Supply Chain - Water Treatment - Products & Services
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Case Studies
3D model of the pump-skid within the kiosk - Courtesy of Mott MacDonald Bentley[/caption]
CFD verification of the jet mixer - Courtesy of Framatome Ltd[/caption]
External view of the kiosk and road extension - Courtesy of Mott MacDonald Bentley[/caption]
Ferric sulphate point of application in the underground precast concrete chamber - Courtesy of Mott MacDonald Bentley[/caption]
(left) Hydro-demolition carried out on the concrete surround of the existing 48” main and (right) DN400 underpressure connection with a welded tee on the existing main - Courtesy of Mott MacDonald Bentley[/caption]
Static mixer and reduction in pipe diameter to increase the velocity of the jet flow before injection into the existing main - Courtesy of Mott MacDonald Bentley[/caption]
Stithians WTW and Stithians Reservoir dam prior to the commencement of the works - Courtesy of Galliford Try[/caption]
Model extract showing the existing works on the left, the new process plant on the right, and the GAC at the top of the slope - Courtesy of Galliford Try[/caption]
Stithians GAC steel frame prior to cladding - Courtesy Galliford Try[/caption]
Off-site build was also the chosen methodology for the chlorine contact tank, the clean backwash storage tank and the rinse/regen tank, all of which were precast concrete panel system installations. The new sludge thickener tank was designed as glass coated steel, again off-site built with fast installation time.
Precast concrete storage tanks were the next structures to be completed, at the same time as the underground pipework. All the structural elements have been linked together with process pipework and an extensive underground cabling network links them electrically back to the main South West Water control room.
Inside the GAC gallery: Upper level control valves and valve actuators from Rotork Controls - Courtesy of Galliford Try[/caption]
UV building process pipework and support concrete for GRP kiosk - Courtesy of Galliford Try[/caption]
Clockwise from top left - Dechlorination plant, wastewater tanks, chlorine contact tank and treatment building - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
Multiple supply chain interfaces were modelled to proactively reduce snagging - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
The additional pressure required would require replacement of the borehole pumps and over 4km of mains in serviceable condition. Instead, the pressure head was broken within the site, reducing operation and maintenance risks, and improving site control and resilience through installation of high efficiency booster pumps to supply the network. Pumping of waste flows was minimised through agreeing discharges into the local sewer and surface water network, with dechlorination included for treatment of non-compliant flows. Pumping of drainage flows was also avoided through minimising site access roads, maximising green space and incorporation of SuDS trench and lagoon within the site footprint.
Digital delivery was preferred from the onset, and the site location was GPR and laser scanned to produce an accurate 3D model of the current land and subterranean utility infrastructure. This model was developed further with key suppliers and multidisciplinary designers to progress to a full site-wide model of the civil, electrical, mechanical and process elements.
The pressure filter, chemical dosing and metalwork suppliers uploaded models of their discrete works packages into the selected Common Data Environment (CDE) BIM360. The packages were incorporated into the overall site model, produced in Revit. This enabled the MMB design team to accurately model surrounding road structures, interconnecting pipework, services and road infrastructure in both Revit and Civil 3D. The 3D model is earmarked for use as a digital twin, to improve asset management and aid with efficiency of the everyday site operation.
The site was designed such that all key instrumentation is above ground, but transfer pipework between treatment stages is below ground, giving full access to all valves and dosing points. Through development of the 3D model, operators were able to fully review the site in advance of a spade being struck, leading to changes to further mitigate operational and site hazards. Rethinking of the operating pressures has reduced operator risk within the building and the new process utilises more resilient process units than previously, incorporating a sophisticated control philosophy which minimises unintended shutdowns and enables restart at the push of a button, rather than a complex series of manual valve operations.
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Treatment process units being installed after off-site manufacture and testing - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
Off-site manufacture opportunities were identified to minimise personnel operating on a relatively small site. Chemical dosing facilities were manufactured and tested within kiosks and delivered to site as plug-and-play elements of the process, improving quality control through factory testing and commissioning. Vertical pressure filter units, associated pipework, and metalwork access gantry were all pre-assembled and tested prior to final offload and assembly on site. This approach was taken for the complex manifold pipework weaving between and connecting the site process plant.
