The pump station for a major yogurt manufacturer in central Ohio was in need of valve and pump maintenance as well as a replacement of a failing liner. Since it handled all of the facilities’ wastewater, the company couldn’t allow the pump station to have an unexpected breakdown. The manufacturing facility receives over 50 tankers of milk each day and any disruption would be extremely costly.
ART was asked to be the subcontractor for the lining portion of the project based on their reliability and ability to meet rigid deadlines. Since the pump station was severely corroded with a failed lining system in it, the customer needed the best product available – the OBIC Armor Multi-Layer System.
The project was not without challenges though. Due to the large intake of milk per day, as well as being the only wastewater discharge, downtime wasn’t possible, so the work was planned months ahead of time and scheduled for an upcoming shutdown. In addition, some of the incoming flow was 190 degrees but cooled quickly with other flow (but only down to 130 degrees or so). An existing epoxy or urethane liner had failed below the water level, most likely due to the water temp and corrosive nature (surfactants and disinfectants).
Part of the planning process involved coating a steel plate with the OBIC material and submerging it in the pump station. This true test would ensure OBIC products were right for this type of project. Food manufacturing facilities use very strong disinfectants and cleaning solutions that can be very hard on coating systems. Combined with hot water and steam at 190 degrees or so, it further creates a very severe environment for protective coatings. So, after the steel plate was submerged and lowered in place with a galvanized steel dog chain, it was then inspected every 30 days for four months.
Every time the sample was checked, it showed decay to the chain, but the steel plate sample was hard and looked good. On the fourth month, the chain was eaten through, and the sample laid in the bottom of the wet well until it was retrieved for evaluation. After the successful test results, work on the project began in June 2022.
Because this wet well could not be fully bypassed, an alternative design for bypassing was required. A manifold was installed to control wastewater from the plant from coming into the pump station during the maintenance upgrade. The ART crew then installed the new liner so the yogurt factory could get back into production ASAP. One of the main benefits of using an experienced installer and the OBIC lining system is the quick return to service. This project was planned for a 3-day period and it was imperative that it not exceed that. Many other coating systems take several days to cure before they can be subjected to immersion service. And this immersion was in hot water. After the OBIC Lining System was installed, the pump station was put into service the following day – an impressive benefit, for sure!
Here’s an impressive before and after of the wet well!
(Before)
(After)
Find out how ART can help your budget go further and do more. Contact us for more information, or to schedule a free product demonstration at info@artcoatingtech.com.
