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[...]Maximum service competence all over the world When it comes to customer service, customers expect modern services, fast repairs, high competence and an extremely high degree of flexibility from machine manufacturers. The tasks of a HUBER service technician are very versatile. Starting with the mechanical assembly of HUBER machines and plants, continuing with the electrical wiring of all units with final commissioning, up to maintenance, repair and operator training, the service technician is the link between the customer and HUBER, worldwide. Digitalisation enables more efficient work in the field Only a few years ago, the work tasks of a HUBER service technician, as well as the coordination of service and maintenance orders, were structured differently. Service calls were documented with pen and paper on carbon copy forms and, apart from the resulting "paper chaos", often resulted in inefficient workflows. With advancing digitalisation, it is now almost unimaginable to carry out the entire order processing, including preparation and follow-up, without technical support and automated processes. So, today, the working week of a HUBER service technician starts with a look at a mobile device: In addition to a smartphone, the basic equipment of every HUBER service technician includes a laptop, tablet computer and signature pad. Before departure to site, the service technician checks all information relevant for the service assignment on a work order sent online, which, in addition to a description of the damage, also shows the work to be carried out, including all spare and wear parts supplied, as well as checklists and contact data required for the documentation of the work. On arrival at the site it is not uncommon for the service technician to encounter a problem that may require individual expertise. Equipped with HUBER Smartglasses, augmented reality offers almost unlimited possibilities for troubleshooting and problem solving. By using smartglasses the HUBER service technician works hands-free and is permanently connected to an expert - if necessary even on the other side of the world. By means of live video conferencing, the image the service technician has in front of him is transmitted in real time to various screens. The experts at the end of the line have the possibility to zoom into the moving image, add notes and drawings, mark individual image sections and give the technician visual and acoustic guidance and support in solving the problem. Immediately after completion of the assignment, all reports required for documentation are generated and digitally signed after consultation and review of the content by the customer. Finally, the complete work order documentation is automatically forwarded to the customer and HUBER internal systems for inspection and further use or processing. The coupled solutions within our service process form the basis for the correct use of digital components to continuously improve the productivity and quality of our services. For our worldwide customers, these groundbreaking digitalisation developments at HUBER Global Service mean outstanding advantages in quality, safety and efficiency![...]

[...]Erlangen, Germany Convincing belt drying solution for sewage sludge At the beginning of 2021, HUBER was awarded the contract for the supply of a HUBER Belt Dryer BT 16 for WWTP Erlangen after an EU-wide public tender. In the run-up to the tender for this advanced sludge treatment project for a volume of 15,700 t/a, several processes were investigated. These were: Solar Sewage Sludge Drying Hydrothermal carbonisation Belt drying The decision was made in favour of the belt drying option, as this drying process allows the sewage sludge to be dried continuously to >= 90% DR. The thermal energy demand of the drying plant is ensured 100% by renewable energy from the existing combined heat and power system of the sewage treatment works as well as from a combination of PV systems and heat recovery using high-temperature heat pumps. The electrical energy needed for belt drying is also generated 100% by renewable energy from digester gas converted into electricity in the combined heat and power plant. The sewage sludge, dewatered to approx. 28% DR, can be temporarily stored in the existing sludge silo and discharged via screw conveyors into the feed hopper of the thick sludge pump. The eccentric screw pump conveys the sludge into the extruder of the dryer. An inline inlet DR measurement is installed in the sludge line to continuously measure and record the DR content of the dewatered sludge. Based on the measured values, the drying plant is automatically and optimally adjusted to the sludge currently being fed. In the extruder itself, the sludge is pressed through a die and the sludge “spaghetti” are then fed onto the upper belt of the dryer, which ensures high permeability for the dryer air flowing through. The upper dryer belt transports the fed sludge once in longitudinal direction through the dryer. In the process, the heated dryer air flows through the belt and through the sludge lying on the belt from bottom to top and dries both. At the end of the belt, the sludge falls into the transfer box, is then evenly distributed on the lower belt and transported through the dryer again in the opposite direction. In this process, the sludge is further dried to the required 90% DR. The DR and temperature measurement installed at the end of the lower belt continuously monitors the moisture and temperature of the dried sludge and adjusts the control of the dryer fully automatically. This ensures that the required degree of drying is reliably maintained. The dried sewage sludge is then transported via an angular bucket elevator into a dry material silo. From there, the dried sludge granulate is transported by silo vehicles to the thermal utilisation plant. The exhaust air is cleaned in an acidic and a basic scrubber and then fed into a biofilter.[...]

