How to Select the Proper Blower for Your Wastewater Treatment

Blowers can sometimes be an underestimated piece of equipment when it comes to wastewater treatment. If you are a plant operator or engineer, it is important to select and install the proper blower for your application. Keep reading to learn more about the different types of blowers and what you should consider when narrowing down your choices.

First of all, it is important to understand why a blower is required when treating wastewater. Blowers are typically used to provide aeration in activated sludge plants and to promote aerobic digestion. They keep solids suspended in channels and in aeriated grit chambers, which is absolutely necessary for a proper treatment ecosystem.

Types of Blowers

There are three main types of blowers; positive displacement lobe, centrifugal and high efficiency.

Positive displacement lobe blowers are typically use for smaller applications. Their output and pressure are directly governed by the speed you run them at. Gardner Denver’s IQ blower package is perfect for these small or medium applications.

Centrifugal blowers are used in medium or large wastewater treatment applications. True centrifugal vane-style blowers usually run at a constant speed, but you can vary the airflow output by throttling the inlet valve to the blower.

For applications that require a high volume of air, a high efficiency blower like the Sulzer-ABS HST (High Speed Turbocompressor) is an ideal blower. It is the only blower that uses magnetic bearings, making it extremely efficient and allowing for the fastest payback on investment.

Sizing Your Blower

The size of your blower is determined by many variables in your application. You must consider the load, flow, tank configurations, sidewater depth of the tank, and specific treatment application. A design engineer should be involved when building a new treatment facility or when drastically updating existing equipment. If you have a municipal facility, you should consider the growth that your community might experience.

A variable frequency device (VFD) and/or a dissolved oxygen monitoring device can be added to a blower to give you better insight and control over your application. This will allow you to adjust the efficiency and effectiveness of your blower if your process changes. Be sure to read our blog post explaining 6 signs that you might need a VFD for your application.

Selecting the proper blower should increase the plant’s efficiency and also use less energy. If you have a wastewater treatment plant in Wisconsin or Upper Michigan, our engineers can help you select the perfect blower. Contact us for more information!