Case Studies

August 25, 2021
pressure-washing-demucking.png

“I also want to let you know how impressed I was with all of the JDI equipment. Every piece of equipment you provided was exceptionally well constructed. I am thoroughly impressed with everything!”

“Everything I have seen and heard so far indicates that they are very happy with the demuckers. They are even creeping into the building and washing trucks every chance they get as ‘trial runs’, even before the contractor has officially turned the project over to them.”  – Brian S.                                                                                                        

Issues: A very large mining operation was rehabbing its existing wash pad and adding a new one. As with most mining operations, most of their vehicles are very large and, therefore, can carry a large amount of solids into the wash bay. These solids get caked into every surface of the vehicles.

The engineers designing their new building contacted us to assist with washing and treatment equipment and maximize their wash bay design.

Solution:  We worked closely with their engineers to first design a very efficient solids handling and settling system consisting of trenches, sumps and a settling basin.

Once we completed the design, we recommended a number of washing systems to augment their pressure washing systems.  Due to the fact that they had a variety of vehicles and equipment, they decided on dual 20 GPM @ 1000 psi demucking systems, an undercarriage wash and monitor system for washing. One demucking will be used also be used to supply the undercarriage wash system.

For their application, we also developed a very effective cleaning system which included multiple compact water monitors placed strategically in the wash bay. Each monitor system will supply 100 gpm @ 100 psi. For easy movement, the wash monitors are attached to custom steel trollies that are mounted on steel rails inside the wash bay.  It can be easily customized with a wide range of nozzles selections.

Since they would be washing in different wash areas, we then coordinated with the electrical engineers to integrate all of the remote controls so the systems could be easily controlled by a small crew.

After washing, the water is treated so that it can be re-used by a complete self-contained system, capable of processing 100 gpm.  It is a Closed Loop Carbon Treatment System so there is zero fluid discharge to the facilities’ surroundings.  The system includes a clarifier oil water separator to remove oils, ozone to remove odors and multi-level filtration to remove of particles greater than 10 microns in size, substantially all emulsified oils, waxes and other volatile organic compounds.

All of the systems were easily upgraded to meet mine safety standards.


January 21, 2021
sweeper-truck.jpeg

Problem: A facilities manager with a national maintenance company called looking for a corporate solution for their wash pads. They were expanding into several new markets and wanted to standardize their washing and water treatment systems.

Complications included the fact that most of their vehicles are sweeper trucks which generate a lot of solids. A typical wash yields 1/3 yard of solids. With each facility washing 10+ units per day, the amount of solids generated per month was substantial. Also, each facility has a slightly different layout. The good news was that most of them were connected to the municipal sewer.

Solution:  Since their solids handling issues needed to be addressed in addition to their washing and water treatment issues, we offered our engineering services to help them design a custom solution that they could standardize as much as possible for their wash bays and solids settling basins.

Once we completed the design, we recommended a number of washing and treatment options based on their desired washing processes.  Due to the fact that they had a variety of vehicles and equipment, they decided on both a demucking system and pressure washing system for washing. The demucking system was paired with a partial water reclaim system to recycle the water multiple times before the water was sent through our SPT-20 Clarifier Oil Water Separator System to process it for acceptable discharge to the sewer.

Finally, all of the equipment was installed in a TER-20 Transportable Equipment Room. This will save installation costs as well as allow the customer to move the equipment to a different location in the future. It also saves space inside of the customer’s building for other critical activities.

 


October 16, 2019
indoor-wash-bay-1280x550.png

Issue: An equipment rental company was expanding and they moved into a new facility
without a wash pad. There was plenty of indoor space but no outdoor space to put in a
new wash pad. The property owner did not want them to cut concrete or substantially
alter the property but our client still needed be able to wash their equipment onsite,
contain the water and discharge it properly to the sewer.

Solution: For a complete wash system, we recommended installing a SPT-10 Clarifier
Oil Water Separator System
, an industrial-grade electric heated water pressure washer
with two portable hose reels, and a portable wash containment pad.
The portable wash pad allows them to wash as much as possible without any major
modifications to the property. They will also be able to move the entire system to a new
facility, if needed. The wash pad was equipped with pedestrian grating along both sides
so that the service personnel can work safely on a dry surface!


