Future-ready pumping stations: expert planning meets powerful mixers

Future-ready pumping stations: expert planning meets powerful mixers

Sump, effluent, sewage. Waste water pumps handle challenging fluids. Get yours fit for heavy loads with submersible mixers – and actionable guidance from our KSB know-how series.

Waste water facilities are vital to our daily lives – and the businesses and industries we rely on for a wide variety of goods. When it comes to keeping them running, proper planning is half the battle. The good news: most modern pumping stations are already designed to handle temporary or even permanent pollutant loads without major difficulties. As a general rule, the following conditions need to be fulfilled:

• Pump sump: ensure that the pump sump is correctly dimensioned in size and shape.
• Pump impeller: select the correct impeller type and free passage size.
• Operating modes: design operating mode(s) to prevent overloading of the hydraulic system (e.g. concentrated peak load from a stormwater overflow basin of no more than a few minutes).
• Pollution content: make sure the solids load do not represent an extreme case (e.g. solids bypassing the mechanical screen due to clogging).

Of these conditions, pollutants are the hardest to control. Retained loads can become a massive bottleneck for pump sumps. As cities grow and severe weather events increase, it’s important to ensure that these essential facilities are equipped to handle heavy loads, now and in the future.

Flexible, effective, low-maintenance: submersible mixers in pumping stations

How to handle extreme pollutant loads in a waste water network? Small, submersible mixers have proven to be an extremely successful solution. They help suspend settled solids and fibres that can then be moved out of a sump or basin more easily and efficiently.

No two waste water systems are exactly alike, and pumping needs can vary. Submersible mixers offer a suitable solution here, since they can be selected for the situation at hand, for example the specific fluid composition or size of the sump. When chosen correctly, just one small mixer can generally cover the total sump volume.

Beyond mixing moveable solids-bearing liquids, submersible mixers offer additional benefits. These small but mighty components represent one of the most flexible and efficient solutions in terms of both operation and location in the tank:

• Operation and timing: Switch on your submersible mixer shortly before the actual pumping process and switch it off before the pumps start up. This distributes the pollution load effectively over the total fluid volume – for optimum pumping conditions. The homogenised fluid can be transported as soon as pumping starts instead of getting trapped in the sump.
• Location: Once stagnant zones have been identified, they can be effectively targeted by positioning the jet core of the mixer toward the local deposits. No action is required for zones in which adequate suspension is provided by the structural design or approach flow.

The mixer can also be positioned to mix in floating sludge for transport with the fluid.

Adding to their efficiency, submersible mixers do not slow down waste water pumping systems. The volume flow rate remains the same, while ensuring the complete transport of solids content – eliminating the need for extra cleaning.

All the advantages of mixers at a glance:

• Flexible and efficient solution for handling pollutants, settled solids and fibres
• Can be selected to suit the fluid composition and size of the sump
• One mixer can generally meet the pumping needs of the sump
• No reduction in flow rate
• Complete transport of homogenized fluids with no need for extra cleaning

KSB offers all-in solutions for your mixer applications

Beyond our high-performing components, our customers rely on KSB for our far-reaching expertise. We possess in-depth process and applications expertise to support you with systems planning and selecting the right mixers, pumps and valves for your facilities.

Based on our decades of experience, we have developed advanced submersible mixer technology for sludge treatment, biogas plants, stormwater tanks, fun parks and more.

Where to place your submersible mixer? Mixer placement in the tank should be considered in the planning stage. For guidance on mixer placement, especially for different tank types, consult our comprehensive planning guide on submersible mixers.