Pre-Filter to protect microfiltration

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Tekleen Self-Cleaning Filters Save on Downtime and Improve Efficiency at Great Dane Trailer Manufacturing Plants

Great Dane is probably the most recognized trailer manufacturer in the world, with 10 plants in the USA, 2 in China and a service center in Mexico. Products include refrigerated trailers, dry freight trailers, platforms and truck bodies, as well as refrigerated truck bodies, and also aftermarket spare parts.

Before it leaves the factory, each trailer product is watertested under high pressure for integrity of the trailer structure. This quality-control process will help ensure protection of whatever is transported inside the trailer. Water in a high pressure spray hits the trailer in an enclosed room, using approximately 4000 gallons in 5 minutes. The enclosed high-pressure test and washing rooms are called Test Bays. According to Mr. Stolfe, the water pressure hits the trailer “like a hurricane.” The test bays also thoroughly clean the trailers during the test process.

The Kewanee, IL plant has two test bays where Tekleen filters are installed. Another Tekleen filter services the new test bay at the Terre Haute, IN plant. One Tekleen filter is located at the new Ellisberg, PA plant. Tekleen filters are added to new plants and to new test bays as Great Dane expands their facilities.

In general, the Tekleen self-cleaning filters are used to clean the wash/testing water so that it can be re-used. They filter out ordinary debris left behind by the manufacturing process, which can include particles such as metal shavings, as well as everyday dust and dirt. The water is then recirculated into a 4000 gallon holding tank which supplies the cleaned water back into the plumbing system where it is sprayed out again at high pressure into the test bay.

The Tekleen filters used in the various Great Dane test bays are mounted on a specially-made metal frame and are plumbed into the adjacent water bay to refill the 4000 gallon holding tank.

Labor saving is about ½ hour per day due to no longer having to manually clean the filter.

Tekleen filters take the guess-work out of cleaning schedules as well, by initiating selfcleaning when the internal pressure differential inside the Tekleen filter triggers the process.

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When processing up to 500 jars a minute of jams, preserves and other products, the last thing maintenance needs to worry about is the process water of the spray pasteurizer.

But, that is the only thing a dedicated maintenance worker was assigned to do: Monitor the filtration system. In-line carbon steel filters, designed to filter particles on a pasteurizer-cooler line, were pitting and creating a maintenance and operation nightmare at the Knott's Berry Farm Foods plant in Placentia, Calif. The plant produces everything from its famous jams, jellies and preserves to salad dressings, syrups, bakery fillings and yogurt bases. "All our products come out of this one 250,000-sq.-ft. facility," says Tom McMahon, maintenance supervisor. "We run production 171/2 hours a clay. The last thing we could afford is to shut down the pasteurizer because the filter would lose integrity and allow particles such as fruit seeds to pass through and clog some of the 200 nozzles spraying 210°F water on the jars."

As with any filling and capping system, a container periodically gets overfilled or a lid is misapplied. When this container enters the tunnel pasteurizer and heats up to 180°F or more, the lid may pop off and spill product (usually acidic preserves or jams) into the pump system," explains McMahon. Not only did this cause product to enter the filter but the products' acidic nature was pitting the carbon steel filter, requiring constant maintenance.

"We were manually cleaning the system four to five times per day," adds Louie Delgadillo, maintenance mechanic on the line. "Each delay caused about 20 minutes of downtime. At up to 500 containers a minute, it really added up fast." The company turned to Automatic Filters for a solution to this blatant problem.

Back-Flushed Success

In January, Knott's Berry Farm Foods installed a stainless steel Tekleen® filter system with a 400-micron mesh screen from Automatic Filters Inc. The filter is a two-stage design with an automatic back-flushing system. triggered by a preset pressure differential between the in-flow and out-flow pressures.

Process water enters through a course screen into the interior of the filter. The flow then transfers to the second stage where it passes through the fine mesh screen to the filter's perimeter and is discharged. As water flows through the fine filter, there is a gradual buildup of seeds and other fine particulates on the. mesh screen. This debris causes an increase in pressure differential between the inlet and the outlet of the filter.

"When the pressure difference reaches seven psi --- a setting we determined based on number of cycles and amount of debris -- it triggers the back-Rush valve and the cleaning cycle begins," says McMahon.

A vacuum rotor with several suction nozzles, suspended within the filter, connects to a pipe that traverses to a separate discharge chamber. As the flushing valve opens, it creates a suction in the discharge pipe causing the nozzles to rotate as they stick in trapped debris. "The whole process takes only 2-3 seconds per cycle and leaves a. clean filter surface," adds McMahon.

The all-stainless steel Tekleen is rated to 210°F and-handles up to 250 gpm. It also has a high performance screen sintered to perforated metal, yielding about 80% more filter area than other filters sintered to PVC. "To top it off, the Tekleen's price is almost $1,000 less than a carbon steel filter. What other justification does anyone need?" says McMahon. "The choice was obvious.”

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Cool, clear water is the life force in manufacturing operations. It cools, cleans, and can be counted on to run pure and steady -- unless it becomes contaminated with dirt and other pollutants. Then, it can gum up a system, impede operations, and even impair the quality of the products being made.

Water filtration is one of the most effective and least expensive ways to solve equipment fouling and scaling problems caused by dirty water. Heat exchangers, molds, pipes, tubing, sensors, monitors, and other parts become fouled when dirt particles in the water settle out on warm surfaces. Calcium and magnesium are the bonding elements that cement the dirt onto the equipment. Chemical analysis shows that the calcium and magnesium are less than 2 percent of the fouling material - - the rest is made up of airborne particles, rust, sand, biological organisms, and other contaminants. Scale formation reduces the heat transfer rate and increase the water pressure drop through the heat exchanger and pipes. In fact, one study from the Carrier Corp., Syracuse, N.Y., has shown that 0.002” fouling will increase pumping needs by 20 percent.