June 4, 2019
locomotive-640x427.jpg

Problem: An engineer consulting with a railroad called with an application at a locomotive repair facility. Over time, lube oil and diesel fuel leaked from the locomotives into an inspection pit. Periodically, the oil along with sand and dirt collected in the pit was discharged into a retention pond. The oil was then skimmed from the surface of the pond and the water discharged to the sewer.

The roe skimmer wasn’t quite doing a good job so he asked us for suggestions on how to better treat the water before discharging to the sewer.

Solution: We recommended installing a SPT-20 Clarifier Oil Water Separator System with our standard air-driven pump and control system to treat the water. The clarifier section of the SPT-20 would remove all of the settleable solids while the coalescing media would remove all of the oil from the waste stream.

The SPT-20 did an excellent job of cleaning up the water during the week. The only issue reported was that their sump overflowed with water every weekend so their staff was met with too much water on the pad every Monday morning.

Our maintenance manager trouble-shot the entire system with their staff through Facetime, phone calls, and emails. A local electrician also tried to find the source of the problem since there were other issues at the facility. They tried multiple modifications but the problem persisted.

Finally, we engineered and assembled a hybrid control system just for their particular location and sent it out to them. The control system worked and the system is now fully operational and the client is very pleased.


May 21, 2019
vfd-controlled-pumping-system.png

Issue:  A consulting engineering firm contacted us regarding a wash system for their client that ran numerous grocery distribution centers and warehouses on the West Coast.  The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) rule on Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food required their client to wash the interior of every truck entering their facility in order to keep foods safe from contamination during transportation.

They asked if we could help them design a hot water washing system that could handle multiple users at the same time since most of these distribution centers are very large and busy.  At any point in time, multiple trucks are being unloaded and loaded as fast as possible.

Solution: In response to their request, we worked with the consulting engineers and designed a very effective sanitary washing package that would ensure compliance with the new rule by combining a high-pressure VFD-controlled pumping system with a high efficiency heating system.

For this application requiring 10 stations producing 4 GPM each simultaneously, we provided two 20 gpm @ 1700 psi  pressure washing systems with VFDs and high efficiency heaters. 

The VFD system offered substantial operational flexibility since the system will only utilize the power (speed of motor and pump) to match the output demands. We designed each 20 gpm system to service up to 5 users at 4 gpm each. If there is only one user on the system, however, the pump will provide only 5 gpm, and the motor/pump will only turn at 1/5” speed to meet that demand.  The high efficiency heaters were integrated with the pumping systems to provide the correct temperature water to comply with the FSMA rule.

In addition to the pumping and heating systems, we also provided hoses, guns, reels and holders so their client had a complete sanitary washing package.  The client liked the system so much, they ordered three more systems for other facilities!

http://www.washbaysolutions.com/vfd-controlled-multi-gun-high-pressure-cleaning-systems.php

Give us a call at 800-453-8639 for more information!


April 9, 2019
portable-wash-pad-car-dealership-1.jpeg

Problem: A car dealer moving into a new facility with a limited time lease. The property owner did not want them to cut concrete or substantially alter the property but the dealer needed to be able to wash dozens of cars per week onsite, contain the water and discharge it properly to the sewer.

Solution:  For a complete wash system, we recommended installing a SPT-10 Clarifier Oil Water Separator System, a cold water pressure washer with a portable hose reel, and a portable wash containment pad. This allows them to wash as many cars as possible without any major modifications to the property.  They will also be able to move the entire system to a new facility at the end of their lease. With their input, we helped them layout the system to maximize their space.

After installation of the pad, however, they noticed the concrete floor slope much slighter than originally thought and that the wash water was not moving off the pad well.  This flat slope left his staff working in standing water and the SPT-10 not being able to process the wash water properly.

To improve this drainage issue, our staff developed a low cost under layer for the wash pad which created a slight slope for the water.  We then installed this under layer and re-piped the in-take piping for the SPT-10 so the wash water flows freely.  The general manager of the facility is very pleased with our systems and service.


