As the principal fabricator for Hydro International, fabrication specialist Arc Energy Resources has secured a further contract to manufacture their Hydro Vortex Drop-Shaft systems.

As principal fabricator of Hydro-Brake Flow Controls for Hydro International, fabrication specialist Arc Energy Resources has secured a further contract to manufacture their Hydro Vortex Drop-Shaft systems. The Hydro Vortex Drop-Shaft is a specialised unit used to quietly and safely drop water/sewage from heights. Its principle function is to dissipate the energy generated when water/sewage falls to the lower levels, preventing any noise, vibration or damage to the network infrastructure.

Commenting for Arc Energy, project manager Neil Cook says that with all stainless steel fabrication great care must be taken to avoid distortion and maintain the integrity of the material.

He explains that this is why the company used one of its new dedicated fabrication units for this contract, and staff that are skilled in working with the specialised materials.

Hydro Vortex Drop-Shafts are self-activating with no moving parts and Arc Energy is fabricating four lengths - one 25m, one 15m and two 3.5m - in stainless steel, complete with mounting brackets and special switch pipes designed to control the intake of air.

They will be installed in major sewer upgrade projects in Oldham and Bonnyrigg in Scotland.

Wayne Jones, an engineer for Hydro International says: 'Delivery was an important factor on this contract and Arc Energy was able to meet our tight deadlines.

The company's extensive experience of fabricating other tubular components as well as our Hydro-Brake Flow Control units meant that lead times for the Hydro Vortex Drop-Shafts could be significantly reduced.'

Siemens announced today that a new option is available for the MultiRanger 100 ultrasonic controller for liquid level measurement, a single relay version with analogue and communications outputs.

Siemens announced today that a new option is available for the MultiRanger 100 ultrasonic controller for liquid level measurement. Customers now have a choice to order a single relay version, and enjoy the savings that Siemens is passing along. Many users simply use an analogue 4-20 mA output or digital communication output from the MultiRanger and do not use all the alarm relays that have been a standard feature of the MultiRanger 100 up until now.

This means that users now pay only for the features they need.

MultiRanger is ideal for short- to medium-range applications up to 15 meters (50 ft).

MultiRanger 100 offers cost-effective level monitoring, while MultiRanger 200 provides high performance measurement of level, flow, differential level, and volume conversion.

The flexibility to choose between models makes MultiRanger a cost-effective solution.

It is configurable at time of order, allowing you to select just the features you want for your application.

It is available in either wall or panel mount versions and includes options such as the number of relays, single or dual point functionality, and application specific software functions.

MultiRanger can be programmed with the Siemens Simatic Process Device Manager (PDM), the ideal software tool for configuration, parameter setting, record keeping and diagnostics, including trending and echo profiles.

Digital communications capability is provided by built-in Modbus.

Other communications protocols, including Profibus DP, are available through plug-in modules.

Hidrostal and their pumps have played a significant role in the improvements made to the inlet at the Sewage Treatment Works situated in and serving Esher in Surrey.

Hidrostal and their pumps have played a significant role in the improvements made to the inlet at the sewage treatment Works [STW] situated in and serving Esher in Surrey. The Thames Water project to replace the existing pumps and pipework has been a joint venture between Black and Veatch and Costain who have overall responsibility. Hidrostal were awarded the contract to supply replacement pumps, and fifteen Hidrostal pumps were also used during the over-pumping project.

The refurbishment started with a major over pumping project to keep the sewage flowing to the STW; both the Esher and Hersham pumping stations had to be by-passed ensuring no adverse effect on the residents.

This massive over-pumping project was delivered, installed and commissioned in less than three weeks.

It involved the installation of 10 Hidrostal pumps at the Esher pumping station (maximum flows of 900 l/s), 5 Hidrostal submersible pumps at the Hersham pumping station (maximum flow 410 l/s) and over 370m of pipe was installed (70m at 700mm diameter and 300m at 500mm).

The whole installation was controlled by a telemetry system allowing for remote monitoring.

Once the over- pumping solution was in place the two new Hidrostal pumps could be installed.

