Environmental Incident Averted at California Refinery Using the Rain for Rent Tube Settler Clarifier with Sand Filters

A major Northern California refinery received hydrotest water from their pipeline division that was unknowingly contaminated with mercury and selenium. 

These highly toxic metals passed through the wastewater plant and began showing up in the effluent discharge water.  The rising contaminate levels were quickly approaching the state permit levels and would impede the refinery's ability to discharge water, thus jeopardizing production.

The Rain for Rent Bay Area Filtration and Separation Division specialists were called to test the water.  The recommended solution was to treat the water with a polymer, to flocculate suspended solids, filter those solids and remove the consolidated metals. 

Rain for Rent suggested batch-treating the water with polymer in a mix tank, then filtering through a 48-4 sand media filter and polishing with a PF-1000 particulate filter.  This system was pressurized with a high head, HH-125, 6 inch Power Prime™ pump and the backwash water was sent to a Tube Settler™ for solids collection. 

The Rain for Rent team added the polymer, operated the system around the clock while the water was being processed and provided water quality and treatment data to the refinery's operations personnel. 

The system allowed the refinery to treat and filter 45,000 barrels of contaminated water, averting an environmental incident.