[...]Sargans, Switzerland High level of user-friendliness increased even further In Sargans, Switzerland's first HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS ® Q 800.2 was installed in 2017 for dewatering digested sewage sludge. The latest generation of screw press could win the competition against other systems due to its very high operational reliability and user-friendliness, complete stainless steel construction and very low operating costs. The demands on the system are extremely high. An essential factor is the required DR concentration in the dewatered sludge of over 30% with simultaneously clear filtrate quality. Furthermore, fully automatic operation is of great importance for the efficient use of the plant. After the usual system optimisations had been implemented in the first year, the operator expressed the wish for further automation options, especially with regard to decalcification. The reason for this was that the machine had to be descaled every quarter due to the hard water (around 25 °fH or 14 °dH hardness). Along with the planned automatic decalcification, the concept of a torque control for the targeted increase of the DR concentration was also developed. Both questions clearly aimed for an even higher efficiency in operation with optimised personnel deployment. Fully automatic decalcification The deposition process of lime precipitates and other substances that are difficult to dissolve on the screen basket surface and in the filter gaps is gradual. As a result, the freely available surface of the filter basket is continuously reduced, which has a direct effect on the performance of the machine. Since manual descaling is a significant time and cost factor, this operation should be reduced to a minimum. The fully automatic descaling is implemented by using the new rotating spray bar system, which is applied for the standard cleaning of the outer surface of the filter baskets. At a freely selectable interval, a descaling agent is dosed into the water supply line to the spray bar and allowed to take effect for a certain time. In the case of Sargans, this is done at an interval of one week and with a reaction time of about one hour before the system is rinsed normally with service water and then filled with sludge. The fully automatic decalcification achieves the following objectives: Regular descaling of the filter baskets without manual operations Avoid thicker deposits, which would be even more difficult to remove Ensure stable and optimal operating conditions for dewatering Increase the service life of downstream units (impeller of filtrate pump) Reduce downtimes for costly cleaning work. Since the installation of the descaling station at the beginning of 2019, no manual descaling of the HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS ® Q 800.2 has been carried out in Sargans and the condition of the filter basket as well as the performance of the plant are constantly at a very high level. Load-dependent machine control Due to the high requirements on the DR in the dewatered sludge, the screw press is operated at high load. To ensure the machine would not be overloaded during normal operation, the operating parameters were set conservatively and closely monitored by the staff. With this mode of operation, on the one hand, part of the capacity was not utilised at all and, on the other hand, the effects of the manual interventions were only effective for a short time as the dynamics of the process could not be sustainably influenced by them. With the load-dependent control system for the HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS ® Q 800.2 implemented in Sargans for the first time worldwide, the operating parameters are adjusted continuously to ensure optimum operation without jeopardising operational safety. The optimised control system enables: Smooth and continuous control of the sludge and flocculant feed and the screw press Operation of the machine in the optimum load range to achieve the best possible DR content in the sludge A simple and extremely effective optimisation option for the operator A shorter automatic start-up of the plant up to the optimum operating point A big “thank you” goes to the constructors at the Saar Wastewater Association and especially to the managing director Peter Müller for supporting the implementation of the presented innovations.[...]