Not all water filtration systems are alike. Carbon and sand filters require regular maintenance that can result in downtime and higher labor costs. A continuous-cleaning filter that requires no maintenance might be an alternative for your processing plant. As dirt particles collect on the screen the line pressure at the filter outlet drops. When the pressure reaches a preset differential, the backwash cycle begins. Within seconds and without interrupting the main flow, vacuum nozzles aggressively suction the dirt from the inside of the screen. This inline full-flow automatic filter is one solution for cleaning dirty water and preventing unscheduled shutdowns for maintenance and cleaning.

This automatic, self-cleaning filter is suitable for a range of applications. Bruce foods, New Iberia, La. plantmanufactures Cajun and Tex-Mex foods from four locations within the United States. The company’s Wilson, N.C. plant manufactures canned yams. During the canning process, the yams must be sterilized to 240°F (166°C) and then cooled to 105°F (41°C) using water that is pumped through the system at a rate of 800 to 1,000 gal/min. As part of Bruce Foods’ water conservation program, the cooling water is recycled. Without filtration, the water would pick up dirt, dust, and other impurities that could stain the exterior of the container. To solve this problem, the plant installed an automatic, self-cleaning water filter with a 100 µm screen, a size that is adequate to filter out the impurities without causing an excessive amount of backwashing.

No matter what type of processing application you have, automatic, selfcleaning water filters might be the way to help reduce downtime and labor by eliminating the need to clean and replace cartridges, bags, screens, and spray nozzles. Rinsing lasts a few seconds and can use as little as two gallons of water, all without interrupting the main flow, to help increase your bottom line.

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Scott Vlahos manages the maintenance of the Indian Hills Golf and Country Club in Riverside, CA. Golf course irrigation systems are subject to the clogging of their plumbing systems and especially the irrigation spray heads and local filters. A clogged local filter can stop a whole leg of the irrigation process. Mr. Vlahos recently decided to revisit the situation, and after much research, selected Tekleen to provide a new self-cleaning filtration system. This would cut down tremendously on the labor costs of manually keeping a large golf course irrigation system free from debris and in good working order.

Because of the special situation at Indian Hills, with the water reservoir located on a hill above the course, Mr. Vlahos needed a company that would visit his location to gain first hand appreciation for the layout, and then solve this issue. Since the filtration system might be required to recycle the cleaned wastewater back into the reservoir, the problem that stood out was getting the water back up the hill without using an expensive pumping system. Gideon Brunn, CEO of Tekleen, visited the golf course to assess the situation and offered his expertise to solve the problem. Additional reasons for selecting Tekleen system filters included their stainless steel construction, fewer moving parts, and easy maintenance.

The system filter units have been placed above ground in rough areas where they do not interfere with the golf games. Two of these self-cleaning system units have been installed, a 6” filter model ABW6-LP rated to 800 gpm and an 8” filter model ABW8-P rated to 1,320 gpm. The system units are protected by fencing and a cover. The water pressure from the downhill flow from the hillside reservoir is adequate to run the self-cleaning features.

Since the Tekleen system produces very little wastewater, it is allowed to flow out of the filters onto lawn areas instead of being pumped uphill to the reservoir. The wastewater drains out of the filters into a system of perforated barrels that slow the wastewater drainage onto the lawns. So far this has not created any problems, such as ground saturation or surface pooling. A system of buried drains is currently being planned to manage the runoff in a more permanent way.

The Indian Hills golf course currently uses its original hydraulic system installed in the 1960’s. This kind of system is very sensitive to the effects of debris. It includes a great deal of hydraulic tubing. This system uses a network of 14 hydraulic controllers that go out to the irrigation heads that are outfitted with a series of small local filters. Previously when a clog caused a system shutdown, simply locating the problem area was time consuming. These small filters would have to be manually cleaned, and cleaned very frequently, to protect the hydraulic network. However, with the self-cleaning Tekleen system filters in place, these small filters remain clean, and the life of the hydraulic system is extended. The Tekleen filters have resulted in a huge labor saving which Mr. Vlahos describes as “awesome.”

Additionally, because of the self-cleaning Tekleen filters, Mr. Vlahos is able to run a drip irrigation system which previously could not have been considered. Drip irrigation emitters are subject to the same clogging issues as spray heads. The Tekleen system will keep drip irrigation systems cleaner as well.

With both types of irrigation systems, the water source and the type and size of debris will determine the optimum filter mesh.

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Drip irrigation systems take the worry out of watering -- unless emitters become clogged with dirt or other contaminants from the water source. Then watering becomes a labor-intensive process requiring constant monitoring and frequent cleaning. This can often cancel out the labor and money you’re trying to save with a drip system.

Water quality is a key factor in the success of drip, or microirrigation systems. Water purity can be affected by many factors -- seasonal changes, pipeline conditions, flow velocity, rate of pond turnover, and changing water sources.

How can you assure adequate water quality to keep your drip system functioning at an optimal level? Start by choosing the right filtration for your particular conditions. To a degree, filtration is as much art as science.

But there are several quantifiable parameters to help you determine the right size filter for your needs. These include:

Minimum and Maximum operating flow. This is the most critical factor when sizing a filter. Do not confuse flow rate with line size, as they often are not compatible. For example, a 2-inch filer that accommodates a 100 gallon per minute flow rate will not work for a 2-inch system with a 150 gpm flow rate. In this case, you would need to go to the next larger size, such as a 3-inch filter.

Water source. This determines what kind of debris you are trying to trap. Generally speaking, well water contains inorganic debris, such as sand, while pond or surface water contains largely organic matter, such as algae and leaves. Inorganic matter requires a smaller screen to trap the sand and sediment that would pass through a larger screen.

