Our clients continue to approach AMF Magnets with the requirement to separate substances. Magnets are often used to separate ferromagnetic materials from other substances. In the latest instance, AMF Magnets custom built a magnetic grate assembly for a local engineering company, (LEC), who were commissioned to treat contaminated water for re-use at a coal powered thermal power station, (TPS).

The need for AMF` s magnetic grate assembly originated at the TPS. Located beside a lake in the NSW hunter valley, the power station is part of the regions proud history of power generation in Australia` s first state.

The TPS was one of the first major power stations to be built inland, using fresh water, instead of the more abundant salt water, for cooling the plant machinery. The lake was vital to the TPS’s operation. Even with an expanded lake capacity, the rising cost of fresh water makes reusing this precious resource akin to printing money. That’s where AMF`s magnetic grate assembly has helped. Helped to recycle water that is, not helped to print money!

The LEC, tasked with saving more water, more efficiently at the TPS, answered the brief by installing AMF` s custom built magnetic grate assembly. AMF manufactured this device using stainless steel tubing (1.6mm thickness) and upgraded the magnets from Ferrite to Neodymium (N38 grade with a 6,500G gauss reading. Product code 93167. Weight 25, 0000).

This enabled the magnetic grate assembly to detect and remove undesirable substances from the waste water in one simple operation prior to filtering for re-use at the TPS. Thanks to the (great) magnetic grate assembly, AMF was able to assist the LEC to fulfil its brief to the TPS in the following significant ways.

One, help the TPS reduce the cost of producing electricity through greater cooling efficiencies. Two, achieve greater productivity by re-using more of the TPS’s precious fresh water supplies. Third, and not least, take pressure off the lake by drawing less water out of the lake to begin with, and finally discharging cleaner water back into it at the conclusion. Ok, we can’t help anyone print money, however we can all agree these achievements are worthwhile.