PROJECT PROFILE
The Town of Cabot’s MBR membrane basin after membrane replacement.
PROJECT PROFILE Town of Cabot 50,000 GPD MBR Membrane Replacement Cabot, Vermont
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 2012
LAYNE WATER RESOURCES Water Technologies Russ Mack 978-771-5403
PROJECT REFERENCE Utility Partners Project Manager Jim Brimblecombe 802-748-9124
Project Overview: A small Vermont town is registering significant cost savings and improved efficiency after replacing original wastewater-treatment membranes with high-performing Layne POREFLON Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs). First settled nearly 230 years ago and now home to some 1,500 residents, the Town of Cabot installed an MBR plant in 2001 to eliminate residential septic tank discharges into the headwaters of the Winooski River. The original membranes -- the leading MBR sold in recent years -- met operational expectations and lifespan projections for the first 9 years. When the first replacement membranes were needed in 2010, the Town, through system operators Utility Partners, opted for used membrane cartridges from the manufacturer at $1,300 each, compared to new ones at $5,700 each. However, within the first two years of operation after installation of the used membranes, the fibers began to pull out of the potting, resulting in increased turbidity. Meanwhile, the manufacturer stopped making the original membranes that fit Cabot's small system, which serves about 100 customers. While new cartridges in the old style were available for a limited time, future replacements would not be possible, according to Jim Brimblecombe, Project Manager at Utility Partners. As Cabot and Utility Partners pursued alternatives, a wastewater specialist at the Vermont Rural Water Association suggested contacting Layne about its POREFLON MBR product. After a Layne Water Treatment Engineer made a presentation about the tough, chemical-resistant POREFLON membranes, Cabot began following up on Layne's remedy in May 2012; by late November both replacement POREFLON
MBR trains were installed and operating. Benefits of the Layne solution quickly became apparent. Advantages included:
Top: Old membrane’s sludge accumulation. Middle: Sample on left is from POREFLON Permeate. The sample on right is from sludge basin.
Below: U-Shaped design of Layne’s POREFLON Membrane.
Layne Water Resources Water Technologies provides total water management solutions for government agencies, commercial water suppliers, industrial facilities, and energy companies. Our teams are responsible for effectively managing water in every phase of its lifecycle – supply, treatment, delivery and maintenance. Throughout each phase, we work to ensure compliance with complex state and federal regulations, and to meet increasingly high standards for quality, reliability and efficiency.
• Layne’s POREFLON membranes reduced the air scour to 48 SCFM compared to 70 SCFM with the old which resulted in eliminating one of two 10-hp blowers. This alone will result in an estimated $7,000 savings in annual energy costs. "This has had a profound effect on our energy usage. We were using 680700 kWh/day (kilowatt hours per day), now we are using 480500 kWh/day," Said Paul Olander, Operator at Utility Partners. In fact, the Town was awarded a grant towards the purchase of the Layne POREFLON membranes from the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation due to the expected reduction of energy usage. • Higher capacity, approximately 48%; 52-gpm (gallons per minute) maximum capacity on the Layne POREFLON MBR vs. 35-gpm maximum on the original membranes. Both new trains are normally operating at approximately 25 gpm at 30 hz, which can be ramped up via a variable frequency drive to double the output. • Less labor intensive than the original membranes. "We are looking forward to not pulling the racks out every two weeks for cleaning," Olander said. "The fact that we won’t be pulling the racks and physically cleaning the membranes should extend the life of the membranes due to less handling." In addition they estimate that over 40 man hours will be saved each year due to the standard in-line cleaning recommended for the POREFLON membranes. In addition, the Layne POREFLON MBR is more rugged with its stainless-steel construction and has a better warranty available than the original membranes, Utility Partners said. "I was impressed with materials of construction and the layout that gives plenty of space in between each module. And Layne was returning our calls with solution ideas," Olander recalled of the transition. "I was impressed with the one-piece fiber that wraps around the bottom with potting only at the top, allowing for better air scour. It just seemed like a better setup," added Brimblecombe. "The old system’s layout and air scour created a funneling effect that caused sludge to accumulate towards both the bottom and top potting." "I really appreciated Layne’s willingness to share ideas to retrofit the POREFLON membranes to our system configuration. The cooperative effort was amazing," Brimblecombe said. Membrane Bioreactors are a proven technology in treating municipal wastewater and as Utility Partners personnel continue to monitor the operations of the Cabot plant, they are considering replacing the membranes at other MBR facilities that they operate with the Layne POREFLON membranes.