Minimum and maximum operating pressure. Accurate pressure readings are important for two reasons. One, each filter type has a maximum rated pressure of operation. Two, if your system calls for an automatic, self-cleaning filter, minimum operating pressure must be maintained when the filter’s flushing mechanism is engaged.

Size of downstream orifice to be protected. Generally speaking, a filter is necessary to keep debris from clogging downstream sprinklers or emitters. Emitter orifice size will determine the pore, or micron, size of your filter element. As a rule of thumb, the proper filter prosity should maintain a ratio of 1:5 for drip irrigation and 1:3 for sprinklers. More specifically, drip systems require 80-100 microns (200- 150 mesh) filtra-tion; micro sprinklers or jets require 150-200 microns (100- 80 mesh); impact sprinklers and rotors require 200-400 microns (40-80 mesh).

Budget. This parameter is complex. Take into account not only the inital cost of a filter but also the cost of maintaining a system without filtration. Automatic, self-cleaning fil-ters are more expensive than manual filters, but when labor costs are factored in, they may be less expensive in the long run.

A real time-saver

Will Harling is co-owner of Salmon View Farm in Somes Bar, Calif. This vineyard has a drip sys-tem with 2,000 emitters and his needs are much the same as those of a nursery grower.

“Our vineyard is in a steep, mountainous environment and draws from water sources that aren’t clean,” Harling said. “When we had simple screen filters, we had to clean them manually five or six times during a watering, which we did every couple of days.” Harling said that if his com-pany forgot to flush or got busy doing other things, the pressure would force the particles through the mesh and send them out to the emitters and cause clogging.

“Checking 2,000 emitters was a real drain on our resources,” he said.

Filtration is a must with drip systems, said Gideon Brunn, president of Automatic Filters, Inc. in Los Angeles.

His company’s Tekleen fitlers automatically backwash particles from screens when water pressure reaches preset levels. This process uses about 2 gallons of water.

For more: Automatic Filters, LLC, 2672 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034; (310) 839-2828; fax (310) 839-6878; info@tekleen.com; www.tekleen.com. Elaine Floyd is a free-lance writer in Bellingham, Wash.

Find out how Tekleen filters saved Maday's Wholesale Greenhouse in Crete, IL time and money with the filters' low-maintenance needs.

Read the full article here.

Though seldom part of the original design, irrigation systems need filtration to rid contaminants from the lines. This ensures that plants are being watered properly and reduces the frequency of irrigation system maintenance by preventing small particles from progressing through the nozzles to plants.

“Filtration is a must with drip systems,” says Gideon Brunn, president of Automatic Filters, Inc. “Otherwise, the nozzles are constantly clogged.” Tekleen Water Filters take the maintenance out of the process because they are self-cleaning.

The line pressure at the filter outlet drops after dirt settles on the screen. As the pressure reaches a preset differential, it triggers the backwash cycle to begin. The vacuum nozzles suction dirt from the inside of the screen and flush it out into the drain. All of this is done without interrupting the main flow and requires only two gallons of rinse water, making it both production- and environmentallyfriendly.

“You are not flooding the area with a lot of backwash water like a lot of other filters. For example, a 2-inch filter would use two gallons of water per rinse. Other filters with a 2-inch flushing valve would use 20-30 gallons of water,” explains Brunn.

INSTALLATION

Installation is simple -- attache the filter to the line and turn it on. Aldridge Nursery, Von Ormy, Texas, purchased three additional Tekleen filters after being so impressed with its first one. Its oldest filter was purchased in 2000 and has not needed any upkeep. “We did some things when we first got it that we thought we needed to do, like take it apart and clean it, and we found out it wasn’t necessary,” says Ralph Simnacher, owner. “We thought we knew more than the instructions.”

MAINTENANCE

Ulery Greenhouse, Springfield, Ohio, has had the filter for about 1 1/2 years, with no major problems. “The only thing you need to do is change the battery in it once a year, because it automatically backflushes,” says Ashley Smith, grower.

The only required maintenance is to keep an eye on it. “To make sure the machine is functioning correctly, you have to make sure that you monitor your inlet and outlet pressures. Make sure that the flushing system is working correctly. It’s fully automatic, but you should keep an eye on it to make sure that it’s properly working,” says Rick Ruggeri, part owner of Silver Terrace Nursery in Pescadero, Calif. Silver Terrace Nursery uses three Tekleen filters to back up the sand filters at the reservoir that serves as the nursery’s main water supply, and they report no problems to date. “We haven’t had to maintain them up to this point,” says Ruggeri. One thing Silver Terrace Nursery did decide to do was to take out the battery and use 110-volt controllers. “So they’re basically self-sufficient, and you don’t have to mess with a battery,” Ruggeri says.

With advance notice, Automatic Filters can provide filters that are pre-fit for controllers. Options include 220-, 110-, 12- , and 9- volt controllers. Automatic Filters, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif. (310) 839-2828.

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The 111 South Wacker Drive building, a 52 story, 1.1 million square foot class A office building in Chicago, is a privately owned building which has earned LEED Gold certification for both New Construction and Existing Buildings, and as of 2015 is Platinum certified. Five categories of green operations contribute to earning LEED certification: water use reduction; sustainable site selection; responsible materials selection and waste management; enhanced indoor environmental quality; and energy efficient operations.

The Tekleen System

Installed on the top-most floor, the Tekleen system filters the water used in the building condensing water system. It primarily filters the tenant condensing water loop which feeds the building’s condensing water to the tenants’ supplemental air-conditioning systems, such as for computer server room cooling.

The filter system captures and reuses cleaned flush water via the dewatering system, reducing the overall release of water and minimizing the use of system cleaning chemicals. Additionally it saves energy used to run the filtering mechanisms.

