Water icon Water

CAMBI Thermal Hydrolysis Plant Mechanical Design

The Cambi Hydrolysis process enhances the digestion process for sludge treatment at a wastewater treatment plant.  The process was developed in Norway and has been in operation in Europe for more than 10 years.  The process cooks sludge under pressure using steam from the Combined Heat and Power Turbine Facility.  Eventually, the sludge is released into a flash tank where it expands the sludge surface. This expanded surface allows the digestion process to be more efficient and effective in treating the sludge. The Cambi system is part of a larger project which adds new high temperature digesters, sludge dryers, a combined heat and power facility to utilize the digester gas generated by the Cambi process and the associated systems. The process results in reduced volume of sludge, Class A sludge, and sufficient methane gas generation to fuel three 4.5-megawatt combined cycle gas turbine generators which supply approximately one half of the total plant electrical load.

DC Water selected Milhouse to act as engineer of record on this project, the largest Cambi installation in the world and the first of its kind in the U.S. Milhouse oversaw the design and drawing production as well as review of the specifications and design for compliance with U.S. requirements. During construction, Milhouse provided all shop drawings and construction reviews to ensure the highest quality outcomes.

Conflicting U.S. and European standards required modifications to the standard Cambi design. Milhouse performed regular field inspections and visits to Cambi facilities to ensure compliance with plans, specifications and standards to effect a solution.

Region

Northeast

Client

DC Water

Services

Civil Engineering