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Difficult Pumping Applications from
Blackhawk Environmental Company
Why would anyone need to go to such great length to pump
landfill leachate? Outside the burgeoning Sacramento metropolitan
area, the terrain is so flat that the Placer County, Calif.
mixed solid-waste landfill is the sum of 14 modular landfills,
6 out of the 14 have been filled up to 60 feet above grade
and created by excavating 45 feet down into the land. As the
need for more landfill space arises, new modules are created
behind the first. The further out the hills go, the longer
the distance in which the leachate from them must be pumped
to a manhole discharge in order to keep the liquid at the
government-mandated levels. This is no easy task considering
that in the most challenging case to date at Placer County,
the leachate is pumped to 45 feet from the bottom of a module
to the surface and then an additional 4,000 feet to the manhole
discharge and into the municipal wastewater treatment system
at the desired rate of three to five gallons per minute. Of
course, the leachate is constantly analyzed to ensure that
it can be discharged safely into the municipal system.
Before a permanent pumping solution was found at Placer County,
more than a year was spent studying two different types of
pumps. The first pneumatic pump the landfill operators tried
could neither pump the required distance nor maintain the
desired flow rate. This pump also discharged air into the
well, which caused the leachate to oxidize, creating sediment
that clogged the pump and required it to be constantly cleaned
and flushed. The second pump the operators used was a stopgap
measure. An electric pump powered by a portable generator
was installed temporarily at the site to help
pump the leachate to the manhole discharge. The electric pump
worked well and did not experience the same problems as the
pneumatic pump, however, it was too costly to operate. Because
running a permanent power
line out to the module was impractical due to the distance
involved, the obvious solution for the long haul was a pneumatic
pump.
The pneumatic Anchor Pump 102A designed and developed by
Blackhawk Environmental Co., Glen Ellyn, Ill. was determined
by far a pump that could go the distance and pump on an angle.
Blackhawk Environmental worked with the engineering technicians
at the Placer County landfill to ensure that they got the
right pump. The resulting custom-designed, side-slope application,
pneumatic Anchor 102A Pump features an above-well motor assembly
that draws the leachate from an existing 14”-diameter
pipe which runs from outside the landfill to the level below
the waste where the leachate collects, then pumps it another
4,000 feet to the manhole discharge. None of the problems
experienced with the initial two pumps has occurred with the
Anchor Pump 102A.
Blackhawk Environmental’s Anchor Pump 102A consumes
and discharges air without the air entering the well, thus
eliminating the need for such time-consuming maintenance.
Additionally, the Anchor Pump 102A works smoothly, pumping
at the desired flow rate, regardless of how much dirt, slime,
grime, heat or even cold is involved.
Pneumatic Anchor Pump 102As were installed at two different
Placer County modules in 2001. Although the landfill-engineering
technicians considered increasing the diameter of the pipe
running from the Anchor Pump 102As to the manhole discharge
in order to speed the flow rate, this extra step proved unnecessary.
Plans are in the works to add a third pneumatic Anchor Pump
102A—thanks to its easy on-site maintenance and installation,
uncomplicated controls, and non-clogging piston drive assembly
that goes to great lengths to defy malfunction and deliver
the desired flow rate—at Placer County when the need
arises.
The Anchor Pump 102A is a positive displacement piston pump
powered by a pneumatic top head drive motor which can be easily
viewed during operation. Constructed of stainless steel or
high-strength, impact resistant thermoplastic, the Anchor
102A holds up exceptionally well to heat, solvent and organic
stressors. Its motor is fully protected from harm by the elements
and is not affected by well pressure changes.
The Anchor Pump 102A is easy to install and maintain. The
non-clogging, surface-driven pump can be installed vertically
or horizontally and operates when a well is wet or dry. The
mechanical drive mechanism resides outside the well, and therefore
no power cords or air lines enter the well.
Blackhawk Environmental Co. specializes in manufacturing
quality pumps and controls for demanding pumping applications.
Blackhawk pumps can be powered pneumatically or electrically
and can work in hazardous or potentially hazardous environments.
For over ten years, Blackhawk pumps have been successfully
operating in a wide range of pumping applications across the
United States. Blackhawk’s pumps are custom manufactured
in a variety of sizes and designs depending on the application.
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