What is the difference between CLEAN-FLO
Before 1970, the Water Pollution Control Federation had determined that fine bubble bottom air diffusers were by far the most efficient and energy saving of all types of wastewater aeration systems. The problem was that fine bubble diffusers can clog easily. So, the majority of the wastewater treatment industry went to less efficient surface aerators. Surface wastewater aerators not only sit on the surface, they also only oxygenate the surface water of wastewater lagoons, leaving the rest of the lagoon water anoxic (without oxygen). Most importantly, in temperate and colder climates, surface aerators often freeze, rendering them useless. Our wastewater aerators have a unique design that allows us to achieve high-capacity water movement with aeration, even in the winter.
In designing our first wastewater aeration system, we tackled all of the toughest problems. Because of the energy crisis, the wastewater aerator had to be the finest bubble bottom diffuser available. However, it also had to be non-clogging and more efficient than wastewater surface aerators. Furthermore, it had to remove odor and bottom organic sediment (muck). To achieve these goals the CLEAN-FLO wastewater aeration system had to be specially engineered to be non-clogging and to have the characteristics listed below.
No odor on the bank of a manure wastewater pond due to CLEAN-FLO inversion and oxygenation
CLEAN-FLO inversion saves Reservoirs hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in treatments costs
CLEAN-FLO Wastewater Aeration System Characteristics
CONTINUOUS WATER AERATION:
To accomplish these great improvements over existing wastewater aeration systems, it had to operate continuously without failure.
LAMINAR FLOW:
For maximum efficiency, the diffused aeration needed to not stir up bottom muck and not mix phosphorus, nitrogen and other pollutants from the muck into the water column; wastewater aeration must not create turbulence. It must create a laminar flow of the water from the bottom to the surface without mixing bottom sediments in with the wastewater lagoon water.
INVERSION:
To duplicate nature, which kept lakes clean for thousands of years, the CLEAN-FLO wastewater aeration system had to be properly engineered to duplicate spring and fall turnover, or inversion, of lakes several times a day. The reason for this is because our wastewater aerator brings water to the surface where it spreads out in a thin sheet 0.1 inches thick. Oxygen transfer from the atmosphere to the wastewater is then much higher than it is in standard clean water tanks, which have a very low surface area.
OXYGENATION:
To bind phosphorus and nitrogen to the bottom sediment instead of re-suspending it into the water column, the wastewater aeration system had to be engineered to fully oxygenate the water from the surface to bottom. It also had to oxygenate the bottom so bacteria and insects could feed on and biodegrade organic sediments and so anaerobic bacteria would not produce odors and toxic gases.
The CLEAN-FLO Continuous Laminar Flow Inversion and Oxygenation System was successfully engineered and designed in 1970 and accomplished every one of these goals. Today, the CLEAN-FLO system is still the only wastewater aeration system capable of doing all of these things.
CLEAN-FLO aeration eliminates odor and increases dissolved oxygen in 50 million gallon heifer lagoon.
Surface crusting and solids reduced in the lagoon by CLEAN-FLO aeration.
In waste water, contrary to other wastewater aerators in which oxygen transfer goes down, the efficiency of the CLEAN-FLO diffuser greatly increases. This is because the CLEAN-FLO wastewater aeration system moves the bottom water continuously across the surface of the lagoons.