Tag Archive for: clogging

Digester Cleanout

Digesters are vital to wastewater treatment, converting organic waste into biogas and biosolids. Over time, dense grit, rags, and inert solids accumulate at the bottom, reducing capacity and efficiency. Periodic cleanouts are required to restore volume and performance.

Challenges:
Digester sludge is thick, corrosive, and often contains stringy or fibrous material that clogs conventional pumps. Cleaning operations are complex and must be completed quickly to minimize downtime. The combination of gas buildup, solids stratification, and confined-space conditions makes reliability and solids-handling ability critical.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo pumps provide safe and efficient digester cleanout with powerful agitation to break up settled sludge. Their robust wet-end design and open or recessed impellers pass fibrous material without clogging. Built with corrosion-resistant alloys and heavy-duty seals, they deliver dependable performance under the toughest anaerobic conditions — reducing labor and downtime.

Manure Injection

Manure injection systems deliver nutrient-rich slurry directly into the soil, improving fertilization efficiency while minimizing odor and runoff. These systems rely on consistent slurry transfer and pressure control to feed the injectors evenly during field application.

Challenges:
Manure contains fibrous material, sand, and organic solids that can clog injectors and strain pumps. Abrasive particles cause rapid wear, while viscosity and solids concentration vary depending on feedstock and dilution. Pumps must provide consistent flow and pressure under changing field conditions.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo pumps deliver the durability and performance needed for reliable manure injection. Their open and recessed impeller designs handle fibrous and abrasive slurries without clogging, and high-chrome or elastomer-lined materials resist wear. With strong solids-handling capability and efficient hydraulics, they maintain steady flow for precise, low-maintenance nutrient application in agricultural operations.

Peel and Cuttings Transfer

Food processing facilities generate large volumes of peels, pulp, and organic waste from cutting and preparation lines. These materials are often mixed with rinse water to form a slurry that must be transferred to collection or composting systems for disposal or reuse.

Challenges:
Peels and fibrous organic matter tend to bind and wrap around impellers, causing clogging and reduced efficiency. The combination of soft solids and sticky starches can form mats that are difficult to pump using conventional designs. Sanitation standards also require easy access for cleaning and inspection.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo pumps with open or recessed impellers provide clog-free transfer of fibrous and organic slurries. Their agitator option keeps solids evenly suspended, while smooth internal passages minimize buildup. Available in stainless steel or elastomer-lined materials, they deliver durable, food-safe, and reliable performance for continuous peel and cuttings transfer operations.

Vegetable Washdown Pits

Vegetable washdown pits collect runoff from cleaning and processing stations where produce is rinsed before packaging. These pits contain a mixture of water, soil, plant matter, and organic residues that must be pumped away efficiently to keep operations sanitary and productive.

Challenges:
The slurry in washdown pits contains fibrous debris, sand, and sediment that can quickly clog standard pumps. The organic content promotes bacterial buildup and odor if not removed consistently. Equipment must handle variable solids loads while operating in a wet, often corrosive environment where downtime can halt production lines.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo’s submersible agitator pumps excel in vegetable washdown applications. Their recessed impellers and agitator systems prevent clogging by keeping solids suspended, while high-chrome or elastomer-lined components resist abrasion. Easy-to-clean designs and reliable operation ensure hygienic, low-maintenance pit management even under continuous washdown conditions.

Wood Chip Tunnel

Wood chip tunnels are used to convey chips from storage piles to the pulping area using conveyor systems. During rain or snowmelt, water collects in tunnel sumps, carrying fine wood particles, bark, and debris that must be pumped out to prevent flooding and maintain safe operation.

Challenges:
Tunnel sumps accumulate fibrous, stringy material that entangles impellers and reduces flow. The mixture of organic solids and debris makes clogging common, while restricted access in tunnels complicates maintenance. Pumps must handle large solids, operate reliably in confined spaces, and resist wear from wood fiber abrasion.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo’s agitator-equipped submersible pumps are ideal for fibrous, debris-laden tunnel sumps. Their open impeller and large-passage designs allow wood chips and fibers to pass without clogging. With durable construction, simple servicing, and continuous-duty performance, they keep tunnels clear, safe, and free of overflow even in heavy runoff conditions.

