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[...]Jagstzell, Germany HUBER Service and Maintenance Contracts have over the years developed to become a worldwide highly demanded service product of the HUBER Global Service. Today, such contracts exist for more than 2,500 machines and plants in Germany alone. The municipality of Jagstzell also decided recently to make use of the extensive benefits of a HUBER Service Contract. Their decision means another milestone in the success history of the HUBER Global Service. For their decision meant that we could sign in the first quarter of 2019 a contract with the 1000th sewage treatment plant in Germany, STP Jagstzell. At the beginning of April, this was celebrated together with the municipality’s representatives on site in Baden-Württembergt. Paul Neumaier, Business Unit Manager HUBER Global Service, was welcomed for a celebratory reception by Mayor Raimund Müller and Chief Officer Lars Freytag together with his Service Team members: Verena Burger (Service Sales Maintenance Contracts International), Josef Stephan (Service Sales Team Leader), Frank Hill (Service Advisor International) and the regional field service representative Elmar Börsig. In his speech, Mayor Müller made clear that sufficient clean groundwater would be essential for the region and also the protection of the river Jagst would be of enormous importance. He called the modernisation done in the past when, among other, the HUBER ROTAMAT ® Complete Plant Ro5 HD was installed, a “quantum leap”. ”Whether nature, the environment or the people living here, we want the best for all and feel we are now in best hands with HUBER”, he summed up. Mr. Dix and Mr. Steegmüller together with the HUBER Service Advisor Frank Hill and HUBER Team Leader Josef Stephan on site Business Unit Manager Paul Neumaier, Mayor Müller and Chief Officer Lars Freytag signing the contract Left to right: Frank Hill, Josef Stephan, Paul Neumaier, Mayor Raimund Müller, Verena Burger, Chief Officer Lars Freytag, Elmar Börsig Protection of the investments made, high operating reliability and low calculable operating and personnel costs on site, these were the determining intentions for their decision to conclude a HUBER Service and Maintenance Contract. Moreover, they are happy that their own staff can now benefit from the continuous knowhow transfer and the expertise and experience of the HUBER Service specialists. After the contract signing ceremony and handing over the contract documents, the group made a tour of the sewage treatment together and used this opportunity to exchange with the staff on site. The HUBER machines installed have always operated reliably for more than ten years. Nevertheless, the site staff is happy about the HUBER Service and Maintenance Contract. They especially hope for a regular exchange of knowledge and an even better understanding for their plant. More than true are the words coming from the sewage works operator Mr. Steegmüller: „ Like parents often hardly notice how fast their child is growing up, we who are working on site may quickly lose sight of optimal plant operation .“ According to Mr. Steegmüller and Mr. Dix it is especially reliability of operation and a trouble-free process on the whole sewage treatment plant works that plays a very important role for them, in addition to the reasons stated above. This is ensured by preventive maintenance and inspection from HUBER. We would like to thank the municipality of Jagstzell once again, Mayor Müller and Chief Officer Lars Freytag as well as all site staff involved, for their confidence in HUBER and look forward to a long, successful partnership! Facts and Figures of STP Jagstzell: Installed HUBER machines on site: 1 HUBER Complete Plant ROTAMAT® Ro5 HD 45 l/s with inlet screen 1 HUBER Wash Press WAP® 2 1 HUBER Grit Washer RoSF4 TC Design size 2,800 PE Receiving water body river Jagst Two persons as site staff We want to guarantee for you also in the future at the best and comprehensively the services in the field of wastewater treatment required due to ever increasing standards. We recommend: HUBER Service and Maintenance Contracts „On the safe side with a HUBER Service partnership“ Preventive maintenance and inspection on a high manufacturer quality level and their extensive benefits for the customer, such as high operational reliability high machine performance calculable, low operating costs maintenance of value and investment security professional and reliable support of the operating staff on site detailed documentation and report of results after each maintenance for the plant managers are decisive and of a high benefit for our customers. These are factors gaining increasingly in importance, both in Germany and abroad. Signing a HUBER Service and Maintenance Contract will guarantee you maximum operating reliability at constantly high product performance and at the same time low and calculable operating costs! The contract provides regular, load and status dependent maintenance and detailed inspection by a HUBER service engineer. The results of any service inspection and maintenance are recorded carefully and precisely in the HUBER Maintenance Checklist. HUBER Service Contracts include, of course, our guarantee for operating reliability and product availability until the next servicing date. We confirm this with our special addtional guarantee you receive as a function and operation guarantee for our equipment under regular service! Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to make sure to be on the safe side with a HUBER Service Partnership like meanwhile 1,000 satisfied sewage plant operators in Germany alone! We will be glad to support you in selecting the perfectly suitable solution for you and your plant with the right HUBER service contract. Your HUBER Service Center International is available for you by: Tel. +49 8462 201-455 or e-mail to: service@huber.de[...]