As the old pumps suffered from blockages, Hidrostal immersible pumps incorporating the Hidrostal Prerostal self-cleaning sump system were selected.

Each pump operates at 990 rpm and will pump at approximately 480 l/sec.

The screw centrifugal impellers offer high pump efficiency and, due to the impeller geometry and the large free passage, have a very low risk of blocking.

The Prerostal system is unique to Hidrostal.

It has been specifically designed to prevent the build up of solid material floating on the surface and forming a floating raft in the pumping chamber which is often the cause for pumps to block.

It is especially effective on wet wells handling unscreened raw sewage and waste water with oils, fats and greases on the surface.

The Prerostal system comes into operation at low sump levels when a high degree of liquid rotation occurs; the specific geometry of the basin and bellmouth ensures all floating material is entrained by the liquid and pumped out of the wet well.

The system automatically directs all materials which tend to settle or float at every pump cycle to the screw centrifugal pump with its proven track record for solids handling and, as a consequence, provides trouble-free pumping.

Commenting on the total project Dean Clayton, Hidrostal Area Sales Engineer, said: ''This has been an impressive project and a credit to all involved.

The superior rag handling ability of Hidrostal pumps combined with our Prerostal self cleaning sump, has played a key part in ensuring a much improved pumping operation.''

Pulsar have worked with United Utilities to solve waste water level control problems in two separate applications in Cumbria, in both cases using long range non-contacting ultrasonic equipment.

Pulsar have worked with United Utilities to solve waste water level measurement and control problems in two separate applications in North West Cumbria, in both cases using long range non-contacting ultrasonic equipment featuring the latest digital echo processing to accurately locate the liquid level. At Seascale WwTW, a 15m deep tank includes a shelved base leading down to a small sump housing two submersible pumps, a mere 2m square in section and 2.5m deep. In order to control the tank properly, it is important to measure the level down between the pumps.

This creates a very difficult application, requiring the level measurement unit to discriminate between many conflicting echoes while retaining the location of a relatively small target.

Previous efforts to monitor the level in the small sump had been unsuccessful.

Pulsar supplied a high-power, narrow beam dB25 ultrasonic transducer, which was mounted at the top of the tank.

The DATEM software built into the full range of Pulsar's 'Ultra' level controllers identified the correct level, and maintained contact with the level even down into the furthest reaches of the sump.

This solved a difficult measurement application for United Utilities and allowed the process to operate at maximum efficiency.

In another North Western application, Pulsar equipment was again chosen to provide reliable measurement in a very large, deep, sump at the John Pier pumping station in Workington.

This tank collects waste water from the town and pumps it on to the main treatment works, about 2 miles up the coast.

The depth of the tank is around 25m and the water surface is often turbulent and foamy.

Pulsar used their new dB40 ultrasonic transducer, offering a range of up to 40m with fantastic acoustic power.

Two separate Pulsar systems were installed, again following previous unsuccessful efforts to monitor the level reliably.

Each comprises an Ultra 3 controller with a db40 transducer, and these have provided extremely reliable level measurement in these arduous conditions.

Since the success of these applications within the Cumbria area, Pulsar have been awarded a single-source framework agreement by United Utilities for ultrasonic level measurement and open-channel flow measurement, for the AMP4 period.

Hycontrol announce a prestigious contract to supply over 250 of their Miniflex-LR ultrasonic level control units for control and monitoring water levels at stations across the Beijing subway network.

Leading level specialists Hycontrol have been awarded a prestigious contract to supply over 250 of their Miniflex-LR ultrasonic level control units for controlling and monitoring water levels at stations across the Beijing subway network. The first units have already been commissioned, with further units being installed over the next eighteen months in time for the start of the Olympic Games in 2008. The opening of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing will be the culmination of the most ambitious and expensive investment by any host nation to date.

During this mammoth construction project, the transport infrastructure has been a key area for improvement to cater for the anticipated influx of millions of visitors.

Until recently the Beijing subway system has been barely adequate to handle the daily passenger requirements and, as a result, main contractors BCECCL have been tasked with refurbishing 70 existing stations and with the construction of four new subways in time for the Games.

