CWT - Model GEM - Gas Energy Mixing System and DAF Retrofits
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The Gas Energy Mixing (GEM) System
CWT's innovative flocculation and floatation unit is a unique approach and replacement to traditional DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) treatment. The Gas Energy Mixing (GEM) System can generate better results, handle a much greater contaminant loading, adapt to flow changes and produce much drier solids with a much smaller footprint and using less chemicals than typical DAF systems.
CWT's GEM System offers the wastewater industry new technology over traditional DAF Systems, using a smaller footprint, less chemicals and providing drier sludge.
Floatation Advancements
The GEM System obsoletes DAF units in terms of floatation efficiency and operation. Where a DAF unit typically operates under the “collision method” theory for flotation, the GEM System is designed to entrain air into the floc and sludge structure, known as the “floc seeding method”.
In the GEM System, the floc seeding method is accomplished with the following steps:
- 100% of the waste stream is sent to the GEM System.
- The waste stream is exposed to high pressure (100-120 psi).
- Air is dissolved into the waste stream using LSGM technology.
- Flocculation chemicals are injected into the waste stream using LSGM technology.
- The floc is formed in the now air-enriched wastewater.
- Dissolved air is now entrapped inside the floc structure.
- Water pressure is lowered to ambient.
- Dissolved air in floc structure comes out of solution.
- Air inside floc expands, pushing out water.
- Flocs now float by themselves, as they are now “hollow”.
- Clean water and buoyant flocs are delivered to floatation tank.
The above process is a completely different process that has been researched and developed over several years by CWT. CWT has developed a floatation process that is completely different and unique from processes that are currently used by traditional technology.
Through these advancements in floatation, and a one-of-a-kind approach to the floatation process, the GEM System is able to achieve the following benefits:
- Superior Aeration
- Flow and Contaminant Loading Freedom
- Smaller Footprint
- Drier Sludge
- Standardized System Design, Cost Effective
- Elimination of Re-circulation Loops and Air Grids
- Elimination of Lamella Plate Packs
- No Sedimentation or Floc Carry-Over
- Responsive, Easier Operation
- Eliminates Plugging Issues
- Versatile Use Amongst Multiple Applications
Chemical Dosing and Mixing Achievements
Along with the GEM System’s engineered process for floatation and flocculation, the GEM System uses the advanced LSGM (Liquid Static Gas Mixer) technology for air entrainment and chemical mixing. CWT has developed and patented its LSGM technology, and is the core concept of how the GEM System operates.
The GEM System comes with a standard of 6 LSGM cartridges, piped together in series. The LSGM consists of a stainless canister, with a cartridge insert. Each cartridge insert has a series of holes, with removable inserts. Each LSGM cartridge can be configured by removing or adding inserts. Removing or adding inserts on the LSGM cartridge allows the configurability of mixing energy for air or water treatment chemicals.
The ability to adjust the mixing energy across each head of the GEM System has the following benefits:
- The ability to use the highest grade and most effective water treatment polymers on the market.
- Adjustable mixing energies across each head, allowing the GEM System to introduce the proper mixing energy to each chemical in the water treatment regime.
- Much higher contaminant removal rates due to the higher chemical utilization and chemical efficiency.
With the ability to configure each LSGM head on the GEM System, the GEM System is able to accommodate any combination of treatment methods or applications.
Superior Aeration
The GEM System does away with re-circulation loops, prevalent in older technologies, which only aerate a fraction of the wastewater stream. Unlike older technology, the GEM System aerates 100% of the raw wastewater stream.
Before the flocculation process occurs, the GEM System pulls 100% of the wastewater stream from the source, and injects air under high pressure, normally around 100-120 psi. Since air is dissolved into 100% of the stream, this allows air to dissolve and attach to all contaminant particles that exist in the wastewater stream.
The GEM System’s aeration process provides numerous benefits, since bubble attachment will occur to the smallest particles in the wastewater stream due to the fact that the bubble attachment process occurs within the entire raw wastewater stream, while the air is dissolved and under pressure. The GEM’s aeration method is superior to a typical re-circulation “loop”, which will only aerate a portion of the total flow, and only dissolves air into a stream which is already treated, and then passes the aerated stream into the low pressure tank in order to try and “collide” with particles or flocs within that tank.