[...]Prepared for the future with HUBER Retrofit Service The ravages of time not only affect the machine technology, but also the associated switchboard and control system. As a result, failures and malfunctions occur more frequently, especially on the sensitive PLC (programmable logic controller) components. With outdated hardware, a standstill in the near future is unavoidable. Function and operational safety are no longer guaranteed. Moreover, the manufacturers of the PLC hardware are already focusing on new technologies (IoT, Industry 4.0, etc.). This means that spare parts procurement is no longer possible or is associated with high costs and long delivery times. HUBER Service has the perfect solution for you! With our HUBER Retrofit Service, you receive a new PLC hardware and a new operating device. This package is optimally tailored to your existing machine technology and your requirements. This replacement not only restores the long-term function and operational reliability again, it also leads to wear-optimised operation of your HUBER machines due to continuous further developments of the program sequence. We will be happy to plan a partial or complete renewal of the control system together with you, depending on your needs and requirements. The replacement can be carried out by yourself or by one of our experienced HUBER service technicians. HUBER uses standard programs that are tailored to your plant-specific requirements. This eliminates the need for expensive programming work on site. Nothing stands in the way of a quick restart. Replace - Switch on - Run! Of course, we can replace controls that were not originally included in our scope of delivery as well. The integration of third-party products is also no problem for HUBER. Our recommendation: Do not wait until the control system fails! Contact service@huber.de at an early stage. We will be happy to advise you without obligation on site or by phone to find the best solution for you. Kläranlage Fremdingen „steuert“ wieder sicher in die Zukunft - nur DE! Frank-Markus Merkt, Erster Bürgermeister der Gemeinde Fremdingen (Landkreis Donau-Ries, Schwaben), kommentiert die zukunftsweisende HUBER-Lösung für die Steuerungstechnik auf der Kläranlage der Gemeinde: "Der Grund für den Austausch der Schalt- und Steueranlage war, dass wir auf unserer Kläranlage immer fit für die Zukunft sein wollen und müssen, d. h. die Funktion und Betriebssicherheit der Anlage muss gegeben und heutzutage auf dem neuesten Stand der Technik sein! Die alte Schalt- und Steueranlage auf unserer Kläranlage war in die Jahre gekommen und dadurch nahm die Anzahl der Störungen und Ausfälle leider zu. Beim Ausfall einer Hardware an der alten Schalt- und Steueranlage, musste erst ein Spezialist kommen, der sich mit dieser veralteten Anlage auskannte, um den Fehler lokalisieren zu können. Wurde dann ein neues Bauteil benötigt, war dies oft mit langen Lieferzeiten und hohen Kosten verbunden. Teilweise mussten die Ersatzteile sogar auf Ebay ersteigert werden, weil diese gar nicht mehr im Handel erhältlich waren. Diese Ausfallzeiten, letztendlich hervorgerufen durch veraltete Technologie, führten dazu, dass die gesamte Anlage nicht mehr optimal betrieben werden konnte. Der Umbau der elektrischen Schalt- und Steueranlage auf technologisch aktuellen Stand durch den Service von HUBER lief reibungslos ab und die neue Schalt- und Steueranlage konnte innerhalb der von uns geplanten Zeit wieder in Betrieb gehen. Auch der Not-Betrieb während der Umbauphase lief sehr gut, die Anlage wurde vom HUBER Service auf Handbetrieb umgestellt und konnte während der Umbaumaßnahme so optimal betrieben werden. Die geforderten Ablaufwerte wurden somit gesichert eingehalten. Besonders gut war die Zusammenarbeit mit den beiden Klärwärtern Martin Fuchs und Alexander Lawatschka. Auf deren Wünsche und Vorschläge wurde eingegangen und die Anlage so vor Ort nach unseren Bedürfnissen optimal von den Spezialisten der Firma HUBER konfiguriert. Wir sind nach dem Umbau mit der neuen Schalt- und Steueranlage hoch zufrieden. Die neue Touch-Funktion am Display erleichtert die Bedienung sehr und unsere Mitarbeiter auf der Kläranlage konnten sich durch die kompetente Einweisung und Schulung durch den Service von HUBER sehr schnell einarbeiten und waren auch nach kurzer Zeit in der Lage, Betriebswerte bei Bedarf selbst anzupassen. Die Anlage kann dadurch optimal gesteuert und überwacht werden. Wir haben die Firma Huber als Partner für den Umbau der Schalt- und Steueranlage gewählt, da wir bisher mit dem Service von HUBER ausschließlich sehr gute Erfahrungen gemacht haben. Mit dem HUBER-Serviceberater, Herrn Erwin Wagner, haben wir neben dem HUBER Service-Center, einen hochkompetenten Ansprechpartner, der auch zu ungewöhnlichsten Geschäftszeiten immer erreichbar ist und uns bei Bedarf mit entsprechenden Maßnahmen hilft. Dieser notwendige Umbau unser Steuerungstechnik auf den neuesten Stand der Technik mit der Firma HUBER als Partner, bringt uns wieder Sicherheit für die Zukunft unseres Anlagenbetriebes! Die Zuverlässigkeit und Kompetenz von HUBER Service sucht ihresgleichen – wir fühlten uns von der ersten Minute an gut aufgehoben."[...]

