Waste Treatment at Link-Belt's Ball
and Roller Bearing Plant
LARRY C. GEYER, Project Engineer
Link-Belt Company
Indianapolis, Indiana
INTRODUCTION
At Link-Belt's recently completed Bearing Plant, located on US 36 west
of Indianapolis, complete facilities have been provided to treat both the waste
water which is generated from manufacturing processes and the sanitary sewage produced. The Bearing Plant which was completed in the spring of 1959
is devoted to the manufacture of ball and roller bearings and houses some of
the latest development in material handling and machine tools. The manufacturing building is a one-story structure of 375,000 sq ft, with a two-story
office building attached to it. The power house and waste treatment facilities
are located in the rear of the property, approximately 400 ft from the manufacturing building. This is to provide for expansion of the manufacturing facilities without disturbing product flow.
Since the property is located beyond the city limits of Indianapolis, it
was necessary to provide a complete sewer system, both storm and sanitary.
A storm sewer was designed to pick up road and roof drainage and the treated
effluent from the sewage plant. This water is then discharged into a creek
approximately one quarter mile west of the property.
PRELIMINARY DESIGN DATA
Because some manufacturing operations produce waste water that would
be detrimental to normal sewage plant operation, data had to be gathered so
an industrial waste treatment plant could be designed.
This industrial waste plant would pretreat the waste water before it enters the sewer flowing to the sewage plant. All data gathered on industrial
wastes, personnel employed, and the character of the discharge stream was
sent to Link-Belt's Colmar Plant where the complete waste treatment facility
was designed.
In determining the type and size of a waste treatment plant, the rate of
flow was measured on all equipment which would be moved to the new plant
and the volume which could be expected due to a dump of fluid was also
noted. Any new equipment which was purchased and which would produce
waste water was surveyed for flow through the manufacturers of the equipment. A sample of the different wastes expected was collected and mixed in
a proportion calculated from anticipated flow rate. This sample along with
the maximum and minimum flow rates, determined the type of treatment
necessary and the size of system required.
The industrial waste flow consists of cleaning soaps and detergents,
water soluble grinding oils, cutting oils, phosphoric acid cleaners, various
rust inhibitors, solvents, sodium nitrate salts, and small amounts of acids
from laboratory operations. The waste flow is almost always alkaline with the
characteristics of flow varying widely from day to day.
The sanitary sewage plant was designed from figures on the personnel employed per shift and the character and quantity of the treated waste effluent.
The sanitary sewer serves only the cafeteria, the toilet facilities, and drinking
fountains. Industrial waste drains were provided in those areas where there
was a possibility of any industrial waste water being produced.
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