TR Muncher from NOV Mono prevents pump blockages at wastewater treatment works

A revolutionary TR Muncher® from NOV® Mono® has been specified by United Utilities to increase process efficiency at its Warrington North (Gatewarth) wastewater treatment works (WwTW) by preventing pump blockages and minimising down time.

The site was experiencing problems with two of its Flygt pumps which would continually block and cause significant downtime for the site. A solution was required which would protect the two pumps from the high rag content of the 4% D.S. primary sludge they transferred, but which would also be able to fit at the bottom of a four meter deep dry well where the pumps were located.

Mono’s revolutionary TR Muncher®, which macerates heavy solids and rags to a small particle size, provided the ideal solution. To ensure that the two Mono grinders could be incorporated into existing pipework at the base of the well, Mono engineers took the decision to move forwards the two Flygt pumps and fabricate new discharge pipework for the installation. They also replaced old gate valves with new, slimmer, knife valves in order to isolate the sludge flow for pump maintenance.

Steve Oakes, Cheshire Area Maintenance District Manager, commented on the installation: "We needed a supplier who could not only provide a total package solution, but who had the engineering capability and expertise to supply, design and install their products whilst interfacing with the sites existing equipment.

"We specified Mono because to us, the company is tried and tested as in the past we specified Mono for a similar job at our Crewe site. Its industry leading products provide us with an efficient solution which know we can trust and we are always extremely satisfied with the level of performance they provide – the team are always willing to go the extra mile. "

The TR Muncher, which has a capacity range of 0-500m3/h raw sewage, features the latest generation of twin shaft grinders and is designed specifically for the efficient treatment of abrasive sludges.

The differential speed of the cutter stacks pulls apart fibrous material, whilst the leading edge and sides of the cutter teeth crop and shear other materials such as plastic into small pieces. The circumferential ‘land’ of the cutter crushes friable or brittle material and the pull back cutter stack allows removal without disturbing the pipeline.

The layback cutter shafts on the TR Muncher are set at an angle to the incoming flow. This more effective design allows the Muncher to capture irregular shaped objects and, if a reverse cycle occurs, the object is automatically dropped into the built-in trash trap, which is set clear of and below the cutter stacks, retaining the solids away from the cutters. A trash flap is fitted with a large diameter access port to enable easy removal, cleaning and flushing.