Pumping solids without screening

Sewatec D-max for Oberstromberg pumping station

Many years of close partnerships with customers have provided KSB with detailed insights into the problems and challenges its products are facing in day-to-day work. This has enabled KSB to tune its technical solutions precisely to what customers need. KSB's sales engineers recognised that cutting back on processes in waste water pumping stations would save considerable costs. In the end, they just had to convince their customers of this solution.

Oelde city council

The city council of Oelde, located in the south-east Münsterland region in Germany, operates a public sewer system of about 280 kilometre length for its 30,000 inhabitants. 19 pumping stations make the waste water flow from suburbs such as Stromberg, Sünninghausen and Lette to the waste water treatment plant, where 8,500 cubic metres are treated mechanically and biologically every day.

Doing away with mechanical pre-screening

In addition to pump technology, waste water pumping stations are fitted with components such as screens and strainers that mechanically pre-clean the waste water upstream of the pumps. This serves to prevent clogging of or damage to the pumps. Wet wipes from hygienic applications in particular make waste water transport difficult. Extra costs are incurred by having to remove solids and service the screens.

Newly developed impeller

KSB has further developed its renowned Amarex KRT and Sewatec pump type series. A new impeller has been designed that can handle waste water with a high solids content without clogging up the pump. This means the pumping station operator can do away with any upstream components for mechanical pre-screening. A distinct advantage.

Once several prototypes were available, KSB started a field test in which the pumps had to prove their worth in practice. Oelde's Obstromberg pumping station was the first to use one of the newly developed pumps for a free trial operation. KSB supplied a "Sewatec D-max" and had it installed by engineers from the KSB service network. Installation was straightforward as the technically advanced pump is designed with standard dimensions. Only the hydraulic part of the pump has changed, and a larger suction pipe has been fitted.

In the one-month trial operation, Sewatec D-max 100-403 was used together with the previously fitted upstream screen. After running successfully for this period of time, the pump was then operated without the screen. And it worked: Even without mechanical pre-screening the pump was able to handle coarse solids together with the waste water – without clogging. The Oberstromberg pumping station ordered a second Sewatec D-max twelve months after the trial operation had started. This pump has provided trouble-free operation together with the first pump since mid-2022.

The upstream screen that was originally planned to be renewed has since been completely removed from the pumping station, saving the operator a six-digit investment. A useful new technical development has done away with a process that had been established for decades, including the associated costs for disposal and servicing.

Customer: Oelde city council

Plant: Waste water pumping station

Project data: 2x Sewatec D-max 100-403

Project year: 2021