Biosolids Storage and Load Out for Galt Waste Water Treatment Plant Waterloo, Canada Region
End User or OwnerRegion of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario CA
Hydromantis, Inc.
Ontario, Canada
Detra Builders
Ontario, Canada
Galt WWTP
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
General Description
The Region of Waterloo is one of Canada’s fastest growing communities, expected to reach 729,000 people by 2031. The growth rate of the Region is twice that of the national average. The median population age is one of the lowest in Canada. The Region of Waterloo owns thirteen wastewater treatment plants that are operated by the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA). The Galt Wastewater Treatment Plant is the third most productive plant behind Waterloo and Kitchener and has been in operation since 1978 servicing nearly 85,000 customers in the region.
Upgrades to the Galt WWTP solids treatment process were completed in 2008, including refurbishment of anaerobic digesters and construction of a biosolids dewatering facility with mechanical thickening and dewatering equipment. The plant has a capacity of 56.8 million liters per day (ML/D). KWS Environmental was contracted to build a new sludge storage and load out system to rapidly and accurately load trucks.
Design Parameters
- Product Type: Dewatered Biosolids
- Material Density: 65 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
- Capacity: 880 Cubic Feet per Hour
- Hopper Capacity: 42 tons per Hopper, Number of Hoppers: 4
- Duty: 7 Days a Week, 24 Hours per Day
KWS Advantages
KWS designed, manufactured, supplied and commissioned an integrated sludge storage and load out system which required expertise in many different areas. KWS had previous experience at the Galt WWTP and a complete understanding of the process conditions. KWS then applied this experience and knowledge to the design and fabrication of the load out system consisting of screw conveyors, screw feeders, slide gates, chutes, and support structures. KWS also supplied instrumentation, motion sensors, level sensors, overload protection, truck position sensors and PLC based controls with touch screen interface.
Inclined shaftless screw conveyors conveyed biosolids from centrifuges to a transfer screw conveyor. The transfer shaftless screw conveyor was reversible and could feed any one of four large storage bins. Quad-live bottom screw feeders metered the biosolids from the bins to truck load out. Electrically actuated slide gates controlled the flow of the biosolids to the trucks. Each storage bin was equipped with load cells to accurately determine the weight of material being discharged to the trucks.
Special Features
The KWS Environmental load out system was designed for simplicity and rapid load out of trucks. Due to population growth in the region, additional storage and processing capacity were designed into the system.
The shaftless screw conveyors were supplied with KWS-350 ultra-high strength alloy spirals for maximum wear life and strength. The shaftless screw conveyors were completely water and odor tight. The four storage bins held a total capacity of more than four days of biosolids. Quad live bottom screw feeders were located on the bottoms of each storage bin and required minimal maintenance due to the use of abrasion-resistant materials and extra high-torque drive units. Maintenance access was external to the storage bins eliminating the need to enter a confined space to make routine repairs or perform maintenance.
To accurately control and meter biosolids to trucks, each storage bin was mounted on load cells. The complete load out system was controlled by a single control station, which was integrated in the plant SCADA system. Operators had complete control of the load out system from a central control room. The use of PLC-based controls greatly increased the accuracy of the system and improved efficiency.
