Portfolio Categories: Solids Pumping

McCain Foods in Hastings, NZ required a fail-safe solution for their bean waste line where an existing “non-clog” impeller pump would continuously bind up and block while pumping green beans and bean vines. Pump Systems Ltd supplied a custom built Vaughan vertical wet well chopper pump to retrofit to the existing collection sump. The patented chopping action of the Vaughan chopper pump would mean that all incoming solids would be chopped and reduced in size to eliminate the risk of blockages in the pump as well as downstream equipment. In addition, a heat-treated steel Upper Cutter located behind the impeller would instantly shred and clear stringy solids that attempt to wrap on the pump shaft, which not only prevents pump binding, but provides added protection to the shaft seal to ensure a long and trouble-free service life.

Simplot Australia was looking to upgrade a group of existing process effluent pumps at their Tasmania facility to something more efficient and reliable. The pumps would be expected to handle corrosive wastewater containing a range of solids, including sharp, abrasive items and even whole potatoes. Due to space constraints at the site, Pump Systems offered Vaughan model STPE6W vertical dry pedestal chopper pumps in heat-treated stainless steel materials. The small footprint of the Vaughan PE configuration meant that the new pumps could be mounted in place of the original belt-driven units with a minimum of modifications.

Pump Systems supplied a Vaughan model SP4C-089 self-priming chopper pump to leading New Zealand fishing company for handling fish offal. The pump is installed on the FV San Aspiring, an automated bottom longliner that is often at sea for weeks on end. All process wastes are stored in holding tanks within the ship, and once back at shore, the Vaughan self-primer is used to offload the fish offal for further processing. Similar configurations have been supplied to other fishing companies in Australia.

A large brewery in Tasmania needed a custom solution for a new pump station handling process wastewater containing high concentrations of vinegar and solids such as apple wastes, pips, etc. To meet the application requirements, Pump Systems offered two, 4.3m long Vaughan vertical wet well chopper pumps in all stainless steel materials, which would provide the plant with reliable clog-free operation.

Two heavy-duty horizontal Vaughan Chopper Pumps were supplied to a large paper mill in New South Wales, Australia for transferring thick clarifier underflow sludge. The plant was experiencing continual clogging problems with its existing dry-mounted submersible pumps and required a proven and engineered long term solution that would allow the on site wastewater treatment plant to function with minimal downtime.

Pump Systems was called upon to offer a customised pump solution for processing egg pulp containing large amounts of abrasive egg shells. To achieve this, a Vaughan E-Series model HE3G horizontal chopper pump fitted with a special 4-segment cutter bar and EC2 external cutter was supplied. The combination of the 4-segment cutter bar and the HE3G’s 4-blade impeller would result in extra points of chopping per revolution and therefore a finer overall chop.