Grit Removal
Smith & Loveless’ commitment to market leadership has paved the way for their evolving research and development. This had lead to inovations across all of Smith & Loveless' lines. In the early 1970s, Smith & Loveless introduced the original vortex PISTA Grit Chamber. Since then, S&L and developed numerous patents and exclusive components that has advanced the fields of complete grit removal, handling and dewatering. These innovations and experiences make the unparalleled PISTA the industry’s most specified grit removal system today.
The key to effective grit removal is understanding how grit moves in water. Moving grit starts with effective hydraulic designs to control velocity. With proper hydraulics and velocity control, grit can be efficiently moved and removed from the wastewater stream.
High removal efficiencies originate from the PISTA® Grit Chamber’s unparalleled hydraulic design, including its flat chamber floor, patented and low-energy axial-flow propeller. The combination creates a true vortex that effectively separates grit from organics and the waste stream. Forced vortex action distinguishes the PISTA® Grit Chamber from all other so-called “vortex” grit chambers because it does not rely on less efficient particle settling or gravity.
PISTA® offers flexible application whether from domestic sewage in a municipal headworks or industrial process streams in a commercial production facility. The PISTA® grit chamber can be installed above-grade or below ground with concrete, carbon steel, or stainless steel tankage. Individual units can handle waste streams less than 0.5 MGD all the way to 100 MGD. In large treatment works, multiple units arrange to efficiently remove grit from hundreds of millions of gallons of flow a day.
Vortex PISTA® Grit Removal (Headworks) Systems:
The PISTA®Works™ is Smith & Loveless’s most recent innovation further enhancing the world’s best headworks and grit removal scheme all in one package, providing many engineering and cost savings considerations.
The custom-engineered PISTA®Works™ is fully automated with a PLC-based control system and equipped with an integrated screening system for solids retention, PISTA® 360™ Grit Chamber for grit removal, PISTA® TURBO™ Grit Washer to receive the mixture of water and grit from the PISTA® Grit Concentrator and clean the grit while minimizing the odor caused by putrescible organics. Also included in the package are two platforms for convenient equipment access.