[...]HUBER is consistently pursuing the path of digitalisation and now also offers virtual support to its customers in the Global Service business unit: With the help of augmented reality, data glasses and the new communication centre, the HUBER Remote Support Centre at the company's headquarters, the Berching-based company will be even more flexible in serving its customers worldwide in the future. The new HUBER Remote Support Centre The worldwide travel and access restrictions due to the Covid pandemic also posed some major challenges for HUBER's customers, especially as installations and commissioning of machines by HUBER service technicians, usually planned well in advance, were suddenly no longer possible. With a communication centre specially set up for worldwide remote support applications, located in the HUBER Global Service area at the company's headquarters in Berching/Erasbach, the company quickly and specifically puts an important piece of the puzzle in place to ensure communication, knowledge transfer and the availability of expertise on site. Coupled with the use of new technologies such as augmented reality (AR), HUBER effectively and successfully exchanges technical expertise remotely. In this way, many projects have already been successfully carried out and completed despite Corona and associated country-specific entry restrictions. Assembly and commi s sioning with virtual guidance from Berching For example, in addition to the mechanical assembly, the electrical assembly with final dry and wet commissioning of the GS Inima Samar Baguaçu project in Brazil was successfully guided and accompanied remotely, i.e. by service experts from Berching. Scope of delivery of this project: 3 HUBER Sludge Turner SOLSTICE® 11 and HUBER Screw Conveyor Ro8 T units with a total length of 38 metres. Cenibra Paper Mill (Brazil) – remote commissioning of a major project Considering the complexity of a complete plant and other general conditions, such as the five-hour time difference, the commissioning of the HUBER Belt Dryer BT at the Cenibra paper mill in Brazil is certainly one of HUBER's most challenging remote support projects. Cenibra operates a wastewater treatment plant that produces 54 m³ of excess sludge per hour. This corresponds to a total annual value of 78,000 tonnes of dewatered sludge, which is first pre-dewatered by 5 HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS® 800.2 units to approx. 22 % dry residue (DR) and then dried by a HUBER Belt Dryer BT 30 to approx. 90 % DR. Smart glasses technology – from Berching to the world with data glasses With the help of smart glasses technology, the HUBER service technician's live field of vision is transmitted from on-site via so-called data glasses (smart glasses ) directly to the HUBER Global Service communication centre in Berching. Action and screen instructions are projected ad hoc onto a display built into the smart glasses to provide interactive support and bridge the distance to colleagues on site extremely effectively. Unchanged quality of HUBER service and products Not only in South America, but also in parts of Asia and Europe, HUBER was able to provide its customers with the best possible remote support during these challenging times, thus ensuring the unchanged quality of HUBER service and products. In Sri Lanka, 3 HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS® 800 were commissioned “remotely“ and customers were extensively trained on the screw presses. A particular challenge was that, unlike in previous cases of the HUBER Remote Support Centre – also due to regional travel restrictions – no local HUBER service technician or other employees of a HUBER subsidiary were on site: the wearer of the smart glasses “at the other end of the line” was an employee of the end customer. Remote support also after Corona a trend-setting service for HUBER customers worldwide The use of augmented reality solutions is not only interesting when it comes to alternatives of an on-site service call due to current travel and access restrictions. Also in regular operations, many possibilities are offered to plan and execute service calls even faster and more cost-efficiently. Parallel to continuous use, valuable know-how is secured and a knowledge database is established and expanded so that archived operations can be used to solve comparable cases. Digital solutions save 150 tonnes of CO 2 in two years As one of the world's leading companies in the water industry, HUBER has set itself the goal of reducing environmental pollution. For every hour that HUBER service technicians do not spend in planes or cars, the company contributes to reducing the environmental impact. Thus, HUBER has already been able to reduce its carbon footprint with a saving of approx. 150 tonnes of CO 2 in the past two years by using this digital technology.[...]