[...]At the end of 2016, one of our most important industrial customers kindly agreed to give us his view of the HUBER service quality in a personal interview from the perspective of a customer, providing critical analysis and evaluation. GELITA is one of the leading suppliers of gelatine, collagen and collagen peptides worldwide. These natural, pure and anallergenic clean-label ingredients play an important role when it comes to healthy food, a healthy life style and technical innovations. GELITA AG relies on natural solutions, scientific research and creativity. They live the motto of innovation and follow their motifs of excellence, expertise and a comprehensive service. They also rely on transparency as they recognize that customer confidence is their most valuable asset. Their motto determines everything they do – day after day: improving quality of life. Their global presence is not limited to the food and beverage industry, they also supply to the market of health & dietary supplement as well as to the pharma & medicine market, and they are involved in a wide scope of extremely exciting technological applications. Mr. Spiegel, head of energy & environment on site, and Mr. Beisel, wastewater specialist and foreman of the GELITA wastewater treatment plant, were so kind as to answer our questions relating to the HUBER service performance when we visited them on site. HUBER SE: „How important is the availability of the HUBER plants for your company?“ GELITA AG: „The availability of the HUBER machines is of immense importance for us. Downtimes would disturb our processes. We would have to throttle our production and, worst case, even stop it completely.“ HUBER SE: „What is most important for you? What are the main criteria you are expecting from a competent service partner?“ GELITA AG: „The basic requirement for us is on-schedule and high-quality processing as our production stands still for two weeks in summer to carry out maintenance and repair work. All maintenance and repair work must be completed within this period of time. But just as important for us is the smooth work flow during maintenance and always the same personnel.“ HUBER SE: „How does GELITA AG evaluate the HUBER service relating to these criteria, and what benefit do you see in the close cooperation with the HUBER Global Service?“ GELITA AG: „Very good overall as, due to timely coordination, dates can be fixed, spare parts can be provided for the machines and problems discussed beforehand. The HUBER service staff has a comprehensive know-how and is working independently, this ensures that everything goes off smoothly as required. Due to the close cooperation, which will be intensified even more through site visits by HUBER service consultant Frank Hill in spring, the optimisation process for our industry-specific requirements can be well coordinated and taken into account when maintenance is carried out.“ HUBER SE: „How would you generally consider the HUBER Service insofar as cost/performance ratio, quality, adherence to delivery dates, competence, and flexibility are concerned?“ GELITA AG: „We are really satisfied with all points, especially when it comes to competence and flexibility as the high availability of the machines is important for us, as well as quick help in case of equipment failures. Our high satisfaction with the HUBER service consultant and the internal HUBER service sales technician should particularly be mentioned in this context.“ HUBER SE: „Would you recommend the HUBER Global Service to others?“ GELITA AG: „Yes, and we indeed do so.“ HUBER SE: „Is there anything particular you would like to advise for the future, what should we optimize?“ GELITA AG: „Keeping your service quality constantly at this high level in order to have satisfied customers also in the future. This will require, among other, constantly well trained personnel, problem solving in close cooperation with the customer and common efforts to meet the challenges arising from ever increasing customer requirements.“ We would like to thank Mr. Spiegel and his team for their cooperation and confidence in HUBER! The results from the interview mean for us an acknowledgement of good work and cooperation but at the same time commit us to continue our efforts in order to guarantee quality and performance of our services on such a high level also in the future! Facts and figures of the plant: Installed HUBER machines: 1x Multi-Rake Bar Screen RakeMax® size 2300x552x6 1x HUBER Complete Plant ROTAMAT® Ro5 size 100 l/s with HUBER Rotary Drum Fine Screen ROTAMAT® Ro2 size 1000/3mm 1x HUBER Fine Screen ROTAMAT® Ro1 size 780/6 mm in tank 1x HUBER Rotary Drum Fine Screen ROTAMAT® Ro2 size 1200/0.5 mm in tank 2x HUBER Rotary Screw Thickener S-DRUM size 3 100,000 PE design size Flotation plant with preceding HUBER Fine Screen ROTAMAT® Ro1 and HUBER Rotary Drum Fine Screen ROTAMAT® Ro2 5,000 m³/d production wastewater which is treated directly on the plant Surface water is discharged directly to the receiving water course Agricultural application of the biomass lime sludge Staff on the sewage treatment plant: 1x foreman (wastewater) 1x foreman (wastewater) in training 3x wastewater treatment specialists 1x wastewater treatment specialist in training Year-round attendance of the plant, 365 days Shift work (3 persons per shift)[...]

[...]Bitburg and Kyllburg, Germany A HUBER Service partnership on the basis of our service and maintenance contracts has meanwhile become a much-demanded HUBER Service product worldwide, especially when it comes to absolute security for plant operation yet low and calculable operating costs! Preventive maintenance and inspection on a manufacturer quality level and their benefits for the customer, such as high operational reliability high machine performance calculable operating costs maintenance of value and investment security professional and reliable support of the operating staff on site detailed documentation and report of results after each maintenance for the plant managers are factors which are gaining in importance, both in Germany and abroad. Individually and flexibly designed HUBER service systems – a suitable solution for every customer Due to their modular design and flexible solution concepts HUBER service and maintenance contracts can be optimally tailored to suit customer needs and help to maintain customer satisfaction in the long term. Meanwhile, nearly 1000 sewage treatment plants, with in total 2000 machines in Germany alone, make use of the extensive benefits! No matter which branch, whether common municipal sewage treatment works or industrial plants, sewage sludge drying plants, dairy producers, automobile manufacturers, or even jails – they all went for a HUBER Service partnership, with good reason as one of our customers reports below! Example: Expanded HUBER service and maintenance contract of Verbandsgemeinde-Werke Bitburger Land – branch Bitburg and Kyllburg We are especially happy about one of our major HUBER service and maintenance partnerships with Verbandsgemeinde-Werke Bitburger Land which was signed in November 2015 after a merger of the municipal utilities and is now one of our most extensive HUBER service and maintenance contracts! With 20 sewage treatment plants and a total of 23 machines this maintenance contract includes both older machines of the year 1992 and completely new ones installed in 2014. This shows that continuous systematic maintenance from the manufacturer ensures that a very long operational life is achieved and the maximum machine lifetime can thus be utilized by plant operators. And there is another decisive advantage we could offer our customer for his new machines: extended warranty to 4 years according to VOB/B (German Construction Contract Procedures) instead of the usual 2 years. This bonus can be granted according to VOB if the customer commissions HUBER to take over the maintenance of new machines for the complete warranty period. HUBER service engineer Torsten Winzer during regular annual maintenance on one of the sewage treatment plants that is included in the service contract HUBER service engineer Torsten Winzer during regular annual maintenance on one of the sewage treatment plants that is included in the service contract Plant manager Frank Müller points out the great benefits customers get from HUBER service and maintenance contracts: "For us, one of the greatest benefits from a HUBER service and maintenance contract is the know-how transfer that takes place when our machines are maintained by competent HUBER service engineers. Every time they are on site our own staff can learn so much, they can watch and discuss with them decisive details of the complex technical machines and plants. We are very satisfied with the quality of maintenance we have got form the HUBER service engineers over many years already and impressed by their expert knowledge. Beyond the contractual maintenance it is very important for us that the HUBER service consultant Erwin Wagner is available for us. He provides competent additional advice and has efficient solutions to any problems and requirements on our sites. Because of the high number of plant and machines we are responsible for it is also very important for us to have a personal contact in the HUBER Service centre and thus get everything from one source. This makes it so much easier for us. In addition, the failure rate has considerably improved due to the systematic plant maintenance provided by HUBER, we have hardly had any noteworthy failures during all this time! This gives us a maximum of plant availability. Another plus factor for our decision to sign a HUBER service and maintenance contract was the extended warranty of 4 years. In summary, we must says that we are very satisfied with the services provided by the HUBER service team and can only recommend to other plant operators to make us of the same extensive benefits!"[...]

