HYDRODYNAMIC CAVITATION by Green Mega Efficient Fluid Reactors Presented by AMISH MEHRA FLOURISH PAPER AND CHEMICALS LTD. AUTHORS: Mr. Amish Mehra, Dr. AB Pandit, Dr. AK Naithani

Why at all we need something new? Increased presence of bio-refractory materials in waste water streams (where do they come from??) Different impurities in raw materials, especially agro-based feedstocks, are posing newer treatment challenges (are they? really? Why is such a thing happening?) Traditional treatments are incapable to completely degrade these bio- refractory molecules into small molecules. (FACT)

What is cavitation? Phenomena of the formation, growth and subsequent collapse of microbubbles or cavities occurring in extremely small interval of time (milliseconds), releasing large magnitudes of energy When the pressure is brought back to normal pressure these vaporous bubbles collapse back in fluid with a bang to generate intense pressure and temperature at the point of collapse. Such intense conditions, can bring about several physical and chemical transformations at ambient bulk conditions HYDRODYNAMIC CAVITATION produced by pressure variations-  interchange of pressure and kinetic energy

Hydrodynamic Cavitation: The potential it offers HYCATOR REACTOR SYSTEMS Is a nature inspired patent pending technology which converts the kinetic energy of fluid into millions of targeted micro bubbles which are packed with extreme heat, pressure and turbulence and delivers it where it is needed keeping ambient conditions unchanged.

Why do we need Hybrid Technologies? Efficiency of the biological oxidation techniques  hampered by the presence of bio-refractory materials Advanced oxidation processes  promise complete degradation  currently lack in efficient design and operation and are still yet uneconomical. In a study[4], it has been indicated that a real paper-mill effluent sample, pre-treated with ozone and then subjected to biological oxidation resulted in enhancement in the bio-degradability-the COD in membrane-filtered samples was reduced by about 30%. Figure 3: % Total Coliforms killed by various techniques

Hydrodynamic Reactors : Benefits Speeds up processing time Can handle large flows Minimum footprint Can Combine with other technologies Technology allows for retrofitting Reduces chemicals usage Low Cost Saves water Highly efficient Can be easily fitted in congested places, makes retrofitting possible Less polluting Uses lesser energy for same work Saves this scarce and costly resource Increases plant capacity with same resources Industrial scale operations Makes existing plants more viable 100 percent depreciation in first year, Extremely attractive paybacks

APPLICATION 1: Cooling Towers CASE -1: Bio-fouling prevention in cooling tower water Chemical treatment cost was high and the plant management was under pressure to reduce water usage and discharge. Cycle of concentration was also low. A hard scale often formed in the summer season HYCATOR BFP installed in cooling tower circuit and detailed study done for 6 months: Performance exceeded customer’s expectations. Make up water consumption has been reduced by 30% Blow down discharge reduced over 60%. Bacterial microbial counts become nil and cycles of concentration substantially increased. Results also indicated that the HyCator®: BFP reactor system treatment performed well compared to the chemical treatment without adding any chemicals. In this particular case dosage of anti corrosion and scale prevention chemicals was also not required.

CASE -2: High blow down water and bio-fouling The main problem was high blow down water and bio-fouling. The cooling tower was operated at low cycle of concentration. HYCATOR BFP installed After the installation of HyCator ® : BFP Reactor System, Biocides dosing reduced to 10% and other chemicals (dispersant, corrosion inhibitor and anti-scalant) reduced to 40% of the original. The bacterial counts came down to under the permissible limit. Blow down was reduced by 40% Cycle of concentration was also marginally increased. Old scale was gradually removed and no new scales were formed. CASE -3: High volume of make-up and discharge water The volume of make up and discharge water was high and it was operated a low cycle of concentration. Bio fouling was also high. HYCATOR BFP installed Bio-fouling was fully controlled Scale and corrosion was also reduced over previous chemical treatment. Cycle of concentration also increased, 20% reduction in make-up water and 50% in blow down water.