[...]Amsterdam, Netherlands When the Dutch sewage treatment plant Amsterdam-West was modernised in 2006 it was redesigned for the treatment capacity of 1,000,000 PE. In addition, more than another 1,000,000 PE external sludge can be treated there. In the past, particularly the treatment of primary sludge was a problem in terms of the operating reliability of the entire sludge line. The solids contained in the different types of pre-treated sludge and from the transport tanks cause high wear and lead to unforeseeable maintenance work requirements on pumps, digestor internals and sludge dewatering systems. In order to remove the solids from the sludge four HUBER STRAINPRESS® units were installed and successfully commissioned in 2011 via the company Dutch Spiral. The supply included removal systems and screenings containers. Up to 75 m³/h primary sludge with a solids content of 1 to 6 percent is pumped through each STRAINPRESS® unit. The solids are retained by a conical-shaped screen with a perforation of 5 mm. When the screen surface is blinded with solid material, a filtration resistance develops on the screen surface. When the filtration resistance exceeds a certain pressure difference a removal screw inside the screen drum automatically starts to operate and cleans the screen surface. In the same process step the solids retained in the screen are compressed against a pneumatically operated pressure cone and then discharged. The screened primary sludge is transported to the digestor by the pressure of the feed pump. At Amsterdam-West the dewatered solids with a dry substance content of 40% are dropped into two troughs where the screenings from two machines are collected prior to being discharged into two odour-tight containers. The screenings are incinerated in an incineration plant that is installed directly next to the sewage treatment works. The high efficiency of the HUBER STRAINPRESS® units becomes especially evident when comparing them to the four screens that are installed in the STP inlet and have a bar spacing of 6 mm and width of 4 m each: The screens separate an annual screenings volume of 125 tons dry substance. A downstream screenings press compacts the screenings to a dewatering degree of 25%. In comparison, the downstream STRAINPRESS® units separate 600 tons dry substance a year, which is five times the volume the screens are able to remove. The integrated dewatering mechanism constantly achieves dewatering degrees of 40% and thus can produce a combustible product. Since the STRAINPRESS® is a completely odour-encased system, neither sludge nor screenings cause a corrosive or explosive atmosphere inside the building. The machines can nevertheless be completely opened very easily for inspection or maintenance. Since the installation of the HUBER sludge screening systems at the beginning of 2011 maintenance costs and shutdowns have been reduced significantly on STP Amsterdam-West. The operating reliability of HUBER STRAINPRESS® systems can be witnessed not only on the reference sites Amsterdam and Den Haag in the Netherlands but also on many other sites all over the world, such as Berlin, Barcelona, San Diego, Seoul, Marrakesh, etc. Benefits of STRAINPRESS® Sludgecleaner: High separation efficiency Significantly reduced operating costs Compact, fully enclosed design Proven in thousands of installations[...]

