Energy Efficiency Boosted By Replacing Controls Not Blowers

At the wastewater treatment facility, the biggest energy consumer is almost always the multistage aeration blowers. Replacing these blowers with high speed turbo blowers can save energy but the short-term cost to replace the existing blowers, reroute pipe and set new foundations can make the change a hard sell.

Instead, many operators are looking to install better controls for a fraction of the cost of new blowers to get better efficiency out of their existing blower mix.

As Nick Dorsch, Director of Global Operations for Hoffman & Lamson, explains in this Water Online Radio interview, operators “can now install a control system that can save 20-30% of energy (almost as much as a high-speed single-stage turbo blower) without tearing out their old blowers. They can take their existing blowers, which can have a 30-year lifespan and innovate that with a small investment in a new control system. Pay back is typically anywhere from a year to a year and a half.”

Dorsch also introduces a new 50 hertz blower, a new seal technology and discusses Hoffman & Lamson’s aftermarket service offering including three additional service facilities in North America as well as additional facilities in South America, China and Europe.

To aid customers in understanding the Company’s technology, the Gardner Denver subsidiary has also introduced an augmented reality app that can be downloaded on an Apple or Android device and helps users walk inside a blower and see how the components relate to one another.

To learn more about the app and blower efficiency, click on the audio player below: