Case Study: Fiberglass Grating Gives Des Moines Facility New Lease on Life

0803-Des Moines Media Trickling Filter Main20803-Des Moines Media Trickling Filter DetailsTwelve media trickling filters — 152' in diameter — fabricated of DURAGRID® fiberglass grating were installed at the Des Moines, Iowa Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant in a renovation project undertaken to extend the life of the facility.

Manufactured and designed by Strongwell-Chatfield Location, the DURAGRID® MT5000 grating panels replaced concrete block in this application. Clay tile was considered as a replacement by the site engineers Donahoue & Associates/Metcalf & Eddy, but DURAGRID® offered many more benefits.

Each filter would have needed 25,000 clay tiles. This would have required 2-3 tractor trailer trucks to transport and 7-8 days to install, one tile at a time. The DURAGRID® was transported in one truckload and installed in 100 sections in 1-1/2 days.

TECHNICAL DATA
Product: Fiberglass Media Trickling Filters
Process: Pultrusion
Materials: Fiberglass reinforced polyester, white color
Sizes: DURAGRID® MT5000 1" grating
For: Des Moines, Iowa Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant

Another advantage of DURAGRID® grating for this application was the impact resistance of fiberglass. After the grating was put in place over the biodigestion pools, 6" of rock was poured onto the top of the grating. (Water filters through the rock and finally the grating during its purification/digestion process.) It was presumed that even carefully applied rock would break some of the tile, but the fiberglass grating was not at all damaged when rock was added. Also, compared to clay tiles, grating offers increased water flow capacity.

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