Xylem Launches New Eco-lift Retrievable Aeration Grid
Xylem Inc. has launched a new retrievable aeration grid system that delivers superior aeration efficiency in wastewater treatment plants. Xylem’s Sanitaire Eco-lift retrievable aeration grid features an innovative new design and utilises high efficiency Sanitaire Gold and Silver Series diffusers, reducing both the capital and life cycle costs associated with aeration systems.
The solution was showcased during the IFAT trade show in Munich, Germany, May 5-9, Hall A6 booth 439.
The Sanitaire Eco-lift retrievable aeration grid is designed with the diffusers mounted on structural frames which can be lifted out of the basin for easy inspection and maintenance without having to disrupt the wastewater treatment process. The grid is a cost-efficient alternative to constructing a parallel treatment train.
The Eco-lift retrievable aeration grid uses a patent-pending ‘tube-in-tube’ design which requires significantly less steel as ballast to keep it under water than alternative products. This lowers the cost of the product by up to 50 percent and results in higher and faster return on investment. In addition, Sanitaire Gold and Silver diffusers offer the highest Oxygen Transfer Efficiency (OTE) and mechanical reliability when compared to tubular diffusers, mechanical aerators or other types of aeration systems, saving wastewater treatment plants millions of dollars over their life span.
Suitable for both municipal and industrial wastewater applications, Xylem’s Eco-lift retrievable aeration grid frames are constructed of carbon steel I-beams or stainless steel square tubes which produce a more flexible and stronger structure than a frame constructed of concrete. This frame acts as ballast to keep the aeration grid down on the floor of the aeration basin. A standard aeration grid with innovative tube-in-tube design is then mounted on this steel structure. In applications where a retrievable grid is not required, the aeration grid is mounted onto the aeration tank floor.
“The Eco-lift retrievable grid allows operators to maintain grids with basins in service,” explained Serdar Umur, global aeration product manager for Xylem, “There’s no need to take the basins out of service or drain basins. Individual aeration grids are lifted out, serviced, and repaired while the remaining grids continue treatment. The down time of each grid is also reduced. For example, individual diffuser membranes in a disc type aeration system can be changed out in three to five minutes, speeding maintenance tasks, compared to 15 to 30 minutes for each tubular membranes in a tubular system.”
Two types of lifting mechanisms are available: a lifting cable arrangement with a central mast to retain the cables above the water line and keep the cables taut, or four tubular lifting arms connected to each other at a central location above water level with a ring attached on top to easily lift the grids.
Source: Xylem Inc.
