Technical workmanship in renovation of Aquafin sludge dryer

Aquafin purifies sewage until it can be returned to nature

More than 1,200 employees work at Aquafin on clean waterways and a living environment in harmony with water. They treat household wastewater and make room for rainwater on public property. Infiltrating and buffering rainwater is the best answer to both flooding and drought.

Aquafin has a deep understanding of the operation of the wastewater and stormwater systems in the Flemish treatment areas. As a result, they know where the risks of flooding and ecological damage due to flooding are and propose the appropriate measures to eliminate them. Due to a changing climate, we in Flanders are increasingly having to deal with a lot of precipitation in a short period of time and long-term drought. Aquafin has the knowledge and tools to work out scenarios that offer sustainable solutions that go beyond mere adaptation. They work out total concepts that focus on the efficient use of every drop of water. Moreover, they pay attention to nature and amenity value in their designs.

Design and re-engineering of new plant

At the Aquafin site in Deurne, an impressive sludge dryer installation was completely overhauled.

The heart of this installation consists of 13 double-walled dishes in which thermal oil of 270 °C runs.
The sludge is passed from top to bottom over the heated dishes by means of a central shaft with scraper arms. The end product of this recycling process is a pellet grain.

When you know that each of these dishes has a diameter of 5 metres and weighs 6 tonnes, and that the customer imposed a tolerance of + and - 2 mm flatness in the process, it should be clear that this is a (welding) technical tour de force.

These heating dishes were completely re-engineered and manufactured at Meyer. A heat transfer study was carried out in collaboration with UGent.
Besides these dishes, the screw conveyors, drives, thermal oil valves and all other crucial techniques were overhauled in one go.

During two very intensive months on site, our service department was responsible for professional dismantling and assembly. Heartfelt congratulations to everyone who worked on this fantastic project!