An Evaluation of Pumping Equipment for FOG and High Strength Waste

The Gwinnett County (Georgia) Department of Water Resources (GCDWR) operates a Fats, Oils, and Grease/High-Strength Waste (FOG/HSW) Receiving and Storage Facility at the F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center (FWHWRC). The FOG/HSW is fed to anaerobic digesters to enhance biogas production and reduce the need for natural gas. The FOG/HSW station currently uses peristaltic hose pumps for FOG/HSW mixing and feed to the digesters. Overall the system has worked as intended; however, maintenance issues with the existing hose pumps has been significant because of frequent hose and seal failures. GCDWR recently developed and completed a project to conduct pilot pump tests and evaluations for the existing pumps. The scoring criteria for the test pumps developed ten different evaluation factors, each with weighting multipliers to reflect priority. Using the results of the evaluation, GCDWR selected the preferred manufacturers and features, and developed equipment specifications for bidding new rotary lobe pumps.