Time Marches On… Celebrating 40 Years of Double Disc Pumps!

Penn Valley Pump 40th anniversaryThere’s something to be said about longevity; not only in the equipment we manufacture, but in the relationships we build. Properly installing a pump is only part of the equation. Asking the right questions about things like hydraulic requirements and material specifics means meeting the facility manager’s needs, in terms of maintenance, performance and cost.

Managing higher percent solids and higher viscosity fluids is no small task. At Penn Valley Pump, we’ve spent the last four decades teaching the industry about how our Double Disc Pumps combine the performance of a positive displacement pump with the principle of “induced flow” to provide superior versatility in fluids handling.

During this time, we’ve helped get many a customer out of some, let’s say, unpleasant situations… so on the occasion of our 40th anniversary, we reflect back on a few of the installations that have made us proud to be the only true manufacturer of 100% US-made Double Disc Pumps.

Eliminate maintenance and wet-well odors: City of Titusville, Florida

PVP double disc pumps in Titusville application
By removing the need for a wet-well, this PVP pump installation reduced maintenance requirements as well as eliminated the odor caused by the always-present floatable material layer in the scum box.

Plant staff needed to upgrade the scum handling system at its Osprey location, which involved taking the existing wet-well out of service.  Wet-wells are a source of odor and require washdown maintenance to remove the scum build up that is never removed with traditional submersible pumps.  The scum trough discharge piping is now piped directly to the suction side of two Double Disc Pumps, one duty and one standby helping reduce long-term operational and maintenance costs and provides a much more reliable system. The pumps are operated by a limit switch and timer control system, so all of the scum contents are pumped away on every cycle leaving nothing behind.

 

Out with the old, in with the new: Berrien County, Michigan

Once transferring co-mingled waste and primary sludge became too thick for the centrifugal chopper pumps Galien River Sanitary District Sewer Authority (GRSD) was using, they hired an engineering company to help with the design of their pump replacement project.  Through this partnership, GRSD learned about Penn Valley Pump and installed two 6-inch PVP Model 6DDSX76CNU 10 hp pumps.  These pumps have been flawlessly operating since startup, with timers turning the pumps on and off numerous times throughout the day and pumping out high and low sludge concentration levels with no operator involvement, GRSD has been able to save valuable time and money each month with this upgrade.

 

From test run to running on all cylinders: City of Moline, Illinois

When it needed to replace a piston (plunger) pump at its North Slope facility, PVP provided a 6” Double Disc Pump as a trial, through our Swap-Your-Pump program. The new pump needed to feed a unique blend of wastewater and lime blowdown sludge at up to 10 percent solids to the belt filter press. Because the belt filter press was located across the plant, the pump had to pull a small suction lift and operate against a discharge pressure between 10 and 20 psig.  To make sure the PVP pump could handle these requirements, plant operators tested the pump for 3 months, ultimately keeping it onsite and installing a dozen Double Disc Pumps throughout the next four years, across the city’s wastewater treatment facilities.

 

More than a manufacturer

At PVP, we don’t just make pumps.  We look for ways to help our customers manage their facilities with efficiency, with confidence and with lowered maintenance requirements.  Forty years of providing the best in Double Disc Pump technology hasn’t been without its rewards, and we take this opportunity to thank each and every facility that has entrusted us as part of your treatment process team.