November 2, 2018
oil-water-separator-ter-300x140-1.jpeg

oil water separator

Problem: A metals dealer and recycling company had a small wash outside area with a 900 gallon in-ground concrete sump adjacent to it. The sump captured both the wash water and storm water coming off the pad. Contaminants included compressor oil, motor oil, transmission fluid and gasoline.

The company called and asked us for suggestions on how to treat the water before discharging to the sewer. The nearest building to the sump was several hundred feet away and they had very limited area inside it to install an oil water separator.

transportable equipment room

Solution: This was a perfect application for our transportable equipment rooms. To treat the water, we installed an oil water separator with an electric diaphragm pump in a 20′ long container, our TER-20. Since the client was located in a northern climate, we added insulation and a heating system to the TER-20 to guard against freezing issues.

We placed the TER-20 on a pad adjacent to the in-ground sump and it took less than a day to hook up all of the electrical and plumbing lines to make the system operational.

Using the TER-20 saved the client building costs and provided additional storage space. It also allows them the flexibility to move the entire oil water separator system to a different facility when needed.


September 5, 2018
new-locomotive-wash-pump-1.jpg

New Locomotive Wash Bay Pump

A national railroad freight company called and requested a complete overhaul of their 40-year old locomotive wash. This 1970’s era locomotive wash system consisted of three different wash arches – a wetting arch to wet the locomotive, a second arch for soap application and washing, and a third arch with an acid wash for surface brightening.

The wash system was overhauled with to improve the following metrics:

  • Improve the wetting stage process by increasing both water volume and pressure as well as the nozzle design to apply the wetting water on the locomotive; and
  • Improve the soap application process by redesigning the nozzles’ flow patterns and volumes, increasing total flow to the nozzles, and finally adding additional pressure the process.

We started the overhaul process by removing the old soap and rinse pumps as well as the associated wiring and conduit. All of the existing control panels and associated conduit and wiring were also removed. Some equipment was retired in place to reduce demolition, re-piping and re-wiring costs. We then installed the following new equipment:

Locomotive wash bay control panel
Locomotive wash bay stainless steel control panel

Control Panel – A new stainless steel control panel was mounted, which replaced the existing four electrical panels. New conduit and heavier wire was also installed to bring it up to existing codes. The dual electric eyes were re-wired back into the new panel. New liquid level floats were installed in the storage tanks to provide both fluid level control, as well, as provide new a pump shut down safety, in the event of a low water condition in the water storage tanks.

Wetting Pump – A new 15 hp, cast iron pump was installed to supply water to the wetting arch. New, larger PVC piping as well as new heavier electrical wire was installed through new conduit to supply the proper amperage for the new higher horsepower pump.

Soap Pump – A new 15 HP stainless steel pump was installed for the new wash soap arch. New heavier wire was pulled through new conduit to supply the proper amperage needed for the new pump. The new pump was plumbed into the existing PVC piping in the pump house.

Wash Tunnel Nozzles – The existing nozzles could no longer be utilized due to flow and pressure differences from the new pumps. The existing nozzles were removed and replaced with a set of brass nozzles. A total of 42 new nozzles were installed in all three arches.

Rinse System Pump – The existing 100 hp motor and pump were removed and a new 25 hp motor and pump was set in place, aligned, and bolted to the exiting pump base.

Rinse System Control System – A new PLC-based control system housed in a stainless steel panel was installed and integrated with the existing control wires. New wiring was installed from the original motor controller system to the new control panel.

Rinse System Nozzles – The original nozzles, which were sized for the flow from the one hundred horsepower pump, were removed and new brass nozzles were installed.

The entire overhaul took less than a week to install and brought the whole wash system into the 21st century! The client has been very happy with its performance.


February 5, 2018
oil-water-separator-solution-300x261.jpg

Oil Water Separator Forklift Solution
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

Oil Water Separator Solution

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.


North Carolina

Headquarters

At WashBaySolutions.com, we have been specializing in high tech, custom-engineered solutions to complex washing and wastewater issues since 1991.
+ 1 800-453-8639

WashbaySolutions.com

sales@washbaysolutions.com

GET IN TOUCH

Follow Our Activity

Get the latest news, product updates and case studies all happening here: