Dissolved oxygen (DO) refers to the amount of oxygen dissolved in water, an essential indicator of life-sustaining water. Federal and state agencies typically specify a minimum DO concentration of 6 milligrams per liter (MG/L). Many wastewater treatment facilities require post-aeration to achieve compliance.

Aeration methods increase the DO level in effluent by creating greater contact between air and water to enhance oxygen transfer. Traditional cascade aerators utilize height: water falls steeply step-to-step into splash zones, with significant elevation changes. 

The JMS Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) was designed in the 1990s to utilize the power of nature with a unique low-profile design to achieve required DO levels. Since then, JMS designers have created the new patented Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) with advanced designs to provide exceptional performance throughout the full range of daily effluent flow.

Components

The core component of the JMS Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator), the leaping weir assembly, promotes optimal velocity and pressure changes. Patented air infusion plates maximize the air-to-water mixture increasing effluent DO levels.

Unlike prior cascade designs, where water falls steeply from step to step, requiring great depths, the Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) uses optimum slopes of less than 5.5 degrees. Each channel is fitted with patented trapezoidal air infusion plates with leaping weirs, staged to create velocity and pressure changes throughout the length of the channel.

The JMS Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) uses patented Influent Control Gates designed for low or peak flow rates, with each channel width optimized for a plant’s full range of flow.

Influent flow control gates are also trapezoidal and serve as flow control weirs and submerged orifices when flows demand. The first stage channel is designed for minimum hydraulic flow rates. Individual channel widths are optimized for job-specific application flow rates.

The JMS Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) includes a Minimum Influent Flow Control Gate to control variable influent flow rates.

Key Advantages

  • Up to 6 MG/L increase in DO concentration for a full range of daily flow
  • Low profile design only 2.5 feet of head loss
  • Powered by gravity and a unique patented design
  • Pre-assembled for easy installation
  • Small footprint, and no operational costs
  • Low installation cost and maintenance
  • Stainless steel construction (30+ year lifespan)

Related Videos

Success Story

The Western Tennessee Waterworks (WTW) operates the Arlington Wastewater Treatment Plant, commissioned in 2007 to serve the historic town of Arlington, about 25 miles northeast of Memphis, Tennessee. To ensure the plant meets all state and federal regulations for effluent discharge into Scotts Creek, the WTW included the JMS Eco-Air (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) in its design. To increase the dissolved oxygen (DO) content of the plant’s flow to a minimum of 6.0 MG/L, JMS Application Specialists recommended a 21 by 24 feet Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) installation, capable of a peak hydraulic loading of 12 million gallons per day.

JMS’s Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) arrived at the site in three sections and was quickly installed and commissioned. Use of the Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) soon surpassed the WTW’s expectations, and six years later, the Town of Arlington Public Works Superintendent praises its low maintenance, problem-free operation. He says the only maintenance has been a bi-yearly wash down. Daily testing confirms that the treatment plant meets or exceeds its 6.0 MG/L DO requirement. Additionally, with its small footprint and no moving parts, the ecologically-friendly Eco-AIR (Low Profile Cascade Aerator) has performed with low operating costs.