The Oakland Wastewater Treatment Plant is the main wastewater treatment plant in Topeka, Kansas, treating a flow of 50 million gallons per day. The inlet channel to the facility is 5 feet wide with a 10-foot channel depth. Many years ago, the plant had installed a climber-type screen to protect the headworks, and in 2000, it was clear that it needed to be replaced. The operators were spending more time maintaining it than operating it and the poor functioning of the screen led to significant problems in downstream operations.
Solution
As the operators looked at potential replacements, the city worked with an engineering firm who evaluated the state of the art for screening technologies. It was determined that multi-rake bar screens would offer the most effective solution. In 2002, after completing an evaluation of design options from several suppliers, the city selected a Headworks MS1 bar screen with 1⁄4” spacing for the replacement.
Wastewater treatment plants with more than one channel can shut down one channel for maintenance, if necessary, while the sewage continues to flow through the remaining channels into the plant. Having only a single channel in operation at the Topeka plant, it was critical that whatever was installed worked effortlessly and with minimal maintenance.
An initial concern for the operators was the lower sprocket, but they have never even had to inspect it. In the nearly 15 years the screen has been operating, the only maintenance done was some minimal work on the rubber seals and scraper and normal tensioning of the chains.
Bernie Thompson, the lead mechanic at the site, was there when this screen was installed. “We love this screen,” he said. “It has never given us any issues. It just keeps on running and running.”
Headworks International is exhibiting at WEFTEC.17, Booth 3442. For more information, visit headworksinternational.com.
