Overview
Overview
Alongside their engineering firm, the City of Catlettsburg contracted Aulick to aid in the design, construction, and installation of two chemical feed systems at their wastewater treatment plant.
City of Catlettsburg’s goal was to significantly reduce their use of the hazardous chlorine gas in their treatment process as a primary chemistry.
Location
Catlettsburg, KY
Market
Introduction
Introduction
With the foundation of a solid relationship established, City of Catlettsburg enlisted Aulick to assess, with the intention to reduce, their current chlorine gas chemical feed application. Chlorine gas was being used as a disinfectant that was pumped into a feed line to eliminate harmful bacteria found in sewage wastewater.
Poisonous and classified as a pulmonary irritant, chlorine gas can also be explosive in nature if reactions occur with many common substances such as acetylene, ether, turpentine, ammonia, fuel gas, and hydrogen (CDC; Chlorine: Exposure, Decontamination, Treatment).
Exposure to chlorine gas, whether to utility personnel or the surrounding community, can lead to the following dangers and negative health effects:
- Low levels: Can cause irritation to the eyes, nose, and throat
- High levels: Can cause coughing, changes in breathing rate and damage to the lungs
- 1,000 ppm and above: Can be fatal within a few minutes (National Library of Medicine: Chlorine Gas Toxicity)
Further goals of the project agreed upon by City of Catlettsburg and Aulick included:
- The health, safety and protection of the local community
- Update to wastewater treatment plant infrastructure
- Optimization of City budget through smart investment
- Reduction of chlorine gas canisters on WWTP property thus reducing risk of chlorine gas leaks
- Installation of sodium hypochlorite and sodium thiosulfate chemical feed systems replacing chlorine gas as their main focus
Challenge
Challenge
Through site visits and fact finding sessions, Aulick Technical Consulting and Systems personnel quickly realized the City of Catlettsburg had encountered an available space problem. First proposed to install the two chemical feed systems outside of the chlorine gas room, that idea was soon dissolved due to Catlettsburg’s request to install the systems inside of the chlorine gas room.
However, due to space constraints inside the chlorine gas room, and considering the fact that a scoped-in spill containment was required for the sodium hypochlorite feed system, it was clear that this space would not be sufficient for the necessary safety containment required in case of a chemical leak. Catlettsburg also expressed their intention to continue utilizing the chlorine gas, but in a reduced capacity and as a backup method for treatment.
Additional challenges Aulick encountered during the planning and proposal stage included:
- City of Catlettsburg personnel turnover
- Multiple revisions of Engineer specifications
- KY Division of Water approval and oversight
- Additional space constraints and challenges
- The desire to remain competitive in pricing structure
Our Solution
Our Solution
Through outside-the-box thinking, Aulick proposed use of the basement directly below the chlorine gas room for installation of the sodium hypochlorite and thiosulfate chemical feed systems.
The basement provided an unused and open 20′ x 20′ area that could house both systems and the necessary chemical containment required to meet KY Division of Water regulations. The basement also provided the electrical needed for Aulick’s custom design.
Additionally, Aulick provided engineered drawings to Catlettsburg to ensure a successful installation. During installation, Aulick ran a control signal from the flow meter to the chemical feed pumps that added the ability for Catlettsburg personnel to change the feed location to the original or new contact basin to then provide the appropriate amount of contact time for each chemical. This was done to meet the engineer specifications and provide an extra layer of service to the customer.
Feed rate adjustments were then dependent on a flow paced meter that allowed the customer to remain mostly hands-off in regard to chemical application.
Our Results
Our Results
For complete results of this project, view the gallery below.
Aulick was successful from an installation standpoint, utilizing the available space to optimize chemical feed, working with both Catlettsburg and the engineer’s timeline while avoiding any manipulation to the existing chlorine gas room. Aulick appreciates the opportunity for a continued relationship with City of Catlettsburg.
Customer testimonial:
“I love our new chemical feed system! It’s very easy to operate and safer than the chlorine and sulfur gas system that we utilize for backup purposes. It’s wonderful to be able to use this new system for the safety of our personnel at the plant but also for the public we serve. The best thing about the whole system is how it works; It has pumps to pump chemical through the lines and a digital screen displays how much you’re pumping and at what rate. The pumps can be tied into your flow meter like ours at the plant and it’s great that you don’t have turn up or down the pumping rate depending on the flow. As for the sodium hypochlorite and thiosulfate, those solutions work much better than the chlorine gas.
The biggest benefit to us through this entire project was the help of the entire Aulick Consulting and Systems team. They all helped us in more ways than we could count, were amazing through the entire process, and displayed a lot of patience with us. The City of Catlettsburg WWTP believes none of this could have happened without their combined effort. Aulick provided assistance for countless hours and their Systems team provided all of the materials needed for the final installation. They installed every bit of it as well. It has been an amazing experience working with the Aulick – A CITCO Water Company team on this project“.
– Nick Cornwell, Chief Operator – City of Catlettsburg Wastewater Treatment Plant