Discipline: Headworks Screening, Parkson Aqua Guard
Piney Orchard WWTP, Odenton, MD
Rebuild of a Parkson Aqua Guard MN Headworks screen.
The Client
Anne Arundel County Maryland Department of Public Works
The Problem
Significant ragging within the plant from damaged headworks screen
Technology Solution
Anne Arundel County took over the Piney Orchard WWTP in 2019 from a private owner. Equipment maintenance had been lacking for many years under the previous owner which resulted in significant impacts to plant operations. One such area was the headworks screen where missing elements and improperly configured side seals were allowing rags and trash to pass through the screen. Trash within the plant had gotten so bad that it was making it all the way to the tertiary filters and RAS pumps had to be cleaned daily.
Upon assuming ownership and operations of the plant, Anne Arundel County DPW made rebuilding the Aqua Guard a priority. Parkson technicians arrived in early 2020 and accomplished a complete rebuild including a whole new element belt, side seals, side plates, bearings, bushings, guide rails and rotating brush. The work was completed in several days and the screen, a 2 ft wide by 13 ft deep screen, was craned back into the headworks channel and restarted. Now returned to it’s original operating condition, the screen immediately began its job of removing trash, rags and other debris. A washer compactor was also partially rebuilt which returns biological matter to the influent channel.
By June, plant operators were reporting a noticeable decline in the amount of rags within the plant. It will take some time to clear all of the rags but the newly rebuilt Parkson Aqua Guard MN is meeting the challenge.