In addition, the GEM System’s process utilizes 100% of the air that is injected, increasing efficiency. All of the air used in the GEM System comes in contact with particles and/or is seeded inside of floc structures. Since the “collision method” is not used in the GEM System, there is no chance that bubbles will collide and then “bounce off” of particles and floc structures.
The GEM System’s unique approach to aeration provides numerous benefits for the flocculation and floatation process, whether you are using chemicals for flocculation or using a non-chemical treatment regime.
Flow and TSS Loading Freedom
With the GEM System, the entire wastewater stream is treated in the LSGM heads before it reaches the floatation tank. By the time the stream is ejected into the tank from the last LSGM head, it is in the form of treated water and buoyant flocs. The flocs float independently and automatically float to the top of the tank. The tank is used only for skimming the flocs off of the surface of the water.
Since the tank is only used for skimming, the size of the tank is only determined by the maximum flow rate of the GEM System itself. If contaminant loading increases, it is not relevant to the sizing of the tank. The GEM System eliminates retention time considerations in reference to contaminant loading, as no aeration “contact time” is needed. This allows the GEM System to adapt to a wide variety of flows and high contaminant loadings.
Each GEM System model has a minimum and maximum flow range that it can be calibrated to operate at. If the plant ever wishes to increase or decrease the flow rate of the GEM System, it can be done without any additional capital expenditure, within minutes. If wastewater contaminant loadings ever increase, the GEM System will not need to change its configuration or tank dimensions.
All of our customers who have replaced or retrofitted DAF systems with the GEM System have increased flow handling capacity and increased contaminant loading capacity while doing so in a much smaller space.
Smaller Footprint
With the GEM System, the entire wastewater stream is treated in the LSGM heads before it reaches the floatation tank. By the time the stream is ejected into the tank from the last LSGM head, it is in the form of treated water and buoyant flocs. The flocs float independently and automatically float to the top of the tank. The tank is used only for skimming the flocs off of the surface of the water.
Since the tank is only used for skimming, the size of the tank is only determined by the maximum flow rate of the GEM System itself. If contaminant loading increases, it is not relevant to the sizing of the tank. The GEM System eliminates retention time considerations in reference to contaminant loading, as no aeration “contact time” is needed. This allows the GEM System to adapt to a wide variety of flows and high contaminant loadings.
Since the floatation tank is only used for skimming the flocs off of the surface, and is not based on the contaminant loading level, the GEM System is able to utilize the smallest tank volume possible for the given flow rate.
All of our customers who have replaced DAF systems with the GEM System have increased flow handling capacity and increased contaminant loading capacity while doing so in a much smaller space.
Drier Sludge with the "Floc Seeding" Method
Since the GEM System dissolves air under pressure before the floc is formed, dissolved air is inherently part of the floc structure once it is formed.
While the floc is being formed in the LSGM heads, the water is kept under pressure, which keeps the air in a dissolved state. Air can only be entrained inside a floc structure while sufficient pressure exists and the air remains in a dissolved state. After the dissolved air becomes part of the floc structure (once the air pressure drops), the air within the floc structure comes out of solution. When this happens, the air bubbles expand and push out water from the floc, creating much drier sludge.
This Floc Seeding process creates “hollow” flocs, which are very buoyant and float independently. The Floc Seeding process produces much drier sludge than a “Collision Method” process that a typical DAF System uses, which only attach large air bubbles to the outside of a floc structure in a floatation tank. A Collision Method process will leave water trapped inside a floc structure, making the sludge heavier with water. In addition to less dry sludge, a DAF system will produce sludge that will lose the attachment of its air bubbles over time, which causes sludge to eventually sink as well as floc carry-over/sedimentation.
Sludge samples in our showroom taken from the GEM System are still floating, with most of the samples being several years old.
Another additional benefit of the GEM System’s sludge is its effective decant-ability. Since air is trapped inside the sludge, it will stay afloat indefinitely. This eliminates sludge settling to the bottom of a sludge storage tank, and allows operators to decant off free water. Decanting off free water further reduces hauling costs.
If the GEM System’s sludge is treated through the use of equipment such as centrifuges or belt filter presses, much less energy is required to treat the sludge to a certain point.
Since the GEM System produces much drier sludge, far less sludge is produced per gallon of water treated. This significantly reduces hauling costs for whichever wastewater operation the GEM System is implemented.
Standardized System Design
With the GEM System, the entire wastewater stream is treated in the LSGM heads before it reaches the floatation tank. By the time the stream is ejected into the tank from the last LSGM head, it is in the form of treated water and buoyant flocs. The flocs float independently and automatically float to the top of the tank. The tank is used only for skimming the flocs off of the surface of the water.