[...]Like mechanical components, the control system components of your HUBER machine are subject to natural ageing and wear. These can have a negative effect on the function and operational safety of the plant and impair it. In the worst case, this can result in machine failure – with far-reaching consequences. In practice, in such a "worst case scenario", the machines are operated non-stop or safety devices are bypassed. This can lead to extreme wear or even mechanical damage to the machines and, in the worst case, to accidents and personal injury. Long machine downtimes and thus high costs are the result. Preventing risks for persons and plant with the HUBER retrofit solution With the HUBER retrofit solution, downtime of the plant and possible risks to persons can be prevented at an early stage. Acute action is required for SIEMENS S5 and S7-200 series controllers. For these series, new spare parts are only available on the market at high costs and with long delivery times. For the wastewater treatment plant Bonstetten, district of Augsburg, HUBER received the order to update the control system of the multifunctional HUBER Compact Plant ROTAMAT® Ro5 with HUBER Screen ROTAMAT® Ro2, HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8 T and HUBER Grit Washer RoSF4 T to the current and future-proof technical standard. Operational management of the wastewater treatment plant using the HUBER retrofit solution: safe, simple and fast Silke Otterbein, who is in charge of the operational management of the wastewater treatment plant, says about this important renewal of the switchgear and control system: ”For us, the functionality and operational reliability of the mechanical pre-treatment system is very important. Unfortunately, the existing control system experienced increasingly frequent malfunctions and minor failures.” A complete failure of the mechanical pre-treatment system would have had catastrophic consequences for the subsequent wastewater treatment plant operation. The elimination of consequential damage would have meant immense costs and additionally high personnel expenditure. ”HUBER service consultant Erwin Wagner carried out a cost-neutral on-site survey of the switchboard and control system, followed by a project-specific quotation on his visit report,” says Silke Otterbein. ”The conversion itself went smoothly: the old hardware of the programmable logic controller (PLC) and the operating device were dismantled by the HUBER service technician and the new components were installed. All devices had already been programmed in advance for our machine technology and our needs. The complete system could therefore be put into operation again immediately after the replacement of the control system. Finally, the operating personnel were instructed in the new technology – this was easy due to the intuitive operation of the new touch display.” HUBER installs new technologies HUBER not only supplied and installed new PLC hardware, but also replaced the transformer with bridge rectifier for generating the control voltage with a regulated power supply unit, and fuses with circuit breakers. Instead of the screen’s existing level measurement with air injection, hydrostatic level measurement is now used for continuously measuring the water level. Thus, the plant is also well prepared for any heavy weather events. ”Our 20-year-old control system has been brought back up to the current and operationally safe technical standard, and we are now well prepared for the future” sums up Silke Otterbein. HUBER would like to take this opportunity to thank Silke Otterbein from BSB5 Abwassertechnik GmbH & Co. KG and her colleagues on site for their trust and good cooperation and wishes them trouble-free operation of their plant. Do you also have a HUBER machine or plant? Our recommendation: Contact service@huber.de at an early stage before a machine or plant failure occurs. We will be happy to advise you without obligation on site or by phone to find the optimum solution for your plant together with you.[...]

[...]Counteracting rising operating costs and quality requirements through digital solutions Identify and exploit optimization potentials through data evaluation HUBER Cloud Solution HCS as a basis for future additional services The challenges in wastewater treatment are constantly growing and the adequate treatment of wastewater and sludge at wastewater treatment plants is becoming increasingly difficult. The reasons for this are the increasing demands on the treated wastewater and sludge combined with dwindling personnel resources and rising costs for energy and operating materials. As a result, the treatment of wastewater and sludge must be optimized in an efficient manner. The challenges: Counteracting rising operating costs and quality requirements with the potentials of digitalization In order to successfully meet these challenges and support wastewater treatment plants in their operation, HUBER is developing new solutions and services. In doing so, the company is increasingly focusing on the benefits of digitalization and digital transformation and is further developing its products and solutions by consistently incorporating digital potential into the product development process. The Objectives: State description and optimization potential through the evaluation of data The “raw material” of digital transformation is primarily data. These arise at a machine or a process at any time through the use of sensors and actuators. The collection and subsequent evaluation of this data requires both specific knowledge of the machine and the process technology as well as knowledge of mathematics and statistics. The evaluation makes it possible to describe the condition of a machine or process and to identify optimization potentials. These can be recommendations for low-wear operation, tips for reducing electricity and water consumption, as well as suggestions for reducing operating materials, such as precipitation and flocculation aids. The implementation: Development of the HUBER Cloud Solution HCS To implement these goals, HUBER has started the development of the HUBER Cloud Solution HCS, in which the digital service offers will be bundled in the future. The basis of this service is the recording of data at the local switchgear and control system of the machine or