Process Upgrades at Wastewater Treatment Plant Save Nearly 3 Million kWh and 270 MMBtu Annually

December 21, 2005

Two ITP BestPractices assessment tools figured prominently in an energy efficiency project carried out at the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (Metro WWTP) in Onondaga County, New York: the Pumping System Assessment Tool (PSAT) and MotorMaster+.

Thomas Devine, a Qualified Pump System Specialist at Stearns & Wheler LLC, used the PSAT and MotorMaster+ in assessing Metro WWTP's pump and motor systems. These assessments enabled plant engineers to improve the plant's process efficiency and validate its pump maintenance program.

The improvement project involved retrofitting motors, changing the process operating strategy, and upgrading impellers. Waste-activated sludge pump motors were replaced with premium-efficiency units fitted with variable-frequency drives. Aeration blowers were shut down, and the efficiency of the low-lift pumps was improved. As a result, the plant is saving about 2.81 million kWh of electricity and 270 MMBtu of natural gas each year, as well as $207,500 in annual energy costs.

Metro WWTP provides wastewater treatment for 270,000 people and many industrial and commercial customers in the city of Syracuse and other areas in Onondaga County. The plant treats an average of 80 million gallons of wastewater daily.

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