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Vertical filter press helps reduce hazardous waste by two-thirds

SHELTON EVANS OperationsGeneral Foreman Pacifw Gas C Electric DEIRDRE WATSON Editorial Associate

roblem: Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) operates 19 geothermal units at the geysers in Northern California. The

addition of hydrogen sulfide abatement chemicals to condensed geothermal steam results in the accumulation of fine elemental sulfur particles in the cooling tower basins. Smaller amounts of sludge accumulate in sedimentationponds and in-line clarifiers. Up to 570 tons of sludge, containing 1 to 20% solids by weight, are removed during a typical overhaul. Sometimes mercury and arsenic concentrations in the sludge exceed limits defined by the State of California, thereby classifying it as potentially hazardous.

Larox PF Filter Dperation Principle

Step 1. Filtration

Solution: To reduce plant operating costs and increase efficiency, FG&E chose to build their own solids-removal facility utilizing state-of-the-art pressure filtration equipment. Filtration technology
was chosen by examining past operating experiences and having vendors perform bench-scale and pilot tests. Filter selection w a s determined by production of a very dry sulfurcake to reduce wastedisposal costs, the capability of processing 1.2 million gal of sludge per year and maximized automation to reduce operator labor. PG&E chose a vertical chamber filter featuring stacked plates containing a total of 169.5 sq ft of filtration area and a programmable logic controller (PLC) that automatically directs the sequence of operation over each filtration cycle. Operators can adjust processing times for optimum performance. Each filter cycle is initiated by energizing the closing mechanism, forming sealed chambers where the sludge is pumped via a vertical header and individual chamber hoses. Filtrate drains through cloth belts into a pipe header. Once the desired cake thickness of % to %" is achieved, recessed rubber diaphrasms in each chamber are inflated with water to pressures of up to 235 psig, providing additional dewatering. Next, air at 110 psig is blown through voids in the cake to remove remaining moisture. Finally, the chambers open and drive motors advance the belts, discharging the cake. The cake drops through a chute into a bin. As the cloth belt advances, it is automatically spray-washed and scraped clean. Cycle times typically range from 9 to 15 min. An air-cooled, 215 SCFM rotary screw compressor provides air for the cake air blow. The instantaneous filter press air demand is high because the air blow only occurs for a few minutes per cycle. Ample (1600-gal) receiver volume is provided to optimize the compressor duty cycle.

Step 2. Squeeze

Step 3. Washing (optional)

Step 4. Squeeze (optional)

4
Step 5. Air Blow

Step 6. Cake Discharge

Filtrate from the filter press is processed in an upright cylindrical separator. Clean water is discharged to a water storage tank, where it is either pumped back to a cooling tower overflow basin for reinjection into the steam field or returned to the system for filter press wash cycles and pump seal flushing.

Results: The facility has met or exceeded design cake dryness and production rates. During normal operation, the solids-removal tenter runs for eight hours a day, five days a week (sludge processing takes about six hours per day). Approximately two 20-cu-yd bins are filed per day.

This vertical chamberfilter press helps meet or exceed PG&Es cake dryness
and production rates.

The operators primary responsibilities are s m h g up and shutting down the equipment, opening valves to tanks, maneuvering bins, monitoring tank levels and alarms, maintaining production logs and flushing pipelines. The filter press and much of the auxiliary equipment function automatically. The solids-removal center will save PG&E an estimated $700,00O/year in reduced operating and hazardous-waste disposal costs. Use of the vertical chamber filter press has increased sulfur cake dryness from 50-58% to 68-72% solids by weight. Efficient liquid removal results in a much harder, drier cake, which allows a larger quantity of concentrated hazardous solids to be packed into fewer bins. Consequently, the volume of waste shipped from the geysers to hazardous waste landfills has Li been reduced by about two-thirds.
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