Conference Papers | 2009 Conference Papers

OPTIMISATION OF DEWATERING CENTRIFUGES

Michael Thomas, Process Engineer, Sunshine Coast Water

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ABSTRACT

Biosolids disposal costs represent a significant proportion of a wastewater plant’s operating budget and the optimization of biosolids dewatering offers the best opportunity for minimizing these costs. A generic systematic approach that can be used for optimization of any centrifuge will be presented, and results will be reported for the optimum settings determined in a case study at Maroochydore STP. The outcomes of the centrifuge optimization program were that the dewatered cake dryness was improved from 17% to 21%TS, and the operations team gained valuable knowledge and experience with regard to fine-tuning the centrifuge. The results indicated that maximizing the residence time in the centrifuge bowl and achieving optimum poly-sludge surface chemistry were the critical parameters for optimum dewatering performance.

KEYWORDS

Biosolids; centrifuge; dewatering; optimization