By 2008, the total length of the Beijing subway system will reach almost 200 km with a capacity of 1.74 billion passengers per year.

The 'Olympic Subway' linking the Olympic Green to South Beijing will be capable of carrying 40,000 to 60,000 passengers per hour.

The Miniflex-LR units, which are configured to operate in a conventional dual pump mode, are being installed at all the stations to control the water levels in wet wells.

All underground networks stand the risk of being flooded during heavy rain storms and because the wells handle both waste and storm water, accurate and reliable control is vital.

If any of the pumping systems fail, the stark reality is that stations could become flooded with sewage.

It is clear that the Chinese authorities need to be confident that no such mishaps can occur, especially when the eyes of the world are on them during the Olympics.

Hycontrol export manager Maurice Mahoney is justifiably proud of the Hycontrol achievement in gaining the order and as he explains: 'The contract was won against very stiff international competition and involved extensive site trials over three years.

Throughout this time our Beijing based engineers have worked very closely with the authorities and main contractors.

The Hycontrol unit was the only instrument to meet all the customer's stringent requirements and consequently the Miniflex-LR is now written into the Beijing Subway Design Institute main specification'.

At each installation the relay outputs from the Miniflex are fed locally to the PLC controlling the pumps.

There is also a high level alarm and analogue output.

Details of alarm status and level information from each installation are transmitted via a telemetry system to a central control hub.

The pump control mode offers seven different operating configurations depending on the requirement for specific applications.

In addition to the standard Duty standby and assist mode, options include alternating duty to even out pump wear, pump exerciser to test idle pumps periodically and pump monitoring to record pump usage.

The development of the Miniflex has come from hard won experience in the design and application of ultrasonic level control equipment over the past 30 years.

This cost effective instrument, which has an impressive 10 metre measuring range, boasts a range of features normally associated with units costing over twice as much.

In fact the Miniflex-LR offers four instruments in one: in addition to pump control, it can be configured for standard level measuring, open channel flow measurement and differential control.

Design focus has been on reliability, versatility and ease of use.

The simple, security-coded five button programming guides the operator rapidly through the set up and calibration procedure.

This is further facilitated by the bright multi-line 16 digit per line backlit display, which gives excellent parameter clarity under varying light conditions.

The front panel LEDs give a clear status indication of the ultrasonic echo and the three multi-function SPDT relays.

Transducer design is crucial to effective level control and the extensive Hycontrol experience is embedded in their range of transducers, which includes flanged and standard mounting versions with GR epoxy or PVDF face materials.

At the heart of the Miniflex-LR is the Hycontrol proprietary Proven Ultrasonic Level Signal Extraction technology (PULSE).

PULSE has been specifically developed to overcome traditional level control problems associated with unwanted or spurious echoes.

Utilising a unique window technology, the Miniflex recognises and then ignores signals from obstacles such as stirrers, cross beams, fill pipes or ladders.

As part of the Portfolio Collaborative Research Programme, WRc has taken on the management of the sewer lining infiltration test procedure that Thames Water started to develop in 2004

Can cured-in-place linings reduce infiltration into sewers? As part of it's Portfolio Collaborative Research Programme, WRc plc has taken on the management of the sewer lining infiltration test procedure that Thames Water started to develop in 2004 with input from Industry end users and Practitioners. As part of the project (CP308 'Infiltration Reduction Capabilities of Cured-In-Place Linings'), WRc is able to offer manufacturers free witnessing of such tests, though these opportunities are limited to a first come, first served basis.

The test quantifies the amount of groundwater that can infiltrate after lining with cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) systems.

Such infiltration can occur either by water peculating through defects within the lining material or by water tracking between the lining and host pipe, and exiting either at the ends of the lining into a manhole or into the sewer at lateral connections.

The test requires a full length CIPP lining to be installed within an assembly (comprising five clayware pipe sections including a 45degree tee) against water infiltrating at 3m water pressure.

Valves at each of the collar joints allow water pressure to be applied to the lining.

After resin cure, the water pressure is increased to 5m head and any infiltration is collected and measured at the ends of the lined section.

The pass/fail infiltration rate has been set the same as for a new sewer.

