SPT Clarifier Oil Water Separator used for the Forklift Application Solution
Issue: A major forklift manufacturer had an old oil water separator which had failed. The source of the water was a combination of coolants, wash waters, mop waters, as well as a pressure washer water. Over a four-quarter period, the company’s routine certified quarterly wastewater testing results showed fat, oils, and grease levels of 350 to 1270 mg/l discharging to the sewer, which was well in excess of the local limit of 100 mg/l.
Solution: The following year, the company purchased a Wash Bay Solutions SPT-10 to replace the existing separator. Over the next four quarters, the FOG in the wastewater averaged 14.75 mg/l. The actual test results were: 21, 27, 0, and 11mg/l.
Industrial Manufacturing Plant Fat and Grease (mg/I) vs. Time Oil Water Separator replaced with Wash Bay Solutions SPT System
Due to the unique design of the SPT unit, it has more opportunity to separate oil and grease than the typical oil water separator. While the SPT is not designed to break an emulsion, due it’s multiple compartments, it can trap and hold back some emulsions. Since it introduction, the SPT has been shipped to many different countries throughout the world. Additionally, many Fortune 500 companies have standardized the unit in their facilities, plants, and processes.
The aircraft washing process is often a combination of foaming, washing and rinsing with either hot or cold water.
Since one of the company’s owners has been a pilot and flying enthusiast for the past 40 years, we also have extensive experience with aircraft maintenance and cleaning applications. In addition to supplying washing systems to military bases all over the world, we have also provided systems to many aircraft maintenance companies stateside.
Manual Wash – The aircraft washing process is often a combination of foaming, washing and rinsing with either hot or cold water. Depending on the aircraft type and location, we can design a system based specifically on your application.
For the initial foaming, we offer a state-of-the art portable foamer with a chemical concentrate tank which can easily be moved to the desired location near the aircraft. The operator can select either hot or cold water from the remote switch at the reel. An injection system in the foamer blends the chemical concentrate from the tank into the water stream to create an accurately diluted solution. Compressed air is then injected into the solution to create a thick, clinging foam which is then projected through the discharge hose and foam nozzle on to large surfaces at distances up to 40-45 feet.
For washing and rinsing the aircraft, the operator can use pressure washer hose reel and gun assemblies normally located on both sides of the aircraft and select either hot or cold water. These pressure washing units typically provide approximately 8-10 gpm of water at 175-200 psi from each reel. They can be used separately or at the same time, and use either hot or cold water independently of the other. The flow rate and pressure can also be varied, based on your application.
The hose reel systems normally include remote control capabilities, and the system can be programmed to permit only foaming, washing or rinsing to occur at any one time so the maximum flow rate matches the water treatment system’s capacity.
Automated Wash – We also have engineered turn-key automated aircraft wash systems designed to efficiently wash a wide range of aircraft. The systems can be programmed with a number of potential aircraft wash profiles which can be selected by the pilot or ground personnel using either a PLC with PanelView screen or remote control. As the aircraft approaches the wash area, an infrared sensor system automatically starts the selected wash program.
The wash system typically consists of a low pressure undercarriage wash, a fully-automated side wash system for the fuselage and wings, automated actuator valves for flow direction and control, a heavy-duty supply pump system, and water storage tanks. All components are either stainless steel or non-ferrous for corrosion resistance. The systems can be configured to wash with either recycled water or fresh water, and often incorporate rainwater control capability as well.
Water Treatment – Wash Bay Solutions designs closed-loop reclaim systems to capture, treat, store, and deliver clean recycled water to the pressure washers. If sewer connections are available, sewer discharge systems treat the processed water before it is discharged to the sewer.
Total systems can incorporate ozone disinfection systems, fully automated valves for filter backwashing, PLC control of all filter functions, and all non-ferrous components and hardware.
The recycling system can include a fresh water bypass manifold system that enables an operator to manually switch the entire system over to fresh water if necessary or desired. The recycling system will also automatically replenish itself to maintain a minimum volume of water to make up for any losses to the system from evaporation or carry-off.
Consulting – We are also available to do consulting work with aircraft washing facilities to improve their washing, painting and wastewater processing procedures.
Problem: A technical university had a marine engine testing facility with multiple test tanks in interior and exterior rooms. The discharge from the engines was causing the water to get dirty so that the university was spending between $15-20,000 per quarter hauling water!
The interior rooms had sets of test tanks that could be manifolded together to be treated as one. The outside rooms did not lend themselves easily to manifolding the tanks together. They called us to develop a solution that would allow them to either treat and discharge the water to the sewer or recycle the water with no discharge.
Single Water Recycling System
Solution: After analyzing available options, we engineered and installed a single water recycling system adjacent to the building that was capable of receiving the water from all of the tanks at different times, removing the oils from the water, disinfecting the water, and returning the water to the respective tank system.
The tank manifold systems in the interior rooms are individually piped to the recycling system with a supply and return line. These attach to a dedicated automated valve system that is programmed to periodically select a specific tank system, draw out the water through the system and return it after treatment to that tank system. The PLC insures this sequence occur on a pre-determined schedule.
Piping drops were installed in the outside rooms so that a technician can manually place an oil skimmer assembly with an integrated suction/discharge hose assembly into any tank and send that water through the recycling system. A remote control panel allows the technician to start/stop the recycling system and to select a time period for the recycling to occur. Processed water passing through the recycle system is free of particles greater than 10 microns in size, substantially all emulsified oils, waxes and other volatile organic compounds.
The engineers at the university tell us that they are saving money and the system constantly “exceeds expectations”!
The new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food is now final under the FNA Docket Number: FDA-2013-N-0013.
The goal of this rule is to protect foods by keeping them safe from contamination during transportation.
The rule establishes requirements for shippers, loaders, carriers by motor or rail vehicle, and receivers in the United States involved in transporting human and animal food to use sanitary practices to ensure the safety of that food.
It also applies to shippers in other countries who ship food to the United States directly by motor, rail, ship or air, and arrange for the transfer of the intact container onto a motor or rail vehicle for transportation within the U.S., if that food will be consumed or distributed in the United States.
At Wash Bay Solutions, we have designed a pumping package for grocery and food shippers and distribution centers to comply with the new FSMA. We combined a high-pressure VFD-controlled pumping system with a high efficiency heating system to produce a sanitary washing package that will ensure compliance with the new rule.
The VFD system offers substantial operational flexibility since the system will only utilize the power (speed of motor and pump) to match the output demands. For example: A 20 gpm system, set up for 5 users at 4 gpm each. If there is only one user on the system outputting 5 gpm, the motor/pump will only turn at 1/5” speed to meet that demand.
Sanitary Washing Packages
Our sanitary washing packages come complete with hose, guns and reels and can be custom-engineered to meet your requirements for flow rates, pressures and water temperatures. To learn more about our high pressure clean system products, please click here:
Back in the day… oil water separators were basically concrete vaults or steel tanks that were sized based on their total holding capacity. This holding capacity was related to the retention time needed to separate the oil from the water. Most cities and counties would size the oil water separators based solely on the square footage of area draining into the separator. This method, which rightfully erred on the side of caution, often tended to require facility owners to purchase extremely large separators.
Today… our oil water separators are engineered with multiple compartments and equipped with extremely efficient coalescing media to separate the oil from the water mixture in a much smaller system! Our media is capable of removing essentially all free and dispersed non-emulsified oils to an effluent concentration of less than 5 ppm. We now size our separators based mostly on oil viscosity and flow rate so they can be much smaller than they were in the past.
If needed, we can provide information and analysis to the regulatory agencies, which indicates that, at the calculated overflow rate, the separator will be properly sized and provided with the required square feet of projected plate separation area to achieve the specified performance under laminar flow conditions. Calculations shall take into account the rate of flow, potential surge flow, influent concentrations, particle characteristics, fluid temperature, fluid specific gravities, and PH.
We offer a complete line of high efficiency, stainless steel above ground oil water separators that will remove nearly all free and dispersed non-emulsified oil and settleable solids from the waste stream.
Featuring one of our oil water separator designs to be placed under ground.
Our single wall or double wall below ground parallel corrugated plate oil/water…
Our arch locomotive wash systems are very robust with high efficiency pumping systems, stainless steel control panels, galvanized arch piping, and stainless steel nozzles.
It can be designed with multiple arch systems for wetting, washing, and rinsing. For our three-arch system, the train passes through an initial wetting arch with a dilute soap mixture at a very slow speed. The train then moves through the wash arch, which sprays wash water with soap around the full circumference of the locomotive as it passes. At the exit end, the locomotive passes through the rinse arch, which sprays rinse water around the full circumference of the locomotive.
Nozzles in the arches are sized to provide more intense cleaning on the undercarriage and front while minimizing intense water intrusion on more sensitive areas of the locomotive. Depending on the application, total wetting, wash and rinse duration can run between 2-10 minutes.
Locomotive High Efficiency Pumping System
These locomotive wash systems can be designed for manual or automatic operation. For a manual system, an onsite operator turns on and off the pump stations for the arches as the locomotive passes.
For an automated system, industrial infrared photocell systems are installed at the entry and exit of the wash building or arches to monitor train movement. The automated control system initiates the wetting, wash and rinse processes and automatically cycles the pumps as needed.
Depending on the application, the locomotive wash equipment provided may include:
Skid-mounted high-efficiency pump stations with heavy-duty wash and rinse pumps
Water supply tanks with level switches for pump safety and fill control
Industrial photocell system for start/stop
Traffic light for engineer to view
Master control system to manage pumps, chemical metering pumps, photocells, and lights
360-degree arch systems with frames
Stainless steel manifolds and stainless steel nozzles
Soap metering system to manage soap concentration in wash system
pH control systems to manage pH fluctuations due to acids and cleaners
Locomotive Washing Systems
Additional controllers are available that would enable the wash process to start only for those locomotives that desired to be washed, while permitting other trains to traverse the building without starting the wash cycle.
Problem: An international engineering design firm working with a Port Authority contacted us to help them design an equipment and truck wash. The Port had an old wash pad that was too small and old wash equipment that no longer worked very well. The Port needed a larger pad and updated washing and water treatment equipment to accommodate the washing of their existing fleet.
Solution: Wash Bay Solutions helped the engineering firm develop the design for the wash pad, solids settling system, the wash system and two options for water treatment. For both options, we designed the wash and treatment systems to be installed in a portable transportable equipment room to make it simple and cost effective to install. Requests for Quotations were put out for both options and the electric hot water pressure washing system with the SPT-10 Clarifier oil water separator for sewer discharge turned out to be the most cost effective for this particular location with in the port.
We coordinated with the construction company while they were building the wash pad, settling system and sewer connection line. When they were ready, we shipped up the 20’ transportable equipment room (TER-20) and helped them install it in place and get it up and running within a couple days time!
Problem: An equipment rental company specializing in heavy-duty construction equipment needed to build a wash bay for their haul trucks, dozers and construction vehicles. They had limited inside space in a leased building so they needed a to put all of the equipment inside a portable equipment room that they could pick up and move if needed. Due to their location in a remote area with no sewer connection, they needed a closed loop wash water treatment system.
The company called and asked us to build a heavy-duty, self-contained washing system and help them design the wash pad and solids settling area.
Solution: We had worked with this client for years so we were well aware of the washing and solids handling complications associated with heavy construction equipment. With input from the client, our engineers designed a wash pad design and solids settling system that fit into a rather tight footprint.
What we have been working on…C-130 Aircraft Washing
A major engineering firm contacted us to help them develop a complete wash bay system for C-130 aircraft. To accommodate both the military’s washing specifications and maximize the washing process, we helped design a very effective aircraft washing system with a combination of foaming, washing and rinsing equipment.
When the foaming process is desired, the operator moves a portable foamer to the desired location near the aircraft. After selecting either hot or cold water for the foamer from the remote switch at the reel, the operator can spray thick foam up to a height of approximately 40 feet to reach the highest point on the aircraft.
For washing and rinsing the aircraft, the operator will use either the pressure washer or water cannon on either side of the aircraft and select either hot or cold water. They can be used separately or at the same time, and use either hot or cold water independently of the other.
All of the hose reel systems include remote control capabilities, and the system can be programmed to permit a combination of foaming, washing or rinsing to occur at any one time.
All of the wastewater from the foaming, washing and rinsing operations will be treated by a closed loop wash water reclaim system. The reclaim system will filter and disinfect the water, and store the clean, recycled water so that it is available for use for all washing, rinsing, and foaming applications as desired.
The recycling system includes a fresh water bypass manifold system that enables the operator to manually switch the entire system over to fresh water if necessary or desired. It also automatically replenishes itself to maintain a minimum volume of water to make up for any losses to the system from evaporation or carry-off.
A stainless steel evaporator is included in the system design to serve two functions: elimination of excess water accumulation in the overall system and to periodically dispose of water in the system to allow for fresh water addition to maintain optimum water quality. Both of these functions are programmed to automatically occur, and can be adjusted to meet the preferences of the system operator.
The VR-100TW heavy-duty closed loop recycling system is a self-contained multi-media filtration system, capable of feeding 50-100 gpm to the demucking systems and pressure washers.
This equipment has been re-furbished following less than a year’s use at an industrial washing facility. It is priced to sell or available for lease.
RE-FURBISHED EQUIPMENT – For Sale or Lease
100 GPM Closed Loop Truck Wash Water Reclaim System
100 GPM Truck Wash Water Reclaim System – The VR-100TW heavy-duty recycling and reclaim system is a self-contained closed loop multi-media filtration system, capable of cleaning 50-100 gpm of wash wastewater so that it re-used by the truck wash.
It incorporates an extremely efficient filtration process utilizing fully automated solids filtration and proprietary blended activated carbon polishing filtration. The system is designed to be completely closed-loop with no external discharge to the sewer or surroundings.
Standard Features:
Stainless Steel Construction
High-Efficiency Pumps
Corona Discharge Ozonation System
TSS & FOG Reduction
Multi-Stage / Multi-Pass Filtration
Pressurized Blended Carbon Polishing Filter
Auto-Backwashing Filters
NEMA 4X Control Panel with PLC controller
(2) 850 gallon poly water management UV protected tanks with float switches
All pumping and control equipment installed on heavy-duty skid, to minimize installation time
Optional Features Available:
SCADA and remote monitoring
Transportable equipment rooms
Rain Diverter Systems
Rain Water Harvesting Systems
ORP / pH control systems
At Wash Bay Solutions, our emphasis is on quality. These systems are exceptionally well-engineered and designed for heavy-duty commercial and industrial operations. Simple to operate and maintain, they will run for years in the harshest environments.