The Tekleen system also provides reduced maintenance costs by minimizing man hours required for cleaning, since it is automatically self-cleaning and very efficient.

The Tekleen system at the 111 South Wacker Drive building consists of a low pressure automatic filter with a backwash controller. The system operates continuously. Water pressure is maintained constantly. When the system detects too much pressure through the filter, it initiates the automatic cleaning process to remove filtered debris and solids, thereby reducing the pressure and restoring a lower work load to reduce energy usage.

The 111 South Wacker Drive building is equipped with a building automation system that can detect changes in the drive speed needed to maintain the proper flow through the tenant system, which has reported an approximate 10% drop in the speed needed to maintain the flow which does equate to energy savings.

De-watering System

When the Tekleen system automatically cleans its filters, the solid debris is captured in a container called a “filter bag.” Then from there, the water used in the cleaning process is returned to the condensing water system. The filter bag is emptied and cleaned every 1 to 3 weeks, and can be reused for subsequent cycles.

The Old System and Its Problems

The original water filtering system at the 111 South Wacker Drive building had 2 duplex strainers. It required daily cleaning, from 2 to 3 times a day. Each cleaning cycle took 1 to 1-1/2 hours to complete. Manual cleaning was initiated when the old system drive reached a higher than normal energy usage because of the operating resistance caused by accumulated debris in the smaller strainers.

The Engineering Dept. of JLL, the management company for the 111 South Wacker Drive building, were asked to find a solution to the manpower used to perform this task by the building owner representatives. The Tekleen system was chosen to solve this problem. It could use a larger filter with a smaller filter mesh to remove more debris, and because it is self-cleaning, it would save labor and operate more efficiently, saving energy and equipment throughout the system.

Redundant Alarm

In addition to the Tekleen system alarm, the engineers at the 111 South Wacker Drive building have installed a redundant alarm to notify them through the BAS in the event of a malfunction or a leak. Also with the use of automated controls it has the ability to temporarily stop the cleaning process to protect the building and the tenants.

After hearing how effective TEKLEEN filters were in cleaning cooling water and reducing maintenance costs for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), John Wayne Airport installed five 10-inch (1,800 gpm) filters and one 6-inch (800 gpm) filter for its air conditioning system.

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When Steel Dynamics’ Butler, Indiana, cold steel processing plant has to shut down its production line for any reason, the cost in lost production is about $25,000 per hour. So when the facility was forced to shut down for three hours at a time every six months or so in order to replace water pump parts, maintenance supervisor Brian Butcher decided there had to be a better way. Between lost production time and the high cost of water pump replacement parts, Steel Dynamics was spending a fortune on water treatment.

“And this was a redundant system,” says Butcher. “The main water filtration happens at a different facility about 300 yards away. But periodically the water that comes to us is contaminated with grease and oil. When that happens we have a backup system that kicks in. And since we never know when the dirty water will hit, our backup system must be ready to go. It’s like an insurance policy.” Clean water is essential for Steel Dynamics’ cold steel processing applications.

To solve the plant’s water filtration problems and minimize downtime and parts replacement costs, the Butler plant switched from sand filters to carbon steel filters. While the new

 filters were a vast improvement, Butcher found that carbon steel filters don’t last forever.

“We spent an incredible amount of money on carbon steel filters and they wore out after three to four years,” says Butcher. “That’s when we started pricing stainless steel filters and found the Tekleen® filter. It costs the same as other companies’ carbon steel filters but lasts forever.” He adds that there has been virtually no maintenance associated with the three Tekleen filters that have been in operation now for about eight months. “During routine plant shutdowns we go in and check them just to make sure they’re working properly. They always are. We basically don’t have to think about water anymore.”

“SST Filters that last forever at carbon steel prices,” Brian Butler Steel Dynamic, IN.

“Their old filters had three two-inch flush valves,” says Dan Flanick, sales manager for Automatic Filters, maker of the Tekleen water filter. “They were using a lot of water and not doing the job. We replaced them with one two-inch flush valve that uses much less rinse water and is virtually maintenance free.”

When the pressure reaches a preset differential, the backwash cycle begins. Within seconds and without interrupting the main flow, vacuum nozzles aggressively suction the dirt from the inside of the screen. High performance screens, which are offered as an option on Tekleen filters, consist of sintered mesh on a perforated basket providing 50 percent more open screen area in the same filter body as compared to the standard PVC supported screen.

When asked what advice he would give other processing plants that are dependent on clean water for both quality output and efficient operations, Butcher said, “Don’t buy carbon steel filters. They eventually start to rust and wear out. Stainless steel is the way to go, especially if you can get them for the same price”

Read the full article here.

There are many areas within petrochemical processing which use water that requires filtering. The filtered water can then be re-used and the debris properly disposed of. By using a Tekleen self-cleaning automatic filter, this water can be cleaned of debris and solids, provide cooling, pre-filter water for further cleaning, and maintain the operational reliability of piping, spray heads and any devices that water flows through. It can be used as a pre-filter down to 2 microns, protecting R/O and microfiltration systems used for potable water quality production.

Several of the largest petrochemical plants in the U.S. use Tekleen filters for their various water requirements. With proper filtration, source water for processing can successfully be derived from wells, ponds, rivers, rainwater, seawater and re-used water.

Without a proper filtration system, the debris in source water can cause fouling of pipes and heat exchanging surfaces, which lowers the thermal efficiency of the system. Fouling also increases the friction losses and induces erosion, corrosion, and energy waste by increasing the demand for a higher flow rate. Other problems include the plugging of spray nozzles, blinding of sensors, analyzers, as well as the wearing down of pump gland seals, scrubbers, misters, membranes, and ion exchanger columns. These issues cause unscheduled shutdowns for maintenance and cleaning and the loss of many production hours. Filtration is one of the simplest and most convenient ways of solving these problems.

