Creating valuable assets from residues
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SPANGLER – the Plus of Conservation of resources
Politics and economics are both preoccupied with the recovery of energy and phosphorus or the reduction of sewage sludge. As a long-term supplier of SCADA and control systems in sewage treatment plants Spangler GmbH is repeatedly confronted with the question how the efficiency can be increased and how the resources can be better used with a differentiated automation. This was also the case when the company Pondus Verfahrenstechnik GmbH commissioned Spangler Automation to install a completely new disintegration plant at the sewage treatment plant Göppingen.
Energy-efficient thermal-chemical disintegration
With the thermal-chemical disintegration the sewage sludge is heated and with the addition of base degraded to organic compounds. While the recovery of energy and gas is considerably increased, the organic residues in the digested sewage and the dewatering is improved. Consequently, the dry substances in the dewatered sludge is increased and the amount of sewage sludge which is to be disposed is decreased.
Pondus Verfahrenstechnik GmbH makes use of the thermal-chemical disintegration in its plant, however, puts its focus on multiple usage of the heat applied. The plant is constructed in a way that for example heating and cooling water can be used as heat carrier from a cogeneration unit. The remaining heat in the sludge after heating is reused in the subsequent processing steps, as for example digestion. Therefore, besides the above-mentioned advantage of cell disruption, the operators of the sewage treatment plant also benefit from an environmentally conscious energy balance.
Comprehensive control technology
As technical service provider for Pondus GmbH Spangler Automation took over programming and visual illustration of all process flows. Three control cabinets were equipped with Siemens PLC S7-1500-PN, which is linked with the process control system of the sewage treatment plant Göppingen for comprehensive data analysis and control. This can be operated locally or via remote access. The Spangler programme on the Siemens touch screen HMI TP1200 allows intuitive working on the clear plant diagram at the plant. The continuous operation mode of the control system of the pumps, which are responsible for the outlet, the circulation and the heating water, is ensured reliably by several frequency converters. The plant was installed and put into operation by a Spangler team in July 2019. The Environment Secretary of Baden-Württemberg Franz Untersteller praised the commitment of the company: „Here Göppingen makes a significant contribution to the strategy of recovery of phosphorus in Baden-Württemberg.“