PROJECT PROFILE Town of Cabot 50,000 GPD MBR Membrane Replacement Cabot, Vermont
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 2012
LAYNE WATER RESOURCES Water Technologies Russ Mack 978-771-5403
PROJECT REFERENCE Utility Partners Project Manager Jim Brimblecombe 802-748-9124
Project Overview: A small Vermont town is registering significant cost savings and improved efficiency after replacing original wastewater-treatment membranes with high-performing Layne POREFLON Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs). First settled nearly 230 years ago and now home to some 1,500 residents, the Town of Cabot installed an MBR plant in 2001 to eliminate residential septic tank discharges into the headwaters of the Winooski River. The original membranes -- the leading MBR sold in recent years -- met operational expectations and lifespan projections for the first 9 years. When the first replacement membranes were needed in 2010, the Town, through system operators Utility Partners, opted for used membrane cartridges from the manufacturer at $1,300 each, compared to new ones at $5,700 each. However, within the first two years of operation after installation of the used membranes, the fibers began to pull out of the potting, resulting in increased turbidity. Meanwhile, the manufacturer stopped making the original membranes that fit Cabot's small system, which serves about 100 customers. While new cartridges in the old style were available for a limited time, future replacements would not be possible, according to Jim Brimblecombe, Project Manager at Utility Partners. As Cabot and Utility Partners pursued alternatives, a wastewater specialist at the Vermont Rural Water Association suggested contacting Layne about its POREFLON MBR product. After a Layne Water Treatment Engineer made a presentation about the tough, chemical-resistant POREFLON membranes, Cabot began following up on Layne's remedy in May 2012; by late November both replacement POREFLON
MBR trains were installed and operating. Benefits of the Layne solution quickly became apparent. Advantages included:
Top: Old membrane’s sludge accumulation. Middle: Sample on left is from POREFLON Permeate. The sample on right is from sludge basin.
Below: U-Shaped design of Layne’s POREFLON Membrane.
Layne Water Resources Water Technologies provides total water management solutions for government agencies, commercial water suppliers, industrial facilities, and energy companies. Our teams are responsible for effectively managing water in every phase of its lifecycle – supply, treatment, delivery and maintenance. Throughout each phase, we work to ensure compliance with complex state and federal regulations, and to meet increasingly high standards for quality, reliability and efficiency.
• Layne’s POREFLON membranes reduced the air scour to 48 SCFM compared to 70 SCFM with the old which resulted in eliminating one of two 10-hp blowers. This alone will result in an estimated $7,000 savings in annual energy costs. "This has had a profound effect on our energy usage. We were using 680700 kWh/day (kilowatt hours per day), now we are using 480500 kWh/day," Said Paul Olander, Operator at Utility Partners. In fact, the Town was awarded a grant towards the purchase of the Layne POREFLON membranes from the Vermont Energy Investment Corporation due to the expected reduction of energy usage. • Higher capacity, approximately 48%; 52-gpm (gallons per minute) maximum capacity on the Layne POREFLON MBR vs. 35-gpm maximum on the original membranes. Both new trains are normally operating at approximately 25 gpm at 30 hz, which can be ramped up via a variable frequency drive to double the output. • Less labor intensive than the original membranes. "We are looking forward to not pulling the racks out every two weeks for cleaning," Olander said. "The fact that we won’t be pulling the racks and physically cleaning the membranes should extend the life of the membranes due to less handling." In addition they estimate that over 40 man hours will be saved each year due to the standard in-line cleaning recommended for the POREFLON membranes. In addition, the Layne POREFLON MBR is more rugged with its stainless-steel construction and has a better warranty available than the original membranes, Utility Partners said. "I was impressed with materials of construction and the layout that gives plenty of space in between each module. And Layne was returning our calls with solution ideas," Olander recalled of the transition. "I was impressed with the one-piece fiber that wraps around the bottom with potting only at the top, allowing for better air scour. It just seemed like a better setup," added Brimblecombe. "The old system’s layout and air scour created a funneling effect that caused sludge to accumulate towards both the bottom and top potting." "I really appreciated Layne’s willingness to share ideas to retrofit the POREFLON membranes to our system configuration. The cooperative effort was amazing," Brimblecombe said. Membrane Bioreactors are a proven technology in treating municipal wastewater and as Utility Partners personnel continue to monitor the operations of the Cabot plant, they are considering replacing the membranes at other MBR facilities that they operate with the Layne POREFLON membranes.
