Demonstration of a Direct Drive High-Speed Turbo Blower

The Winnipesaukee River Basin Program is a state-owned and operated wastewater system serving 10 communities in the central New Hampshire Lakes Region. The regional secondary treatment facility, located in Franklin, was placed into operation in 1979 and is in need of its first plant-wide upgrade. The existing positive displacement blowers for air supply to the activated sludge system are aging, unreliable, and energy inefficient. A priority item for the upgrade is replacement of the existing aeration blowers with new, reliable, highly efficient units. Alternatives for the blower improvements focused on new technology, highly efficient direct drive turbo blowers. Although manufacturer claims were impressive, the units had limited operating experience in the U.S. To validate manufacturer claims, arrangements were made to have a demonstration high-speed, air-foil turbo blower tested at the Franklin plant. This paper presents the results of the demonstration program. Manufacturer claims were validated, and results included a more than 30-percent reduction in aeration power usage, low noise, low maintenance requirements, easy installation, and trouble free operation.