Abstract

Nonwoven wet wipes are the most hazardous substances that cause clogging of sewage pumps, due to the increasing amount of wet wipes in sewer systems. The clogging of sewage pumps causes a considerable additional economic expense every year, which can be avoided by well-functioning sewage pumps. An additional problem to be considered is the reduced water consumption, which increases the concentration with the increased use of wet wipes in the wastewater. With demand-driven pumping of wastewater due to large diurnal fluctuations, pumps are speed-controlled as the price of frequency converters decreases.

The current advice when speed variation in wastewater pumps are used, affects the minimum velocity in the pipes. The study investigates how speed influences the clogging phenomena of wastewater pumps. The pumps have been approved at a test stand in a laboratory that is designed for functional tests on wastewater pumps. During the test the operating behavior is logged and indicates how clogging influences the pumping performance. Those tests have been done for a long-time performance test, in which the wastewater is pumped in a loop for 60 Minutes.

During the test procedure the clogging is observed with a high speed camera, so that the clogging on the impeller can be visualized. This helps to understand the clogging and self-cleaning ability of impellers better. The behavior of the susceptibility to clogging of the wastewater pumps was very different. The type of impeller as well the speed are the most influencing characteristics that influence clogging.

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