Overview:A pulp and paper mill was experiencing a major problem with steel casings in their lift pumps. The casings were wearing out rapidly and had to be replaced on a yearly basis. The cost of the new casings was $40,000.
The mill pumps push all mill-effluent material out to the clarifier where the solids can be separated and sent to a landfill. The fluids are sent to the lagoon for biological treatment. To replace the casings, the clarifiers must be bypassed. This introduces high solids and elevated BOD levels into the biological treatment system and is not advised.
The Kenway team relined the casing using ABR (abrasion-resistant) FRP. This is a fiberglass mat and corrosion-resistant polymer with silicon carbide powder added to the polymer. This repair was performed in 1994. It was done without shutting down the mill operations and since then, the only maintenance required has been minor patching in some worn areas. This original repair was only one-quarter of the cost of the new casings and the cost-saving over the last 26 years is over one million dollars.
