Wastewater treatment facilities provide critical functions that cannot be compromised and require around-the-clock performance, seven days a week. Within the water treatment process, millions of bacteria feed on organic waste, breaking it up into carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water. Because the bacteria need oxygen, large quantities of air are blown in the aeration tanks.
Conventional technology, via the rotary lobe positive displacement blower, uses two or three lobed rotors that rotate within an oval-shaped casing to draw air into the compressing chamber and force it out an opposite side. When the rotor lobes uncover the exit port, it allows some air flow to move back into the casing, often resulting in pressure pulsations.
The oil-free screw blower is a positive displacement machine that pairs male and female rotors. The air is compressed as the available volume between the two rotors decreases with each rotation. At the beginning of the compression cycle, air at the inlet fills the flute space and becomes trapped. The air is then continually compressed internally as the male and female parts mesh with each revolution until it is pushed through the discharge outlet.
To compare the performance of a rotary lobe blower versus an oil-free screw blower, laboratory testing was conducted comparing the two technologies in the same environment under equal operating conditions. The energy consumed by each machine was measured at the power source, as was the flow levels at each machine’s respective outlet.
By reducing the energy usage of aeration blower systems with screw blower technology, wastewater treatment facilities can decrease energy costs while operating in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner.
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