About the author: Soren Rasmussen is director of Landia Inc. Rasmussen can be reached at [email protected] or 919.466.0603.
Nestled amid the Crab Orchard Mountains and home of the Obed Wild
and Scenic River, Frozen Head State Park and Lone Mountain State Forest, the city of Wartburg, Tenn., has a population of about 1,000 and serves as the seat of Morgan County.
Morgan County Correctional Complex (MCCX) is a maximum-security prison in unincorporated Morgan County, near Wartburg, operated by the Tennessee Department of Correction.
A rugged and effective ejector system designed and manufactured by Landia is mixing and aerating a special holding tank that receives wastewater from MCCX.
Landia’s chopper pumps, equipped with Venturi nozzles—which form part of the propeller-free AirJet aeration system—have to deal with debris from a population of about 3,200, comprising about 2,500 inmates and more than 700 employees at the complex, which completed a major expansion in 2009.
The knife system in the chopper pumps is separated from the pump casing and the impeller. The chopping takes place before the medium enters the pump. This prevents blocking of the pump and its subsequent piping, and the pump casing, impeller and sealing system from being worn or damaged in connection with the chopping.
“Landia’s AirJet and chopper pumps are good, dependable equipment that we have no problems with,” said Danny Phillips, maintenance and pretreatment coordinator for the city of Wartburg Wastewater Treatment Plant. “And, importantly, from day one, we’ve also had great customer service from Landia, which is always ready to help us achieve the best results. This definitely isn’t a company that just walks away after they’ve made a sale.”
Any trash that manages to bypass the screens at MCCX is dealt with in the holding tank by the knife system, while a specially designed pump volute and impeller protect the mechanical seal from rags.
Landia chopper pumps also are installed at numerous similar establishments in the U.S., including the Crittenden County Detention Center in western Kentucky, where they have to handle a variety of solids in the wastewater, including latex gloves, grease and cutlery.
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