ContraBlock®

Pumping sewage trouble-free

since more than 30 years

www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock® HYDRAULICS

www.abspumps.com
 AFP-ME SERIES
ContraBlock®

www.abspumps.com
 BLOCKAGE-FREE PUMPING
Why is it so important?
Traditional thinking always selects the pumps with the best efficiency.
This makes sense as energy is the highest percentage of the Life Cycle
Costs (LCC).
In reality, this approach does not always give the best customer value in
sewage pump applications.

In traditional LCC calculation, major elements for sewage

pump applications are not included:
„ operator support costs
„ blockage
„ efficiency fall off (increased energy costs as a result of wear)

www.abspumps.com
 BLOCKAGE-FREE PUMPING
Why is it so important?
To achieve any benefit from LCC modelling, all major costs including operator
support costs, blockage and efficiency fall off must be included.

In many cases improved efficiency is a

Influenced by Pump Influenced by Maintenance
direct result of increasing the number Selection and Operation Strategy
of impeller vanes, which greatly redu-
ces the solids handling capability and Cost Element % of Cost Element % of
LCC LCC
increases the risk for blockage. New Pump Price 3% Operator Support Costs 17%
Equipment with high efficiency focus
Energy Cost 53% Efficiency Fall Off 19%
often lead to:
„ Significant on site support costs to Maintenance Costs 8%
attend blockages Total 56% Total 44%
„ High efficiency losses as a result
of wear

Almost 45% of the total LCC costs are directly influenced by such factors and
how the equipment is maintained and operated. Users should be made aware of
that maintenance and operation can be easily improved, and thus supply good
opportunities of influencing the LCC.

www.abspumps.com
 BLOCKAGE-FREE PUMPING
The “real life” LCC calculation
The traditional LCC calculation was originally targeted at large pumps with high utilisation
running on clean, non-aggressive, applications.
Traditional LCC Calculation Actual LCC Costs in Sewage Applications
The cost saving benefits from 11% 9%
19% 3%
improved design for solids
handling and wear resistance 8%

are not seen in the traditional

LCC calculation. 53%
17%
80%

Equipment Energy (As New )

Real life vs. theory Equipment Energy (As New ) Maintenance Energy (Effi Fall Off)
Operator Support
Maintenance

in LCC modelling:
„ Good solids handling capabilities, and therefore less on site support costs, are
penalised when compared to high efficiency designs that block on a regular basis.
„ Feature that have been proved to significantly reduce operator support costs
and efficiency losses as a result of wear are penalised.
„ Adjustment features to allow “as new” efficiencies to be restored on site without
replacing parts, giving lower energy costs over the life of the unit, are penalised
against low cost simple designs without this feature.

www.abspumps.com
 BLOCKAGE-FREE PUMPING
The ContraBlock
The AFP-ME series features the unique ContraBlock hydraulics
system.
Test results of efficiency and clogging characteristics of
various types of hydraulics in sewage pump:
Years of experience along with Resistance to Blockage and Efficiency Comparison DN 100 to DN 150

extensive field and laboratory 100

Resistance to Blockage

testing show that the ContraBlock 90

Initial Efficiency

blocks less than other hydraulics 80

systems for sewage pumping 70

applications. 60

[%]
50

40

30

20

10

The ContraBlock  acts as an anti-blockage device,

ensuring that solids or fibres are transported throught 0
Single Channel Closed Twin channel closed Vortex Twin Channel Open (40 Contrablock (80-100 mm

the pump without blockage. mm solids) solids)

www.abspumps.com
 EFFICIENCY & CLOGGING
CHARACTERISTICS
of various types of hydraulics in sewage pumps
100
Resistance to Blockage
Initial Efficiency
90

80

70

60
[%]

50

40

30

20

10

0 DN 100 / 150
Single Channel Closed Twin channel closed Vortex Twin Channel Open (40 Contrablock (80-100 mm
mm solids) solids)

www.abspumps.com
 BLOCKAGE-FREE PUMPING
The ContraBlock even further improved
Patented already in 1969, ABS has finetuned and continuously improved
the ContraBlock anti-blockage system, proven in more than one million
installations the world over.

Latest design incorporated into the new AFP-ME series:

The market requirement of solids handling has increased over the last years. Authorities
issue new environmental regulations and put pressure on lower water consumption, which
changes the consistency of sewage and place even higher demands on the pumps’
blockage-free features. To meet the trends in the market, ABS has carried out extensive in-
house and field tests in order to improve the ContraBlock hydraulics even further. The
conclusions have all been incorporated into the new AFP-ME series.
See next slide for examples of areas where improvements recently have been carried out.

www.abspumps.com
 BLOCKAGE-FREE PUMPING
The ContraBlock even further improved
Areas where improvements recently have been carried out are:
„ Modifications of the slope of the vane leading edge and its intersection with
the hub shroud
„ Changed orientation of stagnation point at leading edge
„ Modifications in the area where the vane inlet intersects with the wear plate
„ Adjustments of the shape of wear plate at the inlet and at the vane inlet area
„ Configuration of the spiral groove at the bottom plate
„ Hardening of the impeller vanes and wear plate (option on ME3)

These steps along with other modifications have even further improved
the clogness behaviour and hydraulic performance of the ContraBlock
system. Altogether, ABS can now offer the most reliable and efficient
blockage-free pump in the market for sewage and wastewater
applications.

www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock® SYSTEM

www.abspumps.com
 PATENTED ANTI CLOGGING SYSTEM

ContraBlock® = CB

United States Patent No. 3,447,475

Title: Centrifugal Pump
Filing date Jan 9, 1967
Patented June 3, 1969
Inventor: Albert Blum
www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock®
Tested - tested - tested - ...

z R&D tests
‰ according to ABS Works Standard
‰ documentation by Video

‰ certified by 3rd party (LGA of Germany)

z Field tests
‰ in selected places around the world
z municipalities
z hotels

z jails, ...

www.abspumps.com
DURING R&D PERFORMANCE IS OPTIMISED
BY USE OF CFD

www.abspumps.com
 PROTOTYPING DURING R&D
All Impeller Designs are prototyped, directly from
our 3D-CAD Systems

www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock®
Clogging Test

www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock®
Clogging Test

www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock®
Clogging Test

www.abspumps.com
ContraBlock® BLOCKAGE TEST SET UP

www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock® TESTS

Have a look at our

High Speed
Video Documentation !

www.abspumps.com
 ContraBlock®

Large Solids Passage pays !

Saving your money

in operation and maintenance!

www.abspumps.com