By using Tekleen self-cleaning filters, the debris solids can be captured, removed from the water flow, and disposed of properly before the filtered water reaches its destination, using 6 - 30 gallons per rinse and lasting 4 - 10 seconds. Using a Tekleen filter also increases the potential use of filtered wastewater as re-used water or make-up water throughout a processing plant.

TEKLEEN® self-cleaning water filters provide the ultimate solution where dirty water is a problem. The filters operate on line pressure alone. The self-cleaning process is triggered by a pressure differential that occurs when water is too highly saturated with solids, and is accomplished in seconds without interrupting the main flow.

The filters are compact in size and designed to meet a variety of industrial applications. ASME code stamp vessels are also available as an option.

APPLICATIONS

1. Cooling towers

When used to cool the product processing and the plant itself, water is sent through a cooling tower and often through an evaporative system. The water is cooled throughout the cycle by atmospheric temperature and/or by evaporation. Evaporation in an open system invites all sorts of debris which must be filtered out to protect the piping from accumulations that slow down the water flow and cause expensive downtime to maintain the equipment. With a Tekleen automatic filter, the debris is filtered out and contained for disposal, the filter cleans itself, and the cooling water continues to flow. One such installation for providing Cooling Tower water uses a Tekleen 6” filter, with a flow rate of 600 GPM, at 50 PSI. The filter used is a ABW6-LP with a 100 micron high performance screen.

2. Product processing and boiler steam

When water is part of the product itself or is used to purify or “scrub” the product, then that water has to be filtered to maintain product quality, going in and going out. Tekleen filters are ideal for this. By filtering waste water adequately, the process avoids many opportunities to pollute an area. Desalination of wastewater is an important part of this effort. Tekleen fillters can protect the membranes downstream.

3. Underwater Pelletizing

Underwater pelletizing is a method of cutting extruded plastic into beads under a stream of water, which helps them take a spherical, conical or disk shape for feedstock or as a settling medium. The water used in processing the beads can be filtered and re-used. One such installation uses a Tekleen 6” filter, with a flow rate of 500 GPM, at 120 PSI. The screen used is a ABW6-LP 50 micron screen. Where the material being pelletized absorbs water, this water can be removed and reclaimed after filtering.

4. Potable water

Petrochemical companies often provide potable water in housing and break rooms for employees. Tekleen filters can purify this water down to 2 microns to prefilter water going through an R/O or microfiltration process for safe drinking.

5. Polymer Filtration from Storm Pond

Polymer can be used for settling mud. With the mud adequately settled and turbidity minimized, the Tekleen unit can filter the re-usable water, which can be sent back to storage. The polymer beads are left behind in the pond to continue the settling process. One installation uses a Tekleen 4” filter, providing 1,000 gpm, at 20 psi. The screen is Model LPF4-SP wedge wire screen, 100 micron ASME Stamped.

6. Well water pump seal protection

Packing seals and mechanical seals can be protected from excessive wear by using water to cool the seal and the shaft, to lubricate the seal and to flush away solids. One Tekleen installation uses a 2” filter, setup to provide 100 GPM. It uses a MTF2-XL 25 micron screen.

Read the full article here.

Hoffer Plastics Corporation in South Elgin, IL is comprised of a 365,000 square foot climate-controlled, self-powered facility. There are eight focused factory operations within the facility to serve the company’s primary markets - packaging, commercial industrial, automotive and appliance industries. The company operates on the “Lean manufacturing” principle, maintaining high productivity while fostering a valued-employee atmosphere. The company also focuses on environmental responsibility and the goal of zero waste through conscientious material handling and overall efficient plant management.

Tekleen filters were chosen at Hoffer Plastics because they use less water than other filtration methods, and are completely stainless steel, and not enameled surfaces. They filter the chilled water in the closed loop systems used in plastic processing, and the tower water used to cool hydraulic oil. Prior to the installation of the Tekleen filters, daily walk-throughs were required to observe and check the older high-maintenance bag filters.

There have been several stages of Tekleen filter installations at the Hoffer Plastics facility. The first Tekleen filter was installed in January 2012. Since this successful first test at Hoffer Plastics, the company has been adding Tekleen filters. The most recent additions include Tekleen filter Models ABW8-LP, ABW4-LP and ABW4-XLP. These are 4 and 8 inch filters that operate within the tower and chilled water systems. The tower water filter is rated at 1125 gpm at 70 psi with a 100 micron screen. The chiller filter is rated at 340 gpm at 72 psi with a 50 micron screen.

The Tekleen installation is part of the overall strategy, and has contributed significantly to water savings. As a result of these extensive measures, Hoffer Plastics has received a 2015 Governor’s Sustainability Award for significant achievements in energy efficiency, waste reduction, pollution prevention and environmental programming.

WHY SELF-CLEANING FILTRATION?

Process water from a plant’s cooling tower is often contaminated with airborne dust, pollen, algae, plastic fines, and pipe scale. These contaminates circulate through heat exchangers and chillers and significantly reduce the system’s cooling ability. As a result, extruders, molding machines, molds, and compressors can heat up and endanger the quality of the product manufactured as well as the machines.

Tekleen self-cleaning water filters provide the ultimate solution where dirty cooling water is a problem. The filters operate on line pressure alone. Self-cleaning is triggered by a pressure differential and is accomplished in seconds without interrupting the flow. The filters are compact in size and designed to meet a wide variety of industrial applications.

Read the full article here. 

The Cabinet Gorge Dam was doing some retooling a short time ago and they had to make some important decisions on filtering. The dam is the second largest of eight hydroelectric developments operated by Avista, a major electric and gas utility headquartered in Spokane, Washington.

