ERLANGER, KY, Nov. 19, 2004 -- Equipment from ultraviolet (UV) disinfection specialist, Aquionics, was recently chosen by the Flat Creek Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) in Gainesville, Ga., to meet the facility's increased wastewater treatment demands.
Three new Aquionics InLine systems join three existing systems to meet the plant's expanded capacity, treating approximately 12 million gallons per day (mgd) of wastewater for discharge into Lake Lanier. The closed chamber, medium pressure systems provide high efficiency disinfection with the added benefits of online transmittance monitoring and advanced controls.
Flat Creek WRF originally installed Aquionics equipment in 2001, with three InLine systems treating approximately 10 mgd of wastewater (80% industrial, 20% low level commercial and residential). With area growth the plant's capacity increased, and with increased capacity came more stringent discharge permit limits. The new National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued for a 12 mgd capacity with a fecal coliform limit of 23 colonies per 100 ml sample was a significant change from its previous limit of 200 colonies per 100 ml sample. The city of Gainesville and Aquionics engineers determined that additional UV systems arranged in series would achieve the level of disinfection required by the new permit. A total of six InLine systems now treat the effluent at the plant.
"When the decision was made to upgrade to units in series, it was only logical to stay with Aquionics' technology, which had already proven itself over three years of operation, rather than try to implement a hybrid configuration with unfamiliar equipment," explained Flat Creek WRF Plant Manager, Michael West.
Aquionics InLine systems use high-output medium pressure UV technology to deliver a high dose of UV disinfection to destroy microorganisms with fewer and smaller lamps than comparable low pressure systems. The closed chambers are compatible with both gravity fed and pumped applications, providing low maintenance disinfection with minimal headloss.
This closed pipe design was an important feature for the city of Gainesville. When first selecting UV equipment for the Flat Creek WRF, representatives from the city of Gainesville Public Utilities Department visited several neighboring metro Atlanta facilities and examined a range of open and closed pipe systems from various manufacturers. "The excessive man-hours required to keep an open channel unit clean was a large factor in choosing the Aquionics closed channel system initially," said West.
Ease of handling was another feature in Aquionics' favor, according to West, as rather than handling an entire bank of lamps at a time, the InLine's single lamps may be changed quickly and easily by plant personnel. To further reduce maintenance, the chambers are equipped with an automatic cleaning mechanism to keep lamp sleeves free of organic deposits.
The new systems installed feature Aquionics' new UVTronic™ microprocessor controls and transmittance monitor, providing real time transmittance values that allow for dose pacing of the UV system. The control unit records up to 12 months of operational data for record keeping and analysis and generates discrete fault alarms to aid in the diagnosis of performance problems. The controller can also be fitted with a modem connection to perform remote diagnostics on the system for fast troubleshooting with minimal service interruption.
Based in Erlanger, Ky., Aquionics (www.aquionics.com), a Halma Group Company, is a market leader in the manufacture, application and development of UV technology for progressive, non-chemical disinfection and microbiological control. The company's systems are used in a wide variety of applications including wastewater treatment, pharmaceutical manufacture, food and beverage production, meat processing, microelectronics, pool disinfection, and specialized industrial settings.
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