Energy-Saving Butterfly Valve Retrofit at a Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant

At a municipal wastewater treatment plant, the original gate valves used in the sludge thickening and dewatering processes were bulky, required high operating torque, and offered poor sealing performance, resulting in high energy consumption and frequent maintenance. This was particularly problematic in sludge pumping lines, where the gate valves’ high flow resistance increased pumping energy consumption. Furthermore, their gland packing seals suffered severe wear from the particle-laden medium, leading to a leakage rate of 0.3%; this not only created a poor on-site working environment but also raised sludge treatment costs. The plant decided to replace the traditional gate valves with our company’s butterfly valves, featuring 304 stainless steel bodies and corrosion-resistant EPDM seals. Our butterfly valves are compact, lightweight, and require only a 90-degree rotation to open or close, making operation quick and effortless. In the sludge treatment stage, our electric butterfly valves automatically adjust sludge pumping volumes based on process requirements, optimizing thickening and dewatering efficiency; on the inlet and outlet pipes of the biochemical treatment tanks, they precisely control flow rates to meet the needs of different process stages. Following the retrofit, the plant achieved a 23% reduction in energy consumption, lowered the leakage rate from 0.3% to 0.01%, cut annual maintenance costs by 60%, and increased sludge dewatering efficiency by 25%, while also significantly improving the on-site working environment.