The dam itself is located on the Clark Fork River in Idaho. Its licensed generating capacity is 263.2 megawatts and it features one vertical Kaplan turbine and three vertical propeller turbines. The challenge faced by the engineering team at Cabinet Gorge was to remove three old compressors and replace them with two more efficient compressors with higher flow rates.

“The three compressors were still performing close to their rated flow rates,” said Tracy West, mechanical engineer for Cabinet Gorge. “But there were several reasons to replace them. They were 59 years old and were nearing the end of their service life, parts were difficult to obtain, and the motor inrush currents were high and would likely cause problems in the future.” The functions of the compressors were to provide general shop air to the facility, to serve as an energy source for brakes on each unit, and are used to provide air for forcing all of the water out of a unit when it needs to be turned without any load on it.

“The selection of the new compressors went smoothly,” said West. “The original selection process was done by my predecessor for a similar installation on another dam. The original compressors were reciprocating units. The decision was made to replace them with two 250 horsepower Kobelco screw compressors.

A FILTERING CHALLENGE

“The only problem encountered was with the cooling of the compressors. The old compressors were aircooled. The new ones needed to be water-cooled. The water supply was not a problem. We would take it directly from the Clark Fork and return it to the river, keeping a constant cooling flow to the compressors and maintaining sustainability. But it was river water and needed to be filtered or it would quickly clog the compressors’ tube and shell heat exchanger.”

So the power plant’s engineering team began researching water filters. They found that most filters and screens require a lot of regular scheduled maintenance for filter cleaning or even replacement , which meant downtime and high parts and labor costs. Next they investigated automatic self-cleaning filters.

AUTOMATIC FILTERS

These filters clean themselves, thereby virtually eliminating maintenance and the need to shut down a system to clean or replace screens. They work by directing the flow to a screen filter. The dirt in the river water is captured by the screen and accumulates on its surface. As the dirt accumulates, the outlet pressure drops. When it reaches a preset differential, a backwash cycle begins and vacuum nozzles suction the contaminants off the screen and send them to a drain, all without interrupting the main flow.

There was one problem the Cabinet Gorge team had. It seemed that all of the automatic filters they were finding were made of carbon steel and they thought that they wouldn’t last long in a water environment because the water changes direction many times within a filter making it more erosive and eventually removing any coating protecting the carbon steel. Then they found a line of self-cleaning filters that were made completely of stainless steel. “The problem with carbon steel filters is that they can degenerate fairly quickly in a challenging envi- ronment,” said Dan Flanick, manager for Tekleen, the maker of the line of stainless steel self-cleaning filters.

“That is particularly true in a hydroelectric plant where they operate 24/7. Of course they are coated, but that can wear away over time. Stainless can take a lot more punishment.” The Cabinet Gorge engineers opted for the Tekleen filters. “We recommended our LPF4-LP model with a 100 micron screen,” said Flanick. “It’s a horizontal system and actually uses two screens. The first is a coarse 3/8-inch screen that removes large particulates that could damage the second finer 100-micron screen. After the coarse screen, the water passes through the fine screen. The dirt and plant particulates accumulate and begin to cause a pressure drop. In our system we have preset the activation pressure to 7 pounds per square inch. When it hits that pressure, a differential pressure switch triggers our filter controller to open 1 or 2-inch flushing valves and activates high-velocity suction nozzles that vacuum all of the accumulated particulate matter from the screen and flush it out of the system using only a few gallons of water and taking just 10 seconds with no interruption of the main flow.” “The second installation, which I oversaw, went smoothly,” said West. “Dan Flanick came by personally to inspect the installation, which was done by our crews and to conduct a training class. Since we brought both filters up, we have had no issues and no maintenance. And the compressors are running great and we’re returning the water to the river.”

Read full article here.

Tekleen Self-Cleaning Water Filtration System Super-Cleans Washing Water and Enables Water Re-Use at Health Juice Processing Plant

A Tekleen water filtration system is installed in the cleaning flow. Suja Life, LLC turns fruits and vegetables into juice known as Suja Juice that is cold pressed and never heat-processed. This process is known as the Suja cold-pressured process, developed to maintain essential vitamins, minerals and enzymes in the juice, and to extend product shelf life. The high pressure process (HPP) kills harmful bacteria while preserving maximum nutrition and taste. The process requires thorough cleaning of the fruits and vegetables before pressing.

The Suja plant handles pineapples, carrots, spinach, kale, apples, celery and ginger. Citrus fruits are not processed here.

Fruits and vegetables are thoroughly washed in water to cleanse away any debris or soil that might be left over from the growing environment and from handling. Washing takes place in a conveyor flume where the wash water is constantly being circulated and filtered to maintain cleanliness.

During the process, the wash water is continuously passed through the selfcleaning Tekleen system, where it is filtered down to 100 microns. Then the clean filtered water is recirculated back into the cleansing flume.

Throughout the process, the self-cleaning Tekleen filter automatically cleans its own filters and supplies filtered water to the flume.

The washed fruits or vegetables pass out of the flume to drain, and then are chopped into manageable pieces, and pressed under high pressure to extract the juice.

Results of the Tekleen Installation

According to Operations Manager Jim Mathews, prior to the installation of the Tekleen filtration system, the old system “required a shutdown every hour or two to discharge the waste water.” The downtime impacted productivity and used a lot of water. With the Tekleen self-cleaning filter system in place, the filter needs only to be cleaned once a day as part of the sanitation process, where the tank is cleaned and water is discharged into the sewer system. According to Mr. Mathews, “the new installation using Tekleen saves up to 4000 gallons of water a day, after running an 8 to 10-hour day.”

Installation went smoothly. The Tekleen system used in this flume installation features stainless steel construction. Additional Tekleen systems are being installed to accomodate juicing plant expansion.