process and the transmission of the data in encrypted form via the internet to the HUBER Cloud. Two options are available for this: On the one hand, it is possible to integrate the data recording directly into the existing programmable logic controller (PLC). For this purpose, the PLC program is adapted so that it sends the data points available in the control program via the internet connection. The Internet connection is established by a mobile modem that is additionally installed in the control cabinet. On the other hand, it is possible to use an IoT kit (IoT = Internet of Things). In order to be able to transmit the machine data to the HUBER Cloud in this setup, a connection between the local controller and the IoT kit is required. Via this connection, the PLC of the local control can provide the IoT controller of the IoT kit with those data points that are to be transmitted to the HUBER Cloud. The IoT controller of the IoT kit can then collect the provided data points via the established connection and send them in encrypted form to the HUBER Cloud. A mobile modem is installed in the IoT kit to establish the required internet connection. The data in the HUBER Cloud In the HUBER Cloud, data is received and stored so that it is available for further processing. On the one hand, this includes the real-time calculation of key figures, which can be used to interpret the status of the machine or process. In the event of both atypical, abrupt changes and creeping, gradual deterioration in the key figures, the operator can be given immediate recommendations for action to maintain and improve the process. On the other hand, the data is used for further analysis to create additional key figures and gain new insights. In this way, customers continuously benefit from HUBER’s constantly growing knowledge and reduce both their time for troubleshooting and process optimization and their effort for machine maintenance. All recorded data as well as the calculated key figures are visualized in the HUBER Portal and are thus also available online to the operator at any time. Furthermore, the HUBER Portal is the basis for further services that HUBER will develop and implement in the future to support customers in the operation of HUBER machines and processes in the best possible way.[...]

[...]Cerro Verde, Peru Southwest of Arequipa, the largest mining company in Peru, Cerro Verde, is located. Mainly opencast copper mining is done there and about 453,000 tons of copper are mined per year. This makes Cerro Verde one of the top 5 mines in the world. The company operates a total of 6 wastewater treatment plants, which were equipped with 58 HUBER machines in 2015. Among others, 12 HUBER Multi-Rake Bar Screen RakeMax ® units and 12 HUBER STEP SCREEN ® SSV, 10 HUBER Wash Press WAP ® and 10 HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8T units are installed there. As the HUBER STEP SCREEN ® in particular has to handle exceptionally high grit loads, its lamellae are subject to very high wear and tear and must therefore be regularly inspected and replaced to maintain high screen performance. Due to this fact and the associated expenses, our customer initially tried to save costs for these original spare parts and had them manufactured locally. However, this only led to short-term savings as the locally manufactured lamellae for our HUBER STEP SCREEN ® SSV units did not match the high manufacturer quality of HUBER original spare parts. In addition to the very short service life of the parts, they also caused far more expensive damages to the machines. As part of a HUBER service consultant tour, our service consultant visited all the mine's wastewater treatment plants. Together with the responsible operating personnel, a detailed inventory and condition assessment of all machines was carried out. It was pointed out to the customer that only HUBER original spare and wear parts meet the requirements of our machines and that only by professional installation of these original parts all machine components matched to them will function optimally and without defects. Since then, the customer has only trusted in original HUBER spare and wear parts and is absolutely satisfied with them. Through our HUBER Service Centre in Peru we can offer our customers the best possible HUBER Service support on site. We would like to thank everyone for the confidence placed in us and hope for continued good cooperation between our South American customer Cerro Verde, HUBER Global Service Germany and HUBER Service Peru.[...]

[...]Berlin, Germany New base in the capital: HUBER SE is expanding the locations of its Global Service in Germany and is commissioning a new base in Berlin. The official opening of the base in the capital took place on 1 December 2021 and, in addition to the expansion of regional capacities, will primarily offer HUBER customers shorter distances and even faster response and reaction times for on-site enquiries in the future. Over 1,200 square metres of floor space: even more productivity and flexibility for HUBER Service In addition to office and social facilities, the more than 1,200 m² site area also includes a production hall that provides sufficient space for a spare parts warehouse and prefabrication work and thus contributes significantly to improving the productivity and flexibility of HUBER Service's processes. At present, five highly qualified and permanent employees expand the range of services offered by HUBER Service to include the highest quality in strict compliance with the manufacturing and welding standards DIN EN 1090 and DIN EN ISO 3834. Even better service and more customer proximity Personal contact and the geographical proximity of the contact person also for business partners in northern Germany have high priority for HUBER Service. The opening of the new service base in Berlin is HUBER's response to its continuous growth. At the same time, HUBER sees the investment as a commitment to the region, which will also benefit in the medium term from a successive and variable increase in service staff. This consistent next step in the further development of HUBER's after-sales service activities brings the company even closer to its customers, enabling a detailed analysis of the market's needs and thus also the continuous expansion of service competencies.[...]