[...]Salt Lake City, USA Solar drying of sewage sludge is a technique that is increasingly used to reduce sludge disposal costs and at the same time protect the environment. Today, operators of even medium-sized and large wastewater treatment plants from all over the world appreciate our innovative and reliable solar dryers. The HUBER Solution for sewage sludge drying with solar energy is working with a continuous drying process, that is odourless due to complete restacking of the sludge. Its unique combination of sludge turning and transport performs both spreading and turning of the sludge as well as baxmixing and its transport from one side to the other. Due to their high efficiency our solar dryers can be operated the whole year round even in temperate climate zones with solar power alone. This gives of course an outstanding eco-balance and cost-efficency. So, the first HUBER SRT installations with with HUBER Sludge Turner SOLSTICE® in the Rocky Mountains have been in operation for almost a year now, even during winter. The site is located near Salt Lake City, in one of the most attractive skiing regions in North America. When the sun shines on the greenhouse the temperature in the drying bed can easily rise higher than 15 °C despite sub-freezing temperatures outside. The plant is operated the whole year round even though drying results are naturally better in summer. Under this project HUBER SE supplied not only three of the biggest size solar dryers (type SRT 11) but also a new sludge dewatering system. HUBER thus ensures trouble-free operation on site from thin sludge treatment to the dry sludge granulate. Due to the automated feeding system no pasty sludge from the dewatering units needs to be handled. In North America golf sport is very popular, even on the dry and nutrient-poor soils in Utah. The Tooele sewage treatment works where the HUBER solar dryer is installed becomes the lifeline for the local recreational areas: The clarified wastewater can be used to irrigate greens while the dried sludge is a good fertiliser which is especially hygienic during summer. Valuable raw materials for the golf course are recovered from dirty wastewater – a good reason to nominate this golf resort for an award. Thanks to these positive experiences with HUBER equipment more solar drying projects are already in the planning stage in the USA. HUBER's solar drying systems have been recognized as well-proven technology in Europe for many years already. Now they become increasingly accepted even overseas as innovative yet solid solutions. Facts and figures: 3 units HUBER Solar Dryers SRT with HUBER Sludge Turner SOLSTICE®, size 11 2 units HUBER Screw Presses S-Press for upstream sludge dewatering Hall lenth: 3x 100 m 3.000 m² drying area 5.800 t dewatered sludge / year Sludge dried from 18 % DS to 70 % DS (average) Special feature: operation during the whole year only with solar power - no external thermal energy[...]

[...]HUBER expands range of service and maintenance contracts In order to meet the constantly growing demands, we have developed a further, powerful service package for our customers in addition to our well-established and successful HUBER service and maintenance contract models: the HUBER Full Service contract . With this new HUBER service system, we can guarantee our customers the highest level of operational reliability, full cost and planning security as well as conservation of value of the machines and plants. In order to optimally prevent damage and downtime of machines and thus increase machine availability, the HUBER Full Service contract includes the annual HUBER preventive maintenance carried out by the highly qualified HUBER service technician team. Furthermore, all original spare and wear parts are included, together with shipping and transport as well as replacement, installation and all associated costs, such as dirt and hardship allowances, accommodation and food allowances, travel costs and overtime allowances. In addition to full cost control, this also guarantees the economic efficiency of your high-quality HUBER machines and plants, and at the same time, you benefit from the regular "know-how transfer" through our highly experienced HUBER technical staff. HUBER Full Service: annual preventive maintenance HUBER Full Service: hotline service HUBER Full Service: repair and replacement of spares and wear parts HUBER Full Service: 48-hour emergency service, weekend availability and includes all travel and incidental expenses of the service technician assignment Scope of HUBER Full Service Our HUBER Service Centre is also at your disposal with expert advice and assistance around the clock. Fast response times are guaranteed by the 48-hour emergency service of our HUBER service technicians. In addition, we guarantee price stability throughout the five-year term of the contract, which helps you to plan your costs with certainty. In addition to optimal budget planning, this also minimises the associated administrative effort. 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 Centre International at: Phone: +49 8462 201-455 or E-Mail: maintenance@huber.de[...]

