Pump Any Fluid Without Electricity!

The Wheel-Treater is a water powered chemical pump with a rugged and dependable stainless steel construction.

Its uses are only limited to one's imagination. Wherever there is flowing water or wastewater that needs treatment, there is probably a Wheel-Treater application. Because it's powered by the natural flow of water, it requires no electricity or switching mechanisms.

Why Water Power?

There are a lot of chemical metering pumps that you can easily plug into a 110-volt socket. But what if you don't have electricity, and solar power is not practical? Furthermore, without on-the-spot labor, who is going to switch an electrical pump on and off and adjust the feed rate?

Enter the Wheel-Treater, a device that's entirely powered by the flow of water, usually a small portion of the total flow.

In addition to being completely water powered, the Wheel-Treater is also responsive to changing water flows. This means that when the water stops flowing, the treatment stops. The chemical feed rate will follow varying water flow rates thereby increasing accuracy, eliminating waste and lowering treatment and labor costs.

A Modern Design

Waterwheels have been used for thousands of years, but new runner and cup designs have evolved. Since the Wheel-Treater is designed to operate at relatively slow speeds, the runner design is simple and low maintenance. Since its original design, the Wheel-Treater has evolved to maximize torque, foot-pounds of power and hydraulic efficiency. Additionally, all models have large carrying handles and can be moved without heavy machinery.

Application Examples

Gravity Feed Installations

Quarry

The drainage water from this stone and sand quarry water contained suspended solids (clay particles) which needed to be removed for the water to be in compliance. The run-off water is channeled through a series of ditches and eventually runs out of a 16" steel pipe. Water flows from the bottom of the pipe through a flexible 2" line into the Wheel Treater. To keep rocks and debris from clogging the line, a screen was attached to the line opening. In this installation, run-off water is discharged intermittently. The Wheel-Treater responds to the discharge by pumping a Chemstream coagulant into the water, which keeps this pond very clear and in compliance.

Mine

This mine drainage water contained high levels of dissolved iron. Water flows from the bottom of a drainage pipe through a flexible 2" line into the Wheel Treater. The natural water flow powers the Wheel-Treater to pump AMDTreat 252 into the water. This installation also includes an aeration trough to mix and aerate the water. The addition of AMDTreat 252 combined with the aeration trough significantly reduces dissolved iron, bringing the drainage water into compliance.

Pump Feed Installations

Mine

When these lined ponds were constructed, the mine discharge pipe was laid in a position just above the liner. In this example, an elbow and riser pipe were installed in order to flood-feed the Wheel-Treater's intake manifold. Many pump feed installations have been configured in this same way because it's very dependable and reliable. When water is pumped from the mine or pit, it flows to the top of this piping configuration. Water then flood-feeds the Wheel-Treater. A gate valve is used to throttle the water flow so that the Wheel-Treater's pump RPM drives the peristaltic pump at an appropriate speed. This pump speed insures that the correct amount of EverFloc is dispensed.

Mine

In this installation, a Wheel-Treater Jr. is used to dispense Chemstream AMDTreat 252, which is an enhanced 25% caustic soda product. The water flow is elevated so that it water can be gravity fed to the Wheel-Treater's intake. This is similar to the elbow and riser but with a more gradual pipe elevation. This mine's drainage is acidic with dissolved metals as well as suspended solids. The pond retention is adequate for AMDTreat to take care of the total treatment objective which is to precipitate iron, manganese, and clarify the water.

Drive Assembly Options

• C-Drive. The chain drive setup provides mechanical advantage by increasing pump speed as compared to wheel speed. The HS-2 and HS-3 models propel the pump at a higher speed than the wheel. The slots on the long shelf accommodate the 500 and the 610 Randolph-Austin peristaltic pump. The chain drive can also be adapted to drive a small 100-PSI peristaltic pump.
• D-Drive. With a short shelf, the Wheel-Treater can be adapted to direct drive the 250, 400, 500, and 610 Randolph-Austin peristaltic pump. This is the simplest and most maintenance free setup. The rate of chemical injection is controlled by wheel speed and tubing diameter.
• Z-Drive. The long shelf can also accommodate the Z-Drive, which adds an adjustable Zero-Max gearbox for pump speed control independent of the wheel speed. Comparatively, the typical Z-Drive has about 1/10 the chemical output of the D-Drive model. With a reverse sprocket ratio, the Z-Drive output can be doubled. The strong point of the Z-Drive is adjustability.

The Wheel Treater Sr. is available online with D and Z-Drives only. Please contact us for more options

Specifications