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Morro Bay Rides the Wave of Robust Screening Technology

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When the City of Morro Bay, California needed a reliable multiple rake screen designed for longevity and robustness while also being coupled with features that would save operational and maintenance costs in the long term, they turned to Vulcan Industries.

The City sought to find a “clean” screening machine that did not allow screenings to get hung-up and included a positive engagement between the rake heads and the bar rack.  The Vulcan Multiple Rake (VMR) Screen fit the expectations of design and was selected by the consultant and Owner.  The appealing features for the City were a lower curved bar rack, 3/4” thick rake teeth, and rake heads with large capacities that can remove more material in one pass than any other multiple rake screen in the industry.

These features are design standards and are made possible due to the industry leading 1/4” thick and 28″ deep side frames; without these stainless steel characteristics the multi-rake screen risks micro-twisting resulting in reduced gear box and bearing life. The City was also impressed with the VMR lower engagement guide system that ensures teeth engagement throughout the entire length of the bar rack without any moving parts beneath the water. The compelling feature of this system is that screening material is removed rather than ridden over with this design approach.

In addition to screening, the City elected to implement a sluicing conveyance system to remove the maintenance costs of an extra motor and screw.  In short, the screenings that are captured by the screens are dropped into a ‘U’ shaped trough that uses an actuated water source to convey the screenings to the washing press for further treatment of screenings.  Once the screenings reach the washing press, they are washed, dewatered, and compacted to produce a landfill ready product.  Additionally, the PLC/OIT program included the maintenance required to be performed on the screen and washing press. At timed intervals, the PLC would notify the operator/mechanic that preventive maintenance was due.

Consulting engineer Mike Nunley said of the project, “The Vulcan screening system was selected to best meet the City’s needs for reliability and performance. Vulcan staff was readily available and worked closely with Michael K. Nunley & Associates to meet the design criteria and address project challenges.”

Also instrumental to the success of this project was Jeremy Neil of Coombs Hopkins. Without the hard work and insight of representatives like Jeremy, projects like Morro Bay would not occur. Many thanks to all involved in making the Morro Bay project such a success!