To date 14 CIPP systems have been tested and 6 have passed.

The WRc Portfolio project CP308 is being sponsored by 4 water and sewerage companies.

As part of the work programme WRc will witness infiltration tests and provide a test letter certificate to those system/installers which are successful.

There is no fee to the installer for WRc witnessing the infiltration test during the project, but the number of witnessing visits is limited.

There are 8 visits remaining on a first to be tested, first to be served basis.

The number of tests witnessed for a particular CIPP system and supplier is limited to a maximum of two.

After the remaining 8 visits have been undertaken witnessing by a suitably qualified experienced independent company is likely to incur a charge.

Further information on the infiltration test procedure, CP308 project details and test letters for the CIPP systems who have passed to date can be found on the project web site.

To register for a witnessing slot contact Andy Russell.

Project CP308 is part of the WRc GBP1.5M programme of collaborative research called Portfolio.

The Portfolio research programme addresses topical problems in the water industry through promoting innovation, sharing research costs and leveraging budgets/experience.

Biwater Treatment has secured its third major contract incorporating membrane bio-reactor filtration - for the Northern Ireland Water Service's Ballyclare wastewater treatment works in County Antrim.
Biwater Treatment has secured its third major contract incorporating membrane bio-reactor filtration - for the Northern Ireland Water Service's new Ballyclare wastewater treatment works in County Antrim. The GBP9.1m project is being carried out by the Biwater Graham Joint Venture, following on from the previous Biwater MBR schemes at Campbeltown for Scottish Water, and at Severn Trent's newly completed Buxton WwTW. All three plants are for a population equivalent of around 29,000 and use Zenon environmental membranes.
Designed to cater for projected population growth and development needs over the next 25 years, the new Ballyclare works is scheduled for completion in July 2005.
It will replace the overloaded existing facility, which was built in two phases in the 1950s and 1970s, and two smaller works at Ballynure and Straid.
The MBR plant will ensure that the final effluent is of a quality suitable for discharge to the Six Mile Water, a sensitive salmon and trout river.

ABVEast (AMEC and Black and Veatch) has supplied a new 250 PE package wastewater treatment plant, designed and built at Stenton WWTW in East Lothian for Scottish Water Solutions.
As part of the works undertaken by ABVEast (a joint venture of AMEC Capital Projects with Black and Veatch), a new 250 PE package wastewater treatment plant has been designed and built at Stenton WWTW in East Lothian as part of a multi-million design and build framework within Scottish Water Solutions. The new works, which has to meet the Urban Wastewater Regulations (Scotland), sees the replacement of two former septic tanks and provides a final effluent quality of 20 mg/l BOD, 30 mg/l suspended solids. Design, environmental reporting and landscape design was carried out by Black and Veatch, including a significant amount of work carried out in the siting of the works.
Lengthy consultation was required with the local community to provide a design that blended into the existing environment of the conservation village.
Construction of the works by ABVEast saw new interceptor sewers to divert flows to the new works and the new package plant comprising inlet screens, flume, combined primary settlement tank and rotating biological contactor (RBC), final settlement tank and control building.

To meet environmental legislation and avoid the penalties which could result from non-compliance, the 2 Sisters Food Group has installed a Mono Series 'A' Muncher at its poultry processing plant.
The need to meet increasingly stringent environmental legislation and avoid the penalties which could result from non-compliance has led the 2 Sisters Food Group to install a Mono Series 'A' Muncher at its UK poultry processing plant. 2 Sisters Food Group is one of the UK's largest poultry processing companies and its plant supplies chicken produce for a wide variety of food uses. In order to meet the relevant legislation from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, covering the disposal of animal by-products via land injection, 2 Sisters needed to ensure that the waste from its processes is reliably and consistently reduced to a particle size of no more than 4mm.
Waste material from the processing operations is passed over a run-down screen from where all the screenings - mainly chicken offal and feathers with 10% dry solids - are fed via an existing Mono Merlin progressing cavity pump into a waste holding tank.
From the holding tank all solids pass through the newly installed Mono Muncher which grinds the product until the required particle size is reached.
Another Mono pump then transfers the reduced waste to road tankers for land injection, where it is used to provide an agricultural fertiliser.
The Mono Series 'A' Muncher offers a reliable and economical solution to the problem of reducing food waste.
It is a twin-shaft, low speed, high torque grinder which, while allowing liquids to pass through it, traps any entrained solids.
These are then fed through a series of cutters, which revolve at differential speeds to pull apart, crop and shear any solids such as bones or feathers down to a small particle size.
The integral gearbox in the Muncher converts its relatively low motor power into high output torque to make it extremely powerful but also energy efficient.
The low revolving speed of the cutter shafts creates low cutter tip speeds, and this dramatically reduces wear rates and noise levels compared to high speed macerators.
The Mono customer, TAPS of Huddersfield, originally installed the Mono Muncher on a trial basis to ensure that it was able to fulfil all 2 Sisters' requirements.
The unit features a 2.2kW electric motor and processes the waste at a 5m3 per hour.
Since successfully completing the trial, the Muncher has gone on to complete its first six months of continuous, problem-free, operation without incurring any maintenance costs.