[...]Sheboygan, WI, USA A new HUBER Belt Dryer project is on the way in the USA. A BT 18 dryer for a throughput of 11,700 t/a will be installed at Sheboygan in the US state Wisconsin. HUBER SE could win the order already in July 2012. We were commissioned to supply not only the belt drying plant, our scope of delivery includes also a HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS®, size 800 for sludge dewatering. The HUBER Belt Dryer we supply to Sheboygan will be the first installation of the new dryer generation in the USA. The plant conception excels for its excellent energy efficiency and a high level of safety. The low electrical energy demand is achieved primarily through the new control concept and the so-called "helix air flow" which ensures that the process air streams through the drying chambers as a spiral air flow. As the air is reheated in each chamber, its load capacity can be utilized to the maximum. This means that only that amount of air needs to be moved through the dryer which is actually used for drying. Much smaller drives are therefore sufficient for the ventilators and also the exhaust air treatment system can be dimensioned very small so that a lot of operating costs can be saved. Especially the feeding system of the dryer ensures a reliable plant operation. The sewage sludge extruder, also called pelletizer, presses the sludge and produces spaghetti-like sludge strands with a defined surface-volume ratio. As the sludge keeps its form during drying it is possible to avoid the highest safety risk involved with the operation of belt dryers, namely the production of dust. To facilitate the installation work to be carried out on site the dryer will be pre-assembled in the factory and delivered as only few individual parts. Furthermore, a HUBER engineer will be there to supervise installation on site and support the local installation team. Facts and figures on the project: Site: Sheboygan, Wisconsin, USA Size: BT 18 Dryer length: 24 m Water evaporation: 1.361 kg/h Throughputmax: 11.700t/a ; 1.800 kg/h Operating time: 6.500 h/a Drying: from 20% DR to 90% DR Heat source: Warm water 90° C[...]

[...]Plymouth + Maer Lane, Great Britain South West Water had been looking at alternative sludge dewatering technologies with lower TOTEX to potentially replace existing veteran centrifuge assets and tasked their preferred contractor Kier Utilities to offer solutions for the Plymouth Central and Maer Lane WwTW’s. HUBER worked closely with Kier Utilities, undertaking trials to demonstrate the HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS® to South West Water operations who wanted to touch and feel the machine and satisfy themselves that the machine was simple, robust and easy to operate. The trial data not only satisfied South West Water that this, first of its kind in their region was what they needed but provided hard data to confirm Whole Life Costs in terms of power and chemical consumption as well as enabling accurate sizing. South West Water now have an alternative to centrifuges with a demonstrable WLC benefit together with operators who have bought into the equipment and are supportive of the change. 40 % polymer saving 80 % power savings (typical) 50 % saving on annual operating costs HUBER Technology have been working on establishing the Q-PRESS® as the go to technology for sludge dewatering. Sludge dewatering works extremely well on primary sludge and on larger sites sludge dewatering helps achieve a dryer cake, typically 18%- 30% for transportation and storage. When clients are looking at sludge dewatering, three technologies are generally considered: Screw Presses like the HUBER Q-PRESS®: Provide efficient , fully automatic, mechanical dewatering of sludge, low polymer usage Belt Presses: Although a well-established technology they are perceived to have high maintenance costs due to lots of moving parts, the belts are vulnerable to wear and blockage, spills are likely unless enclosed and they have a high wash water demand Centrifuges: Although again an established technology they tend to have high TOTEX although single units are capable of large throughputs which equals lower CAPEX, they have high power costs associated with them, high operator attendance is required, high wearing parts due to high rotation speeds and a single wash is required at the end of a shift which can overload the unit and spill out of the discharge end The HUBER Q-PRESS® has been an established product for the HUBER group and now has 1633 installations worldwide and 21 of those are UK installations. South West Water had identified sludge presses as an option to replace the centrifuge at Plymouth Central and compared HUBER’s Screw Press Q-PRESS® with another screw press technology, both technologies undertaking trials at Plymouth Central. Plymouth Central serves a P.E of around 320,000 and, being on a coastal port receives higher proportions of saline and fat than other in-land works typically do. Maer Lane serves a small population on the outskirts of Exmouth. On site previously was a 2002-centrifuge unit with 45 kW main drive and 7.5 kW back drive, which operated from around 6:30 AM to 9 PM as required, running at around 30 m³/h. HUBER’s