[...]Penzing, Germany Solar sewage sludge drying has become a generally accepted ecological and economical technology. To make the implementation and operation of a solar drying plant a sustainable success, all relevant aspects need to be fulfilled: economic and planning aspects but as well acceptance on the part of the operator and the public. One of the plants that offer both, a perfect design concept and acceptance, is installed on WWTP Penzing-Weil near the Upper Bavarian lake Ammersee located southwest of Munich. About 8,500 residents are connected to this aerobic stabilised sewage treatment plant. In 2008, when WWTP Penzing Weil was requested to measure PFT, high concentrations of perfluorinated tensides were found and disposal costs rose from 30,000 € to about 100,000 €. Investing into sludge treatment with the aim to reduce annual disposal costs therefore became financially rewarding. Consequently, a sludge treatment plant including sludge dewatering and drying was started to be built at the beginning of 2010. After its completion and a test phase the new plant was officially put into operating in July 2010. The process of sludge treatment starts with a HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS® 440. A screw conveyor automatically transports the compacted sludge into the greenhouse and drops sludge onto the greenhouse floor. The sludge turning/transporting assembly SRT 9 both distributes and transports the sludge inside the greenhouse. At the end of the greenhouse the dried granular sludge is dropped into a storage bunker from where it is loaded on trucks by a wheel loader 5 to 6 times a year. Dryer efficiency variations between summer and winter are compensated by two buffer tanks for thin sludge with 700 m³ capacity each. Depending on the weather conditions, the sewage works operator feeds more or less sludge to the dryer. Either directly the thin sludge settled in the secondary clarifier or the prethickened sludge from the tanks can be dewatered in the HUBER Screw Press. The plant operation program provides for the possibility to select at the push of a button whether to feed to the screw press excess sludge with approximately 1% dry substance or statically thickened sludge with approximately 3.5% dry substance. Where no storage capacity is available or the available space is scarce, the solar dryer efficiency can be increased by adding exhaust heat or ‘ecological heat’. ‘Ecological heat’ in this case means the heat generated ecologically from clarified wastewater by means of a heat pump. The HUBER heat exchanger RoWin guarantees reliable operation with low maintenance requirements. This type of heat exchanger provides automatic removal of algae and other pollutants that may settle on the exchanger surfaces. The greenhouse length and thus drying surface required depends on the requested drying efficiency. The required power depends on the dewatering results the HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS® is designed to achieve. Against this background, the greenhouse hall on WWTP Penzing was designed a couple of metres longer than actually necessary. The plant operators use the resulting increased dryer capacity to reduce the polymer consumption of the dewatering system and in this way save even more costs. Automatic sludge feeding into the greenhouse eliminates the need for material transfer points and wheel loaders, and saves operators work and time. They benefit from an excellent sludge handling concept that minimises odours. Direct feeding and immediate turning of the sludge in the dryer instantly brings the sludge into a safe, virtually aerobic condition that ensures minimum odour development. No odour at all is noticed on WWTP Penzing Weil. For efficient and odour-free drying, climate technology and mechanical equipment components must be selected and designed to perfectly suit each other. The HUBER climate control system incorporates experiences from operation, measurements in the greenhouse and theoretical thermodynamic principles. The greenhouse is equipped with climate sensors, ventilators and ventilation flaps. The electrical control system ensures an ideal drying climate is constantly maintained inside the greenhouse hall by monitoring the water absorption capacity of the air inside and outside the hall and by limiting condensate. The run time of the ventilators that directly aerate the sludge bed is controlled according to the work cycles of the sludge turning machine (and the freshly turned sludge bed zones) and the drying capacity of the air. The air is routed differently as required in the different sludge drying areas. Of course, the control system always gives priority to the safety of mechanical components and protection of the building against storm. The mechanical equipment components for sludge turning and transport are at the heart of the solar dryer. The sludge turning assembly consists of a rotating double shovel that draws itself through the greenhouse along chains. While the shovel rotates and at the same time travels forwards, the sludge is aerated, turned around, granulated and