Food Processing Plant Reroutes Wastewater Process to Improve Efficiency

A large food processing plant was looking to improve the efficiency of their wastewater process. Their maintenance personell were having to empty the sludge tank three times per week and they knew there was room for improvement. Eventually, they decided that re-routing their wastewater to a different location within the plant would cut down on how often the tank would have to be emptied. This wasn’t going to be an easy task, but it would allow their processes to operate more efficiently. It was critical that the job was done correctly but it needed to be completed with a tight budget.

The food plant wanted to see if this project would be plausible, so they contacted their Crane Engineering account manager for some input. That account manager went out to inspect their current conditions and worked with them to pin-point their biggest challenges. Those challenges were: 

• Low NPSH available
• Small supply tank
• Varying flow rate
• Low budget

In order to stay within budget, the Crane Engineering account manager worked with them to bring in an old fire pump that the plant had sitting around from the 1970’s. The pump was dropped off at the Crane Engineering service and repair facility for a rebuild that would only cost a fraction of what a brand new pump would.

The Crane Engineering service team added an ITT Pump Smart PS200 VFD with a Flowline guided wave radar level sensor. These tools would allow the plant maintenance team to see and maintain a liquid level even when dealing with solids, foam, and condensation. This was a huge added benefit for anyone who had to monitor and maintain the system.

After the pump was repaired and ready to drop in, contractors were brought in to build a new buffer tank. This custom tank would be built at a lower level and was necessary to eliminate whirlpooling that was caused by having a low flow rate and low NPSH.

A variety of Crane Engineering resources were used for this project. From the service team to new equipment and engineering support, every step of the project was done with efficiency in mind. Because the cost of this project was kept low, the food processing plant saw a return on their investment in just 6 weeks! Instead of emptying 3 sludge tanks per week, they now only had to empty it once per week. The maintenance personnel are now able to work more efficiently while dedicating more time to other important tasks.

Are you looking to re-route or reevaluate part of your process? Contact us – we’d be happy to help.