Controlstar Systems has just commissioned the control system for the wastewater plant at the recently opened International Robin Hood Airport, (previously known as Finningley) near Doncaster.
Controlstar Systems has just commissioned the control system for the wastewater plant at the recently opened International Robin Hood Airport, (previously known as Finningley) near Doncaster. This 'fast track' project included a full SCADA and programmable system that controls the high efficiency wastewater plant that not only processes the wastewater from the facilities but also handles substantial volumes of run off from the runways. The dosing requirements imposed on the runway wastewater can create special problems if not processed correctly.
The Controlstar unit which provides both the control and telemetry interface is linked by mobile phone technology back to the main support centre near Brooklands in Kent.
A full display and record of the plant activity is available to the support organisation, both controls and plant optimisation can be carried out remotely.
Controlstar Systems won the contract by demonstrating the ease and speed of implementing the control algorithms using it's unique 'Fusion' visual programming tool; this allowed the project team to meet their 'fast track' and cost deadlines.

Influx Measurements has solved the design problem of achieving economical flow measurement for low-pressure gases, typically met on methane or sour gas monitoring from digesters.
The Influx product is a stainless-steel Flotrak VA meter, fitted with a PTFE float. Supplied recently to FM Environmental of Newry, a 2 inch flanged Flotrak meter was calibrated over a range of 5-70cubic metres per hour, for an available pressure of only 6mbar in the process gas monitored. Encapsulated within a PTFE float, a lightweight 'supermagnet' signals the float position to a microprocessor based sensor module.
The 4-20mA output from this ATEX approved intrinsically safe sensor transmits the digester gas flow information to the process control system.
FM Environmental is a specialist in waste treatment, and this unit was supplied for a novel dissolved air flotation and anaerobic digester system used to treat a high BOD effluent from a brewery maltings factory.
The digester gas flow measurement provided by the Influx Flotrak is one of the many parameters monitored by the FM Environmental SCADA system, assessing the digester status and controlling the effluent feed.
Mark Towner, Managing Director of Influx Measurements, commented: 'Previous designs of variable area flowmeter have not been able to achieve flow transmission output at such low operational pressures.
The unique design features of the Influx Flotrak now allow the lower cost VA (variable area) flowmeter technology to be applied to biogas and digester gas flow applications'.

