Yangzhou Maoyuan Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., (MYEP) is a Chinese machine maker that is specialized in sludge dewatering and sludge treatment solutions, as well as other wastewater treatment equipment. It was established in 2014 and makes machinery in its factory in Yangzhou, in Jiangsu province, about 280 km from Shanghai. The main markets served include China as well as Thailand, Chile, Australia, USA, Singapore, and others.
MYEP is proud of the high-tech equipment it has developed, based on a number of key patents, numerous successful engineering cases and an advanced production management system. This supports a product portfolio which includes efficient screw press sludge dewatering lines, low-temperature sludge dryers, belt press sludge dewatering machines, and sludge suction machines.
A very important area where the company’s dewatering equipment is applied, and where ABB solutions are playing a critical role, is for municipal sewage and domestic sewage treatment.
Interesting new spiral technology, but reliability challenges needed to be solved
A few years ago, MYEP developed a new kind of spiral sludge dewatering machine for more efficient solid-liquid separation, based on the well-known principle of screw extrusion. Using a tiny gap between a moving ring and a fixed ring, the machine uses high-pressure extrusion to achieve very high levels of sludge dehydration.
The new spiral technology offered the sludge treatment industry many interesting features and benefits, including a wide application area, reduced clogging, continuous operation, low running costs, low civil engineering costs, and excellent phosphorus removal function.
Sludge dewatering in general is a very demanding process due to the harsh conditions, corrosive materials and the physical characteristics of sludge. And the new spiral technology presented some even greater challenges due to the extremely high pressures involved.
In sludge dewatering operations, the requirements for product reliability and quality are very high, since the process needs to keep operating 24/7. Understandably, MYEP didn’t want itself or its customers to have to be fighting reliability issues in the equipment. However, at the same time, competitive cost pressures in the market made it a difficult balancing act to get the high reliability and performance customers want, but at a cost that they will pay.
A further concern was service and repairs, which MYEP always wants to be able to arrange rapidly in the event any issues arise with the machinery drives.
Smart move to change to ABB ACS180 drives
This is where ABB’s ACS180 machinery drive comes into MYEP’s success story with the new spiral sludge press. Offering both high reliability and accurate application control, in a compact and cost efficient package, the ACS180 turned out to be the perfect drive to run the screw press and meet its operational requirements.
In 2020 MYEP decided to change its supplier of drives for the spiral sludge dewatering unit, replacing the old drive from a different supplier with the ACS180. That has turned out to be a very good strategy as it has increased reliability significantly. The compact drives perfectly handle the machine’s motor speed and torque adjustments, in a very precise manner and with a low failure rate. Since changing to ABB, about 800 pcs. of ACS180 drives have been installed in the machines, without any problems in operation.
Customer is very happy with the change
Feng Zhaoqing, Electrical Control Support Manager at MYEP, is very pleased with the decision to use the ACS180.
“We see that these drives give us the high quality and high reliability that we need for running the spiral sludge dewatering machine efficiently. ACS180’s vector control gives the machine the required high starting torque, while also allowing improved dewatering efficiency for the best sludge treatment, even when the water content varies. The ACS180’s coated circuit boards also make it the ideal choice for our applications since they involve harsh, corrosive working environments.”
“We have had a great experience in cooperating with ABB and its channel partner Beijing Dand Technology Co., Ltd. in terms of both the solution design and the supply delivery, enabling us to proceed smoothly with our production plan. Moreover, ABB also provides comprehensive after-sales service and guarantees, leaving us worry-free. We have been deeply impressed with the professional and efficient service, and we look forward to continuing our cooperation in the future,” Mr. Feng added.
Energy consumption and noise also went down
Wang ZhongCen, Infrastructure & Transportation Industry Sales Director, at ABB Motion, China, is also pleased about the good results and cooperation. “The ACS180 works very reliability even under very harsh conditions, and this makes it especially suitable for equipment like these spiral sludge dewatering machines. This success with MYEP is a good example of how the ACS180 drive can help ensure proper performance of machines used in water and wastewater treatment to improve their energy efficiency.”
“Using the ACS180 also helps cut energy use and reduce noise, since the spiral design adjusts the pressing load by controlling the speed of the screw conveyor. And if any manual intervention is needed, the control panel is easy to operate to allow operators to change the settings to adapt to changing dewatering conditions.”