Screw Press Q-PRESS® was demonstrated to have: Lowest NPV and WLC Lowest whole scheme capital cost Lowest operating cost Best technical support HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS® sludge dewaterers are designed to provide efficient, fully automatic, mechanical dewatering of sludge once the diluted polymer dose into the feed sludge has been adjusted correctly to provide a suitable flocc. The enclosed design serves to reduce the odours, noise and the potential requirement for operator attendance due to spills that can be associated with other dewatering technologies on some sites. The low operating speed of the screw presses reduces wear and energy demand. For the trial to take place a HUBER Q-PRESS® 280 was tested on indigenous co-settled chemically assisted lamella-settled DensaDeg Primary and humus-like BAFF secondary sludge’s from the Plymouth Central site as well as imported similar sludge’s from the site at Maer Lane WwTW. The feed sludge during the trial varied from 4.6 to 5.15% DS with an average active polymer usage of 4.7-4.8 kg/tDS with an average cake dryness of 33% and minimum of 28.6%. As a comparison, the existing centrifuge was using around 8-10 kg/t DS of polymer based on a throughput of 25-30 m³/day to produce cake at around 23%. A sample of the trial results from a single day are shown in the table besides (click to enlarge). Following the successful trial HUBER were asked to tender for the supply of the permanent units for both of the sites at Maer Lane and Plymouth Central. The sludge feed at both sites was specified as 4.5% DS with a feed rate at Maer Lane of 10.22m 3 /hr and at Plymouth Central a feed rate of 35.55 m ³ /hr. Following a successful tender submission HUBER were awarded both projects and the HUBER Q-PRESS® 800.2 was selected for both sites with a single unit required at Maer Lane and three units required at Plymouth Central with installation and commissioning taking place in 2019. Whole Life Cost Comparison South West Water’s requirements were lowest WLC, low operator attendance, simple odour control availability and simple operation. Kier Utilities were keen to do a whole life cost comparison and using trial data and tender price as a thorough whole life cost evaluation, the following table summarises the comparison between the HUBER Q-PRESS®, new centrifuge technology and an alternative dewatering press technology, which was tested prior to HUBER. | HUBER Q-PRESS 800.2 | New centrifuge | Other dewatering press technology Average Polymer consumption|6 kg/tDS|10 kg/tDS|7 kg/tDS Power consumption (kW)|11|140|12 Cake quality (DS content)|30%|23%|25% M&E Capital Cost – HUBER Baseline 100|100%|64%|116% Total Scheme Capital Cost – HUBER Baseline 100|100%|106%|111% Annual Operating Cost Relative to current|-£298,208|-£150,666|-£223,539 NPV 20 yrs. HUBER based 100%|100%|130%|117% So what is the potential for the HUBER Q-PRESS® in the UK in the next AMP? Mike Willis, HUBER’s Business Development Director commented, “ We see the WLC benefits of the HUBER Q-PRESS® driving efficiencies in the sludge dewatering market as the cost of moving sludge is identified by OFWAT as a key efficiency driver. “ During the PR19 price, review OFWAT is expecting water companies to account for the sludge business separately from their wastewater business. The OFWAT consultation document has already highlighted the potential efficiencies through transporting sludge. This, together with the focus on regarding sludge as an asset rather than a cost is likely to result in more sludge being moved as well as focusing on the cost to transport. This needs to be done at lowest TOTEX. Reduced chemical, power and maintenance costs compared to centrifuge will drive ongoing OPEX savings year on year. Reduced odour emission rate of the Q-PRESS® compared to a centrifuge or belt press enables smaller, more efficient odour treatment plant, reduced risk of odour nuisance and improved working conditions for operators. The Q-PRESS® is available in four sizes and processes over 500kg/DS/h, providing a sludge dewatering technology that is more reliable, less fussy to operate, cheaper to buy and cheaper to operate than conventional systems- an ideal solution to meet the OFWAT objectives. The impact of the approach is considerable with a standard, modular design and approach- demonstrated by a single unit at Maer Lane and triple units at Plymouth. This has provided South West Water with a scale-able solution for their Sludge Dewatering sites. Kier Utilities and HUBER can apply the learning to the wider industry to deliver TOTEX efficiency across the industry. HUBER are involved in trials for another water company to develop a kiosk-mounted solution based on a standard off-site built HUBER Screw Press Q-PRESS®. At the beginning of March, the finalists were announced for this year’s Water Industry Awards 2020. HUBER Technology working with Kier Utilities and South West Water are delighted to have been shortlisted again for the third year running and as finalists in the following categories: Asset Optimisation Initiative of the Year - TOTEX savings at Plymouth Central Most Innovative Use of existing technology - Reshaping sludge dewatering[...]