Major advances in fine grit removal engineering to be a highlight of Ozwater’13

Smith & Loveless grit removal technologies relevant to Australian wastewater treatment plants will be presented by CST Wastewater Solutions at the Ozwater’13 international water conference and exhibition in Perth from 7-9 May.

Presentation of the technologies follows a recent educational initiative by CST Wastewater Solutions and Smith & Loveless, who partnered to host a series of grit seminars earlier this year focusing on grit removal, testing, pumping and dewatering. The seminars were attended by the Australian professional engineering community and discussed the latest developments in grit removal system design, technology advancements and performance.

The Sydney grit seminar.

One of the main points discussed by Chuck Miller (Smith & Loveless USA) which is particularly pertinent to the Australian market was the analysis of grit particle size for coastal regions. He highlighted that as much as 40-80% of the grit contained in typical municipal wastewater is in the 105-200 µm size range, whereas most grit-removal systems are only designed for removing grit in the 200-300 µm range.

Miller discussed the development of the S&L Pista and V-Force Baffle, which is designed to remove 95% of all grit particles down to 105 µm, setting a new industry benchmark for grit removal efficiency and performance.

The seminars also covered an important but often neglected consideration - sampling and testing of grit removal system performance. Most grit systems are supplied based on a performance specification, yet this is rarely tested and verified. S&L has conducted over 150 certified field-performance tests and has developed a standard methodology for grit sampling. Understanding how grit moves and flows in pipes and channels is critical to the effectiveness and accuracy of any sampling regime, and various field data and CFD models were presented to illustrate this.

“Although grit is not the most glamorous of subjects, it is critically important in the design of modern wastewater treatment plants,” said the Managing Director of CST Wastewater Solutions, Michael Bambridge.

“It was tremendous to see the high level of interest in the seminars, which serve as a great way to bring together industry experts and to keep up to date with the latest issues, research and technology developments in this field.”