Information was kindly supplied during an interview with Jim Mathews, Operations Manager at Suja Life, LLC. Mr. Mathews has had extensive previous experience with the Tekleen self-cleaning filters in many applications. Photos were provided through the courtesy of Mr. Mathews and Suja Life LLC.

Read the full article here. 

Making wood and water come together to create high quality production-graded paper is the business of Blandin Paper, a subsidiary of UPM-Kymmene located in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The water used in Blandin's paper mills comes directly from the Mississippi River. It flows through a 24-inch pipe at a rate of 4,200 gallons per minute (with a maximum capacity of 10,000 gallons per minute) via two online pumps of 400 hp and 350 hp, respectively. But Blandin Paper does not have to worry about sludge and other impurities from the Mississippi River contaminating its processing equipment and compromising the quality of its paper. The plant has installed four new, state-of-the-art, automatic Tekleen® water filters with 150-micron stainless steel screens to trap any debris that may be dredged up from the river.

After researching various types of filters, the company chose the Tekleen filter for its low maintenance requirements and reasonable cost. Blandin purchased four X 14" model ABW14-P all 316L SST filters with 11.8 Sq .Ft. 150 micron sintered mesh screens.

The Tekleen filter is a self-cleaning filter that operates on water pressure alone. As dirt particles collect on the screen, the line pressure at the filter outlet drops. When the pressure reaches a preset differential - Blandin Paper's is set at seven pounds -- the backwash cycle begins. Within 10 seconds and without interrupting the main flow, vacuum nozzles aggressively suction the dirt from the inside of the screen. Because of the automatic flushing, there is no plant downtime for routine filter cleaning, which translates to greater productivity for the plant.

The new water filter not only saves labor costs. It also saves energy and chemical costs due to the lower volume of water used in the back flushing process. "This is very important," says Stanley Roeber, production specialist at Blandin Paper. "The old system was pumping several million gallons a day. That's a lot of pumping energy," he says. Plus, all this water that could have been used for other industrial processes was going back out to the river. "We wanted to be able to put microbicides in the water before it goes to the filter, backwash with small quantities and have it go into our industrial effluent," says Roeber. Now they are able to treat the water from the river at a single point with sodium hypochloride and sodium bromide, send it through the filters, and distribute it throughout the plant. According to Roeber the new system has saved on chemical costs and been much easier to use.

When asked to sum up the benefits of the new automatic filter, Roeber responded: "Reduction in water usage, ease of maintenance, simple design, cost was reasonable, and improved efficiency on cleaning."

Tekleen filters are produced by Automatic Filters, Inc., a Los Angeles-based company that specializes in industrial and irrigation filtration systems. Tekleen filters have been recognized as the industry's highest quality self-cleaning water filters.

Utilizing a Tekleen Filtration System for Landscape Irrigation at a Commercial Brewery

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Sierra Nevada has a longstanding commitment to sustainability. Part of this commitment is seen in its extensive water treatment program that works to provide clean water to the facility with little waste. The brewery captures rainwater for use in its irrigation system that waters the landscaped grounds and the on-site organic garden. Sierra Nevada uses permeable paving, which creates a biobed allowing rainwater to seep into the ground and into an underground cistern for storage. The cistern has a capacity of 460,000 gallons that is used in the drip irrigation system. The Tekleen filtering system for this use is model MTF3-L with a 50 micron filter. It prevents debris from accumulating in the drip system nozzles, so that there is a constant source ofirrigation water available. Downtime and labor for nozzle cleaning is minimized. Sierra Nevada selected Tekleen for its North Carolinafacility because of previous experience with a Tekleen installation at its Chico, CA brewery. Tekleen filters clean themselves of internal debris when sensors determine that it is required by measuring pressure. The filters discharge the accumulated debris, along with a minimum amount of wastewater. Separate Tekleen systems filter water from wells and also filter water to keep the facility cooling tower free of debris.

Read the full article here. 

1. Using Filtered Water for Ballast Water Exchange

Filtered sea water from a ship’s ballast can be released back into the sea, eliminating the potential of unloading non-native and often invasive plants and animals where they don’t belong. Many cruise lines are using on-board filtration to clean their bilge water during the ballast water exchange.

By using Tekleen self-cleaning automatic filters, ballast water can be cleaned of debris and solids, thereby preventing animals, vegetation, and floating debris from exiting. Debris can then be collected and disposed of properly.

2. Pre-Filtering for Potable Water Processing from Sea Water, and Keeping Pipes Clean for Maintenance Minimization

When used for other purposes to filter water on board, an automatic self-cleaning Tekleen filter can support cooling systems, can pre-filter water for further cleaning and desalination, and can support the operational reliability of piping, spray heads and any devices that water flows through, by keeping them clean of deposits. Tekleen filters can be used to filter outgoing washwater from laundry, galleys, mess halls, swimming pools and spas, and bathing. It can be used as a pre-filter down to 2 microns, protecting R/O and microfiltration systems that might be used on board for potable water production from sea water.

Using a Tekleen filter increases the potential use of filtered wastewater as re-used water or make-up water throughout a processing operation.

Without a proper filtration system, the debris in source water can cause fouling of pipes and heat exchanging surfaces, which lowers the thermal efficiency of the system. Fouling also increases the friction losses and induces erosion, corrosion, and energy waste by increasing the demand for a higher flow rate. Other problems include the plugging of spray nozzles, blinding of sensors, analyzers, as well as the wearing down of pump gland seals, scrubbers, misters, membranes, and ion exchanger columns. These issues can cause unscheduled shutdowns for maintenance and cleaning and the loss of many man-hours. Filtration is one of the simplest and most convenient ways of solving these problems.

