Smith & Loveless has introduced a PISTA® Synchronous Belt Drive option for its grit chamber systems, replacing oil-bath gear drive maintenance with a grease-lubricated synchronous belt arrangement.
The new drive uses a toothed belt system in place of the oil bath normally associated with traditional gear drives. That removes routine oil inspection, filling, replacement, and disposal from the maintenance schedule, while reducing the risk of overfilling and other service issues linked to oil-based assemblies.
Built from HNBR rubber with a high-tensile carbon fibre core, the belt is designed to maintain stable tension and provide reliable power transmission over long operating periods. In grit removal systems, where abrasive material is separated before it can damage downstream pumps, valves, and treatment equipment, reducing drive maintenance is a practical route to improving plant availability.
The option is available on new PISTA® Grit Chamber systems and can also be retrofitted to existing installations. Smith & Loveless has retained the same anchor bolt pattern used on traditional PISTA® drives, allowing the new system to be applied across existing PISTA® INVORSOR®, PISTA® VIO™, PISTA® 360™ with V-FORCE Baffle™, and PISTA® 270™ chambers.
Mechanical access has also been addressed in the drive design. An automatic greaser supports slewing ring lubrication, while multiple inspection ports allow operators to check the synchronous belt without dismantling the wider assembly.
Grit chambers operate early in the wastewater treatment process, where equipment is exposed to a difficult mix of abrasive solids, wet conditions, and continuous duty. A drive package that reduces lubricant handling and simplifies inspection can therefore remove avoidable maintenance activity from one of the plant’s more exposed mechanical systems.
Further information on the PISTA® Synchronous Belt Drive and PISTA® Grit Chamber systems is available from Smith & Loveless.