Since the tank is only used for skimming, the size of the tank is only determined by the maximum flow rate of the GEM System itself.
Since the size of the floatation tank will not change depending on contaminant loading levels, CWT was able to design standardized models with various flow rates, which will work for a vast array of industrial wastewater applications.
The standardized design of the GEM System allows greater reliability and cost effectiveness versus competing technologies. CWT is able to use higher grade materials and quality components at a very competitive price, while providing better technology over traditional DAF systems.
Elimination of Re-Circulation Loops, Air Grids and Lamella Plate Packs
The GEM System does away with re-circulation loops and air grids, and needs only one pump to forward feed the wastewater stream through the series of LSGM heads, creating the “Floc Seeding” process unique to the GEM System.
Since all of the water is treated by the time the wastewater reaches the floatation tank, and air is already entrapped inside the floc for floatation, there is no need for re-circulation loops or air grids to introduce air into the tank.
This eliminates plugging problems which exist in older technologies, where solids, fats, oils and grease will plug the air grids and re-circulation pumps.
In addition to eliminated plugging, the GEM System is more energy efficient, as only one pump is needed to feed the water through the GEM System.
The GEM System also does away with Lamella plate packs, and replaces them with an improved “false bottom” which greatly enhances laminar flow.
More Responsive, Easier Operation
With the GEM System, the entire wastewater stream is treated in the LSGM heads before it reaches the floatation tank. Chemicals are injected directly in-line, into the LSGM heads in which they are immediately mixed into the wastewater stream.
Since the entire flocculation process occurs in the LSGM heads before reaching the tank of the GEM System, an operator can make a change to the chemical dosing rate into the LSGM heads and see the effect in the GEM System within seconds. The operator does not have to wait for chemicals to react within contact chambers, or for the water to flow through a large DAF floatation tank in order to see results of the chemical change.
Also, since all of the flocs float independently, an operator can start and stop the GEM System at any time, for any length of time, without fear of sedimentation occurring.
The design of the GEM System provides easier operation over traditional DAF technology. The results are greater chemical efficiency and cleaner water through more responsive operational checks.
Chemical Dosing and Mixing Achievements
The GEM System is able to utilize all chemicals available for wastewater treatment, which includes the latest polymers of flocculants available on the market. High grade flocculants consist of polymers with very long molecular chains. Although these chains are long and require a decent amount of mixing energy to fully utilize, they are very delicate as well and over mixing will break the chains which will reduce overall chemical efficiency. Using the GEM System’s adjustable LSGM heads to control the mixing energy, the GEM System is able to deliver the force required to un-coil the long molecular chains, while providing enough control to prevent too much energy being applied.
Adjustable Mixing Energies Across Each Head
Each GEM System comes with 6 LSGM heads plumbed in series, and allows six different points of injection and mixing. Each head can be adjusted to allow a specific mixing energy to ensure that the waste stream, application and physical chemical requirements can be met, as different elements such as chemicals (flocculants, pH, etc.) and air require a wide variety of different mixing energies in order to be most effective at treating the wastewater stream.
The GEM System allows a multitude of chemical combinations since six different points of chemical injection are provided with each of the LSGM heads. In addition, each LSGM head can be configured to a specific mixing energy for the chemical being injected. The result is complete freedom in that one GEM System can satisfy all possible chemical combinations and wastewater treatment requirements.
Any adjustments that are needed to the LSGM heads can be performed within minutes. Once the adjustments are made, they will never need to be re-configured unless the stream changes drastically or there is a change in the chemical regime.
Since the mixing energies can be finely tuned, greater chemical efficiencies are obtained since just the right amount of energy can be used for each chemical being injected. This also results in less chemical being used.
Higher Contaminant Removal Rates
Due to greater chemical efficiencies through the use of the LSGM heads in the GEM System, and the ability to fully un-coil molecular chains of flocculants, contaminant removal within the GEM System is much higher than DAF systems.
Other GEM System Benefits
Floatation Advancements:
- GEM System Overview
- Superior Aeration
- Flow and TSS Loading Freedom
- Smaller Footprint
- Drier Sludge
- Standardized System Design
- Elimination of Re-circulation Loops
- Easier Operation
- Chemical Mixing Efficiencies
Chemical Dosing and Mixing Achievements:
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