Bark Ash and Boiler Ash

Bark ash and boiler ash are waste products from burning wood waste and black liquor in mill boilers. The resulting ash slurry — a mix of fine solids, water, and chemicals — must be collected, transported, or dewatered to maintain boiler efficiency and meet environmental compliance.

Challenges:
Ash slurries are highly abrasive and sometimes caustic, quickly wearing out impellers, casings, and liners. Solids tend to settle in sumps and piping, causing frequent clogs and requiring manual cleaning. Standard dewatering and transfer pumps often fail prematurely under these abrasive conditions.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo submersible slurry pumps are built to handle abrasive ash slurries with minimal wear. Their high-chrome construction, heavy-duty bearings, and agitator systems keep solids suspended and prevent buildup. These pumps deliver superior reliability, reduced downtime, and longer component life in ash handling applications across pulp and paper facilities.

Black Liquor

Black liquor is a by-product of the kraft pulping process, containing lignin, chemicals, and dissolved wood materials. It is a highly alkaline, viscous fluid that is concentrated and burned in recovery boilers to reclaim energy and chemicals for reuse in the mill.

Challenges:
Black liquor is both corrosive and sticky, with high viscosity that increases as it cools. It can cause scaling, crystallization, and deposits that clog standard pumps and piping. The chemical composition also leads to corrosion and mechanical seal wear, making reliability difficult to maintain in high-temperature service.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo’s pumps for black liquor service feature corrosion-resistant alloys, mechanical seal protection, and high-temperature capability. Their open and recessed impellers handle viscous fluids without clogging, and optional heating jackets or material upgrades ensure steady, reliable operation. These features extend equipment life and reduce unplanned maintenance in harsh liquor handling circuits.

Digester Sumps

Digesters break down wood chips into pulp using heat, pressure, and chemicals such as sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. Digester sumps collect residual slurry, wash water, and fibers from the process for recirculation, cleaning, or disposal. Maintaining flow from these sumps is essential to prevent downtime and ensure stable pulp production.

Challenges:
The slurry in digester sumps is hot, fibrous, and chemically aggressive. Fibers tend to bind and form mats that clog conventional pumps, while high temperatures and caustic chemicals accelerate corrosion and seal degradation. Downtime for cleaning or repairs can disrupt continuous operations and reduce plant efficiency.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo pumps are purpose-built to handle hot, fibrous, and caustic slurries. Their recessed impellers and agitator options prevent fiber buildup and maintain consistent flow, even with high solids content. Available in stainless steel and elastomer-lined configurations, they resist corrosion and provide long service life under the extreme conditions found in digester sumps.

Phosphoric Acid Production

Phosphoric acid is produced by reacting phosphate rock with sulfuric acid, generating a slurry that includes gypsum and other by-products. The resulting mixture is highly abrasive, corrosive, and dense, requiring robust slurry-handling systems for filtration, clarification, and transfer.

Challenges:
The acid-rock reaction creates a highly erosive and low-pH slurry that destroys conventional pumps rapidly. Scaling, crystallization, and solids buildup further contribute to clogging and wear. Pump failures in these circuits lead to contamination, high maintenance costs, and process interruptions.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo pumps are engineered to thrive in aggressive phosphoric acid environments. Their high-chrome or rubber-lined wet ends resist abrasion, while acid-resistant materials prevent corrosion. Recessed impeller and agitator options keep gypsum solids in suspension, minimizing blockages and ensuring smooth, continuous operation in both production and recovery circuits.

Ethanol Production

Ethanol production from biomass or corn involves fermentation, distillation, and dehydration processes. Pumps play a key role in moving slurries of grain mash, yeast mixtures, and by-products such as stillage and syrup through different stages of the plant.

Challenges:
Ethanol production slurries are viscous and can contain fibrous materials that clog conventional pumps. Solids and organic residues promote bacterial growth, leading to scaling, odor, and maintenance issues. In addition, cleaning and sanitation requirements demand pumps that can be easily serviced and compatible with cleaning chemicals.

Solution:
Hevvy/Toyo’s agitator-equipped pumps handle thick, fibrous, and viscous slurries with ease. Their non-clogging impeller designs and rugged construction prevent blockages and minimize maintenance downtime. Available in stainless steel and elastomer-lined configurations, they provide reliable, hygienic, and efficient performance across ethanol processing stages — from mash transfer to stillage handling.