transported. When the sludge turning/transporting assembly arrives at the end of the hall, each individual sludge granulate grain has been aerated. This cycle normally is performed every hour. In the feeding phase, turning of sludge in the wet zones in the front section and its aeration over the full greenhouse width takes place even every 20 minutes. As the complete sludge bed is restacked, the quasi-aerobic condition of the sludge is reliably maintained and optimal preconditions for drying are achieved. Another exceptional feature of the HUBER SRT system is continuous backmixing of sludge. The double shovel is also used to move sludge from one place to another. Backmixing of dry granulate into the sludge feed increases the dry residue to 40% directly after feeding. At this dry residue level, any odour-intensive biological activities are stopped. In addition, sludge with 40 % DR is more open-pored, easier to dry, less pasty and therefore easier to process mechanically so that the long life of the applied technology is guaranteed. On the other side of the sludge bed, the dry side, continuous backmixing produces the opposite effect. The zone where the granulate becomes very dry is very short. This is the zone where dry material is exposed to mechanical stress with the result of dust being generated. The sludge bed that is generated throughout the greenhouse hall length by the backmixing effect excels with a very long basic drying area where the dry residue slowly increases from 40% to 60%. This is the area where the actual drying process takes place. The requested dry residue of usually 80 to 85% DR is achieved only in the last 10 to 15 m of the sludge bed. As the sludge turner transports and relocates the sludge in its shovels, it permits the removal of dried granulate optionally on the same gable side of the greenhouse hall where the wet sludge is fed. The plant can be designed for granulate discharge into an underground screw conveyor with grate cover. It is for example possible to build the greenhouse in the boundary area of the WWTP grounds without the need to build another road and a second traffic area at the other end of the greenhouse. On WWTP Penzing, however, the conventional solution was selected with sludge feeding and removal taking place on the opposite ends of the greenhouse. This design variant made more sense with regard to the structures already existent on this site. The operators on WWTP Penzing have the choice to feed their sludge automatically or optionally by means of a wheel loader but, according to plant manager Markus Keller, do not use the latter option. One push of a button would be sufficient to make the sludge turner work off a heap of sludge built by the wheel loader. Continuous automatic feeding ensures that the screw immediately feeds the amount of sludge that has accumulated after a quarter of an hour. As described above, this is the better design solution for minimum odour development. If, however, the sludge to be dried is stabilised and well dewatered, automatic feeding is not necessarily required. The sludge turner assembly moves on precast concrete parts as it travels through the greenhouse hall. The design of the actual drying area on WWTP Penzing resembles a normal road. The precast concrete parts take over the function of the kerb stone edge of a road, the space in between is covered with asphalt. The foundation is frost-proof and hardly statically loaded by the machine and sludge. Optimum operator support during the plant start-up phase and afterwards is provided with a remote control connection. The electrical control system records the relevant parameters and via secure internet connection makes them at any time available for the experts in the German HUBER headquarters. Also operating statuses, such as total sludge bed height or operation cycle presently going off, are transferred in real time. The electronic components to be installed directly on the turner assembly have been limited to the minimum. No control box is mounted on the travelling turner assembly but only a somewhat bigger closed terminal box. The majority of the control components required are integrated in the main control cabinet which is installed in the sheltered area of the drying hall. Their exposure to environmental conditions therefore is reduced significantly with the result of easy maintenance and a long product lifetime. The system installed in the 100 m long and 10 m wide greenhouse on WWTP Penzing is a HUBER Solar Active Dryer SRT 9. Systems for 7 m and 12 m greenhouse width are available as an option. Solar drying is the most eco-friendly solution to dry sewage sludge. In addition to the economic benefits obtained through reduction of the sewage sludge volumes to be disposed of, also the environmental impact is reduced: Fewer trucks are required for sludge removal with the result of reduced carbon dioxide emission. The high dry residue content in the dry granulate improves the thermal value of the material to be disposed of. It offers plant operators a variety of disposal options so that they get more independence in sludge disposal.[...]

