Peristaltic pump passes dosing rig trial

A520 DuN/REM high pressure peristaltic pump from Watson-Marlow Pumps Group has met the immediate needs of three chemical dosing schemes implemented at various Severn Trent Water facilities. Deployed as part of a temporary dosing rig constructed by engineering group, Costain, the pump's success is helping to pave the way for future consideration of peristaltic technology. Severn Trent's historical preference had been to use conventional metering pumps.

Configured by Costain as part of a portable, temporary dosing rig, the peristaltic-based system has proved successful on three Severn Trent Water schemes. According to Paul Pearson, process commissioning engineer at Costain Pearson, there are at least six more such applications planned for the next 12 months, all of which will use peristaltic technology from Watson-Marlow, although some are larger schemes which might demand a higher flow rate specification than the 520 DuN/ REM model (108L/h at 4.1 bar).

So far, the pump has been used for ferrous chloride and ferric sulphate dosing. These coagulants bind with phosphates in wastewater so they can be removed as sludge.