APPLICATION 2: Effluent Treatment CASE -1: Paper mill effluent A renowned North Indian Paper mill with Agro-waste as raw material was operating a standard configuration ETP- Equalisation tank, Anaerobic Digestion, Aerobic Treatment, Chemical Treatment and filtration. The mill was sometimes facing issues with (1) fluctuating DO levels (2) fluctuating loads due to which COD and BOD levels rose (3) residual color in the mill (4) wanted reduction in cost of treatment. Features of HyCator ® : MBD installed: Recirculation of Aeration Tank-1 (after primary clarifier) Equipment had a total footprint of 0.5m 2 and assembly had total footprint of 5m 2. Main parameters that were checked were COD, BOD, DO and color

Period: April-May: As shown in below Figure, there is a marked increase of % reduction in COD at outlet of AT-1. Almost 17-20% increase in the % reduction of COD was observed. Also, from the data of dissolved oxygen(DO), it is clear that there is substantial improvement in the DO(mg/L). It is worthwhile to note that these are the results when the temperature almost increased by 7-8 o C due to summer season.

Period: June-July: As can be seen in Figure 7, the COD at outlet of AT-1 was reduced almost the same amount 15%. For the same period, BOD at final outlet(before discharge) was recorded and it was found to be reduced by 20%-23ppm in June to 18.1ppm in July(uptil mid-July only). This shows that the results from the application are translated to the final outlet. Figure 7: Performance for the period June-July

Working cost of the Hycator Reactor System Working Cost of HyCator ParameterQuantityUnits Pump Power75kW Cost of Electricity8Rs./kW Total Cost of Pumping600Rs./hr HyCator Operating Cost0Rs. Air injection cost0Rs. Pump maintenance costNegligibleRs. Volume handled450m3/hr Total cost per unit volume of effluent handled1.33Rs./m3

APPLICATION 3: Bio-Gas Generation Enhancement Hydrolysis-(slowest step) due to the generation of local intense shear forces, mechanically enhance breakage of the long chain polymeric molecules facilitating the process of Hydrolysis Acidogenesis-jet mixing and uniform distribution enhances the turbulent diffusivities of this high molecular weight volatile fatty acids intensifying the Acidogenesis Acetogenesis & Methanogenesis-two reactions are based on the intracellular enzymes, controlled disruption (about 2% of the total number of microbial cell) as a result of Hydrodynamic Cavitation (HyCator®: BGG Reactor System), introduces an enzymatic supplement to the last two reactions, increasing their over rates and kinetic performance

General: High solid content (>20 % v/v) and viscosity (>100 cP). High foaming materials. Should not be operate near the boiling range. For cost effectiveness, effluent should contain high COD. Operating limitations: HyCatorTM Reactor System is hydrodynamic equipment and needs to be operated at specified pressure and flow rate. Variation in flow rate and pressure should not be beyond ± 10 %. Requirement of minimum 2 bar pressure. Should not have much variation in vapor pressure at its operating condition. Technology Limitations

Representative Customers Current Customer list spans Chemical plants, FMCGs, Fertilizer, Chemical intermediaries etc for a variety of applications. Many more are presently on trials. All are paying customers. HyCator:BFP HyCator:MBD HyCator:PBD HyCator:MBD/DOB HyCator:MBD HyCator:OLM HyCator:MBD HyCator:BFP

“Thermax considers this technology as path breaking development” Divisional Manager & Head, RD Aga centre for innovation, Thermax Ltd “By using HyCator:MBD the COD reduction capacity of the biotower went up by 15/30 percent and it needs very limited maintenance” Director, CETP, Dombivli “The industrial scale HyCator®: OLM/PBD is functioning fine & is being utilized for development and scale up of topical formulations in our organization. We are happy with the services provided by them.” Director R&D, Marico Ltd Customer Testimonials

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