For Brechin Waste Water Treatment Works in Tayside, Verder proposed two Verderflex VF65 peristaltic pumps for discharging from the settling tanks, to replace a Sewpas air system.
In June 2001, MacLeod Consulting in Dundee asked Verder to put forward an alternative pumping solution at Brechin Waste Water Treatment Works in Tayside. Verder visited the site and discovered that the existing pumping system used a Sewpas air system. The application required a 2m suction lift, discharging primary sewage sludge into settling tanks 10m away to feed a filter press.
Discussions with site personnel and the consultants indicated that this system was very old and was unreliable when pumping sludge that contained more than 5% solid content.
As a solution, Verder proposed a design that incorporated two Verderflex VF65 peristaltic pumps, one for each of the settling tanks, with each pump able to act as a standby for the other.
These units were chosen because they can handle up to 80% solid content and can self-prime to a depth of 9.5m.
Verder specified inverter drives for the pumps and hose burst detection sensors to shut the system down in the event of a hose rupture.
Following discussions with the client, Verder were also asked to include a turbidity detection system, to monitor the sludge density between 1% and 12%.
A Dr Lange Solitax turbidity control was chosen and programmed to shut the pumps down when the sludge density read 1.5% or less.
Following approval of the design, the new system was installed in August 2001.
The pumps are specified to discharge 8.2 cubic metres/h, but this can be adjusted by the inverters to suit the current sludge density.
The system is linked to a control panel that includes a series of timers, enabling the pumps to start, run and rest for predetermined times dependent on application conditions.
Since installation, the new system has operated trouble-free and provides Scottish Water with a far more reliable and flexible pumping solution.

The Ecotron chemical recycling plant for industrial wastes developed in Belarus has no counterparts in the world.

The Ecotron recycling plant for industrial wastes developed in Belarus has no counterparts in the world. According to Alexander Matvejchuk, chief of the R and D laboratory of the Amir-C Ecological-Power Company, Ecotron was developed in co-operation with the Lykov Heat- and Mass-Transfer Institute of the Byelorussian Academy of Science. A number of Byelorussian and Russian patents prove the plant's uniqueness.

The plant is designed to recover ecological and power resources from various industrial wastes.

The principle of the plant operation is the chemical reprocessing of industrial wastes transforming them into energy carriers and other industrial feedstock.

According to Matvejchuk, the plant can fully recycle any hazardous chemical waste.

As a result, various products can be manufactured: gas fuel, which is an analogue of the natural one, high quality mazut, petrol, fuel for ships, diesel fuel, and a number of technical products such as carbon black, steel wire, etc The tentative appraisal puts the profits of an enterprise using Ecotron at USD 158/hour and the repay term at no more than half-year.

The innovative and patented ECO electro-catalytic oxidation system has proven to be a large success in oily wastewater treatment, reaching previously unobtainable levels of hydrocarbon remediation.

The innovative and patented ECO electro-catalytic oxidation system from Aquatic Technologies has proven to be a large success in oily wastewater treatment, reaching previously unobtainable levels of hydrocarbon remediation. A recent testing programme at the Scottish produced water treatment plant, serving the North Sea oil fields, showed the ECO pilot plant has successfully super-coagulated oils and reduced total hydrocarbon levels in produced water to below EU 2009 consent levels. Produced water is oily wastewater entrained in drilling muds during exploratory oil well production.

The ECO super-coagulation and oxidation treatment process is applicable to barge ballast water, oil and gas pipeline dewatering, oily process water, washdown water, commercial steam-cleaning stations, also for reducing industrial chemical waste such as residual pesticides, herbicides and chemical dyes in spent process waters, and for increasing biological activity of farm manure handling lagoons, reducing smell to negligable levels.

In the water treatment field, ECO is now in commercial use for recirculating aquaculture, in military use for pre-RO filtration by inactivation of potential biological warfare contamination, and in USDA testing for suppression of moulds/fungus in irrigation water.

ECO has unique unmatchable capabilities to any other treatment system.

ECO operates quietly, runs 24/7, needs minimal maintenance and has no moving parts, only a routine changeout of electrodes on a predictable basis.

Aquatic Technologies has development partners operating the ECO systems around the world.

CERTIFIED TEST RESULTS.

Chemical Name Formula Percentage Reductions Noted in * Tests Results 1: carried out on a batch treatment of NGL condensate resulted in the following percentage reductions in final outflow: Benzene 94%; Ethyl Benzene 100%; Toluene 95%; Xylene 75%; Aromatic Hydrocarbons 90%.

* Test Results 2: carried out on batch treatment of stormwater run-off from an NG transfer station, in South Dakota: HEM Total Hexane reduced by 100% Extractable Material.

* Test Results 3: carried out on batch treatment of oil-barge washout water, resulted in the following reductions in concentration in the supernatant: Total Hydrocarbons 99.96%; Aromatic Hydrocarbons 99.98%.