General Water Treatment Process
There are numerous methods of water treatment for our public drinking water to remove disease causing agents. The diagram below shows you the most common steps taken.
1. Coagulation
Very small particles in the water stick together to form larger particles as the coagulant alum is mixed into the water.
2. Settling Basin
A process where solid particles "settle out" and thus are removed from the water.
3. Fluoridation
Controlled addition of fluoride to the water supply to improve dental health.
4. Filtration
Water is flitered slowly through granular carbon and crushed sand to remove the very small particles.
5. UV Disinfection
To remove pathogens such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia the water passes through UV reactors, where high intensity UV light inactivates pathogens.
6. Chlorine Disinfection
Chlorine is added to the water as a secondary disinfectant. Providing extra protection from harmful microorganisms.
7. Finished Water Storage
The treated water is stored in deep underground tanks and pumped as needed.
8. Corrosion Control
To control the corrosion of pipes, a phosphorous compound is added. This prevents lead and copper from leaching into the water.
Where The PSS Mechanical Seal Fits In
The PSS mechanical seal are used on the horizontal mixer shafts in the mixing basin. The original mixer shaft drives a propeller / impeller which mixes the coagulant alum in the water. Images below are of the completed installation of the PSS seal and Flange & Bladder System in the Kenosha water utility plant.
Images courtesy of Kenosha Water Utility
How Did The PSS Seal Benefit The Kenosha Water Utility
Kenosha Water Utility (KWU) has completed the PSS Shaft Seal retrofit of the old stuffing box type configurations on their mixing basin / horizontal mixer shafts at their water purification plant. KWU was looking for a solution to replace the constantly leaking and worn out traditional seals with something that will last, reduce cost, reduce pump down time due to seal maintenance and eliminate leaking, and the PSS Shaft Seal was their number one choice. PYI provided pressure resistant PSS Shaft Seals as well as mounting flanges for this retrofit project.
The water treatment system and PSS seals run 24/7 providing water to more than 110,000 persons in the greater Kenosha Metropolitan area, including the City of Kenosha, Village of Pleasant Prairie, Village and Town of Somers and Village of Bristol. The PSS Shaft Seal’s durability, reliability, simplicity, flexibility, ease of installation and maintenance along with PYI’s ability to customize mechanical sealing solutions in a very short period makes this a beneficial solution for any surface water utility using horizontal mixers on their flocculation / mixer basins. The Kenosha Water Utility team noted the installation "could not have been more straight forward, easy and resulting in very minimal down time".
