted, or an operating procedure changed, thereby increasing the treatment capabilities of a unit process. Examples would be the elimination of "short-circuiting" in a reactor tank, discoverable through flow studies, or the reconfiguration of aeration rates after analysis of the biological dynamics of a facility. BioChem Technology uses its suite of in situ, real-time monitors to provide extensive data for further biochemical and microbiological analysis of the treatment process. This intensive methodology creates a "fingerprint" of the unique characteristics of a treatment plant and allows the BioChem Technology experts to identify potential optimization areas.
De-Bottlenecking Services
Opportunities for de-bottlenecking exist when a unit process, a key input to a unit process, or a transfer bottleneck can be physically reconfigured, redesigned or rebuilt to achieve more optimal results. For example, the blower capacity on an aeration system may be adequate for a given desired performance, but after scrutinizing of the unit process, dissolved oxygen levels are found to be limiting; the aeration heads or the aeration piping, despite evident blower capacity, may be a limiting bottleneck. Another example may be the lack of flexibility on RAS and internal recycle rates, caused by the absence of variable speed drives on the concerned pumps. BioChem Technology uses the approach of intensive study to develop an understanding of a particular plant and cost-effective methods for capacity increase, reducing the need to pour new concrete.
Flow Dynaimcs/Mixing Pattern Analysis
Poor treatment and capacity limitations can stem from improper mixing and ineffective flow patterns. With our patented fluorescence sensors and nontoxic dye, we are able to study flow patterns and identify inefficiencies. This evaluation identifies system bottlenecks in flow patterns, inadequate or inefficient mixing, and dead corners or short circuiting of flows. With this information, we develop strategies to overcome treatment inefficiencies.