Case Study for Customer Location NM73:
Reservoir or Lake Use:
Storage pond for industrial effluent from cheese production facility. Water then used to irrigate about 70 acres of agricultural land.
System Overview and Reservoir:
Plastic-lined effluent storage pond: 6.7 acres surface area, 11 ft maximum depth, volume is 23 MG, loading is 30 lbs of BOD/acre/day. Flow rate into pond is about 0.8 MGD with an average detention time of about 29 days. Water is discharged to land application for irrigation
when needed. Pond had four (4) 10 hp brush aerators that ran 24 hours per day, 7-8 months per year.
Reported Problem Before SolarBee Installation:
Pond experienced periodic odors, high energy demands and maintenance costs for aeration, so primary objectives were to provide reliable odor control and to reduce energy costs. Furthermore, aerators would damage the pond liner when major failures occurred.
SolarBee Installation:
Date: June 2003. One (1) SB10000 was installed with a 24-hour electric kit. Intake hose set at 1.5 ft above pond bottom.
Results:
SolarBee circulation has significantly improved the pond’s water quality while creating reliable odor control. Because of this result, customer has not needed or used the brush aerators since the SolarBee installation. In fact, the four brush aerators were removed from the system. Energy costs were eliminated and maintenance costs greatly reduced. Projected payback is about 2.4 years based on energy savings alone, and 1.5 years when the additional cost to refurbish existing brush aerators is included. Customer commented that the “SolarBee is humming right along” and is very pleased with the energy savings and the lack of odors. Customer has also installed SolarBees at their plants in other states, with similar results and high satisfaction.
One SolarBee 10000 with food processing plant in the background.
Updated: 04/20/2007
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