[...]Varna, Bulgaria The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast along the city of Varna with 300,000 residents is an important economic factor, especially due to its touristic potential. The European Union decided in 2002 to give aid money for the protection of the Black Sea, in particular for upgrading and building new local sewage treatment plants. The capacity of the sewage treatment plant at Varna could therefore be expanded to 450,000 PE and equipped with state-of-the-art technology. The main intention was to minimise the direct discharge of untreated wastewater to the Black Sea. They wanted to achieve that the quality of the discharged wastewater in the future meets the European standards for nitrogen and phosphate. At Varna, for example, one of the biggest sewers has been connected to the sewage treatment plant, the biological treatment stage has been upgraded. The digesters have been modernised and equipped with an energy-from-biogas system. HUBER won the public tender for the mechanical sludge thickening system in 2011. We supplied three type HUBER Screw Thickeners S-PRESS 4L still in the same year. HUBER screw thickeners have been used by customers all around the world for more than 20 years already. The thickener installed at Varna is a size 4L unit which, in 2008, was especially further developed for high hydraulic throughputs and high solids loads. The well-proven operation principle of a slowly rotating screw inside a massive stainless steel filter basket allows for virtually unlimited filter lifetimes. As the sludge to be thickened is conveyed against gravity and due to the special geometry of the conveying screw high thickening degrees can be achieved and break-through of insufficiently thickened sludge due to e.g. varying inflow conditions is effectively prevented. Reliable measuring equipment is used to control machine load and thus allow for automatic operation of the screw thickeners without operator attention. The operating data of the Varna plant prove the capacity and reliability of the HUBER machines: They thicken biological surplus sludge from static thickeners and, with a throughput of 75 m³/h and varying solids content of 1.6 - 2.4 % in the inlet, process an average solids load of 1500 kg/h. Despite the inhomogeneous inflow the sludge is reliably thickened to an extraordinary solids content of 6 - 8% which is the optimal basis for the following digestion. Due to the low connected load of only 3 kW per machine the balance of the new digester gas block heat and power plant is hardly affected. For more than two years since start-up all three machines have operated reliably and to the full satisfaction of the Bulgarian operators.[...]

[...]Your requirements are our incentive: the demands on wastewater treatment plants and their operators are constantly increasing and to meet them we want to support you in the best possible way. HUBER is constantly developing and is always looking for potentials to further optimise its products, solutions and last but not least its services. "All inclusive" with HUBER Full Service In addition to our comprehensive service product portfolio, which includes installation, commissioning, repairs, original spare and wear parts and preventive maintenance, we have established a new, powerful service product in recent years: the HUBER Full Service contract . With this new contract model, we stand for comprehensive service more than ever. With a HUBER Full Service solution, we guarantee our customers: „long-term value retention of machines and plants minimisation of downtimes maximum efficiency of machine technology maximum operational reliability full cost and planning security The key to maximum availability: timely replacement of wearing parts and targeted preventive plant maintenance Preventive annual maintenance and careful adherence to replacement intervals of relevant spare and wear parts are the be-all and end-all with regard to reliable plant operation and the associated operational safety. In addition to the maintenance service, the new service product also includes all repairs, the original spare and wear parts, their replacement and the associated costs. The regular transfer of know-how through our highly qualified HUBER service technicians is another plus point for our customers. Another service component of the service product is the HUBER Hotline service: here our experienced service team is available to answer your questions and clarify issues around the clock. The core function of the wastewater utility is thus ensured. In addition, we offer the 48-hour fault service, where you benefit from a fast response time. Operational maintenance – value-added component instead of cost factor During the entire five-year term of the contract, we guarantee you price stability, which ensures full cost control and planning security for your facility. In addition to optimal budget planning, this also minimises the associated administrative effort. Damage to the machinery and equipment and the often costly downtimes caused by this are minimised, allowing you to achieve maximum machine availability. The economic efficiency of your investment is our top priority. This is why HUBER customers are interested in the new service solution: ”Structured and preventive maintenance of our plant technology is carried out by competent service technicians – this expertise from the manufacturer is essential!” ”The services included, such as the 48-hour fault service and the HUBER service hotline, as well as the fast response time, minimise downtime risks. This is of utmost interest to us, as our operational safety can be increased and a production standstill can be avoided as a result!” ”Our main expectation from signing a HUBER Full Service contract is that there will be even fewer breakdowns and faults on our plant – we would have quieter nights.” ”We know that the maintenance work is in good hands with HUBER and therefore have more free capacity to fully concentrate on our core competences.” ”Full cost transparency and control through fixed agreed service flat rates means absolute planning security for us, as no high unplanned costs can come our way.” You too can benefit from the new and forward-looking HUBER Full Service! We will be pleased to advise you on the selection of the right HUBER service contract variant for you and your machines, and to create an optimally fitting solution concept to cover all your needs, wishes and requirements. You can reach your HUBER Service Center International at: Phone: +49 8462 201-455 or by e-mail at maintenance@huber.de[...]