Food Processing
Eastern Oregon – A world leading producer of processed onions and onion products faced a unique challenge for reclaiming plant water. The plant water contained not only onion skins and pieces, but whole onions as well. The water was collected in an on-site well, approximately 10’x10’x15’. Water collection occurs 24 hours per day. Pumps were needed that could handle not only the amount of solids in the form of skins and pieces, but their actual size as well, up to 6” in diameter.
Mitchell Lewis & Staver had several pumping solutions to offer. Based on flow/head requirements, power available, estimated hours of operation, solids handling ability and durability, MLS selected two large submersible units to do the job. The pumps were controlled by float switches in the well and set at different depths. The materials chosen were a Ni-Hard 550 impeller, volute and wear plate and other critical wear parts. The pumps also featured hard faced mechanical seals and stainless steel hardware. Typically, submersible pump motors are cooled by the fluid they are submerged in and this was true here. As a safety precaution, the pumps each had a Cool Agivent device which could provide cooling to an exposed motor, even for prolonged periods of time.
As these pumps were crucial the clients processes, Mitchell Lewis & Staver Co. agreed to keep long lead time, critical spares on it’s shelves, in case of a pump failure. Even under arduous condition, these pumps have seen very minimal down time in their several years of operation. The client has recently purchased a complete spare unit due to the criticality of their current process demands.