By using Tekleen self-cleaning filters, the debris solids can be captured, removed from the water flow, and disposed of properly before the filtered water reaches its destination. TEKLEEN® self-cleaning water filters provide the ultimate solution where dirty water is a problem. The filters operate on line pressure alone. The self-cleaning process is triggered by a pressure differential that occurs when water is too highly saturated with solids, and is accomplished in seconds without interrupting the main flow.

The filters are compact in size and designed to meet a variety of industrial applications. The use of Tekleen self-cleaning filtration is also a great benefit to other uses of sea water, sea-based platforms used in extraction and processing, and water reinjection in general. For a description of these benefits, please see the Tekleen application sheet on platforms, oil production and reinjection wells in the OIL PRODUCTION section of our website.

Quotation from the Norwegian Cruise Line: “BALLAST WATER:

To operate safely and comfortably, ships perform an operation known as ballasting, which helps to ensure trim, stability, and structural integrity. As water is discharged, or as fuel is consumed, ships take on seawater to assist with stabilization. The practice of ballasting throughout the years has allowed species to “hitch a ride” on ships and transfer to many areas of the world. This introduction of non-native and invasive species can lead to the degradation of many popular cruise destinations. To combat this problem, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) put forth the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediment. This convention, commonly known as the “Ballast Water Convention,” requires vessels to install ballast water treatment systems to prevent dispersing non-native organisms to certain areas. Adopted in 2004, this convention was not ratified until September 2016, and [entered] into force in September 2017. We [Norwegian Cruise Line] took a proactive approach and began installing ballast water treatment systems on a majority of [their] vessels before the international compliance date.”

Tekleen Water Filtration System Replaces Sand Filters to Treat Geo-thermal Water at Giant Resort Swimming Pool

Read the full article here.

Tekleen water filtration is installed in the geothermal pool water treatment system at 1000 Springs Resort. Resort owner Mark Henslee found Tekleen while searching for a less expensive option to replacing an existing sand filter. The Tekleen system was chosen for its reduced maintenance, self-cleaning features, and reduced transportation costs.

Swimming pools have unique issues to deal with, such as normal skin cell debris from swimmers, oily lotions, lint from swim suits and towels, and hair, all of which accumulate as a compact substance that is difficult to filter. Upgrades were required throughout the plumbing system, including the replacement of all piping, and a new pump and control panel. Fine tuning is ongoing for optimum service, since the pool must maintain the water level and also cooling of the incoming mineral water during the self-cleaning cycles. The system is running very successfully.

Installation Planning and Considerations

Two Tekleen filters installed in March 2015 are working at full capacity. The main pool, which is filled with geo-thermal water, is 60 x 120 feet in size. It is approximately 7.5 feet deep. This is equivalent to 54,000 cubic feet or nearly 404,000 gallons of water which is constantly being cleaned and replenished.

During a self-clean cycle, the challenge is to maintain pool water levels and comfortable temperatures. The Tekleen filters cycle 3 to 4 times a day. As of this writing, the Tekleen pool installation at 1000 Springs Resort is the only one of its kind in the country.

Information was kindly supplied during interviews with the resort owner Mark Henslee, and facility manager K.J. Coates.

Read the full article here. 

Watsonville, Calif. incorporates automatic filter to recycle treated wastewater.

Situated in the heart of the Monterey Bay area in the lush Pajaro Valley, the city of Watsonville lies 95 miles south of San Francisco at the southern end of Santa Cruz County.

Long before the federal government dedicated the pristine Monterey Bay as a National Marine Sanctuary, the Watsonville Wastewater Treatment Facility was serving as a first line of defense in protecting the Bay's precious water quality.

First constructed during the 1920s, the Watsonville Wastewater Treatment Facility has seen its mission grow from servicing a small agricultural community to treating wastewater for as many as 50,000 residents, treating an average daily flow of seven million gallons of wastewater originating from residential, commercial and industrial sources.

Always a friend of the environment, the Watsonville Wastewater Treatment Facility makes a conscious effort to conserve natural resources.

Accordingly, the treatment facility uses its own treated wastewater for general plant purposes such as washing and cooling rather than consuming fresh water from the city.

Although Watsonville’s wastewater is treated to the advanced secondary treatment level, and undergoes extensive monitoring and testing to ensure compliance with all state and federal pollution prevention laws prior to being discharged to the Monterey Bay over a mile off shore, it must be filtered before it can be used for plant washdowns and cooling.

Otherwise, the accumulation of solids such as algae would clog machinery and make such recycling impossible.

Principle of conservation

When the plant’s 20-yearold filter needed replacing last year, one major concern was that the new filter operate on a small amount of electricity.

“We try to conserve as much electricity as we can in addition to conserving the amount of potable city water that we’re using,” said Mike Wagner, operations manager.

Wagner’s search for the perfect filter led him to two choices, after which a cost comparison narrowed it down to the Tekleen water filter manufactured by Automatic Filters in Los Angeles.

“The Tekleen filter uses 110 current for the control box and no motorized parts, so we cut down our electrical usage from before,” says Wagner.

Although the actual dollar savings may amount to only about $50 per year, “it’s the principle of conservation that counts,” he said. According to the manufacturer, the Tekleen self-cleaning filters require very little maintenance.

As particles collect on the screen, the outlet pressure drops. When the pressure reaches a preset differential, the backwash cycle begins. Within 10 seconds and without interrupting the main flow, vacuum nozzles aggressively suction the dirt from the inside of the screen.

The Watsonville Wastewater Treatment Facility currently pumps 400 gallons per minute through the filter installed with a 200-micron screen.

“The filter is working very well,” says Wagner, “and we’ve received very good service from the company.”

Tekleen filters are produced by Automatic Filters, Inc., a Los Angelesbased company that specializes in industrial and irrigation filtration systems. Tekleen filters have been recognized as the industry’s highest quality self-cleaning water filters. For more information, call 310 839 2828 or visit www.tekleen.com.