Bacee Systems, Ice.(BacTee), is an environmental systems developer/integration company with headquarters in Grand Forks, ND. BacTee supplies environmental systems to clients throughout the environmental industry, including the industrial, municipal and agricultural sector. These systems include WASTEWATER TREATMENT: activated sludge, SBRs, micro bubble flotation, Air-lift Loop Reactor; AIR POLLUTION CONTROL: biofiters and the world’s finest aeration floor – The BioAer® Aeration Floor system; and COMPOST SYSTEM: the ENRS® . In-vessel Composting Technology with its proven process management capability.
In the late summer of 2002, BacTee was about to start up a new wastewater treatment facility (10 MGD/300k + PE) when it was discovered that nearly one half of the EPDM aeration membranes installed at the facility had been contaminated with welted to the degree that the life span of the membrane was at risk.
Due to various supply/pricing, inslatllation and performance issues. BacTee Began an investigation of various suppliers’ membrace diffusers. In order to fairly evaluate products from various vendors, BacTee staffers constructed a scoring matrix. The matrix consisted of such things as life-cycle costs, ease of installation and membrane replacement, performance, experience with deep-tank aeration system (>9m), customer satisfaction, and ability to meet or exceed the design aeration load and delivery time constraints.
Nine potential membrane diffusers were evaluated. Based on initial scoring, a short-list was developed for more extensive evaluation. The evaluation revealed two suppliers with products that could meet or exceed the design aeration load at a considerably lower life cycle ownership cost to the Owner thatn the existing aeration equipment while using the existing pipe support infrastructure in the bioreactors.
Based on further evaluation it was determined that the 12” SSI Airflex™ diffuser provided the performance we desired plus the lowest, long-term, life cycle ownership costs of any diffuser investigated. Approximately 2050 diffusers were installed in one of four aerated reactors…the second and most heavily loaded reactor in the treatment train of this BNR – capable facility. The aeration capacity plus the designed aeration flexibility will be greatly enhanced by use of the SSI Airflex™ diffuser.
SSI has been a pleasure to work with before, during and after the sale and installation. They hopped through hoops to meet tight delivery schedules and they stayed in touch to insure the installed- system integrity was as promised and expected. Its nice to know that there are firms out there that deliver quality product, in a timely manner and recognize that there is more to a successful project that just the bottom line…their service was exemplary.