The 3D model was utilised by stainless steel pipework fabricators to design and detail the pipework for accurate off-site manufacture, eradicating cutting on site. Building on lessons learned from Murton, the contact tank design was changed from in-situ build to a semi pre-cast assembly, reducing the on-site build programme of the structure and reducing the trades and temporary works required.
Covid19 hampered the ability to carry out informal meetings, though the digital delivery of the project meant that communication was not impacted during the critical latter stages of the design. The 3D model was utilised to facilitate key coordination meetings including ALM and HAZOP reviews, helping both MMB and NWG communicate proposals to non-technical colleagues. Enabling NWG to utilise the same model during design aided with design acceptances and operational reviews of proposed site processes.
Fire and hazard reviews were carried out utilising third person perspective within the model. The integrated use of BIM360 brought more of the supply chain into the collaborative solution development allowing all stakeholders to visualise the final product in a way not possible with traditional 2D drawings. This allowed for greater clash detection prior to construction enabling designs to be tweaked at low cost in the office, reducing standing time on site. Key interfaces between each mechanical supplier were digitally inspected in advance of installation, reducing the likelihood of common avoidable defects in major treatment projects.
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Complex subterranean service network required careful clash detection - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
(left) Precise installation of below ground infrastructure and slab penetrations prior to main slab pour and (right) treatment building slab cast prior to superstructure installation - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
The accuracy minimised soil disposal resulting from over dig and designing out thrust blocks through modifications to the pipework specification further reduced excavation. Under licensed exemptions, 1000t of excavated soils were diverted to local agricultural projects and 1000t of compound stone was re-purposed for an off-site access road. Similarly, 1000t of clay arisings from a nearby project were utilised within the Wooler site.
Utilising CLIP (Collaborative Lean Improvement Programming) planning and careful sequencing halved the number of people working on site, compared to the sister project at Murton WTW, minimising the number of long journeys associated with rural working. Local suppliers and local staff were embedded within the delivery team, further reducing the embodied carbon impact. Accurate modelling of the proposal in advance of construction minimised material wastage in cut to suit elements of pipework, steelwork, and reinforcement.
MMB utilised the local supply chain as much as possible. Major successes were brought about through engaging with a heavy steel fabricator based within a quarter of a mile of the site and an electrical installation contractor based in Northumberland, rather than usual supply chain partners. Utilising more local suppliers meant that the level of service and quality provided was high, with benefits of carbon reductions and reduced transport of major steel elements along busy rural single carriageways. Through inviting NWG, stakeholders and supply chain to CLIP planning sessions, MMB identified programme savings for all parties through sequencing of site tasks and identifying mutually beneficial opportunities, such as sharing plant to reduce vehicles on site. For example, bringing electrical and major steel subcontractors together identified opportunities for cable containment hangers to be installed within the fabrication works at no additional cost, reducing work at height risk and task time for cable installation teams.
Construction sequencing, temporary works and site aesthetic were all modified to minimise impact on the local community. Installation of the permanent access point to the site was prioritised in the programme to minimise traffic management on Berwick Road, a main artery for the village. Moving treatment processes inside the main building negated the requirement for additional security fencing and the building itself was designed to resemble agricultural buildings in the area. The permanent site footprint was minimised as much as possible but in doing so, a larger temporary compound area was necessary. The project team worked with local landowners to identify the best location for the temporary works to reduce this impact, and temporary laydown areas were returned for use as soon as sequencing allowed.
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Precast contact tank during construction - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
Existing contact tank - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
3D model showing the four pressurised contact tank vessels - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
CFD modelling - Courtesy of MMD CFD Team (Spain)[/caption]
The purpose of the model was to provide evidence that the water has a minimum t5 retention time of 20 minutes to comply with the standard if the raw groundwater is considered unstable, or 15 minutes if considered stable. A non-reactive tracer was added to the model at the primary dosing point and measured at the outlet through time to obtain its exit age distribution. The model was run as a worst-case scenario with one of the furthest of the four tanks taken out of service; meaning only three were modelled including interconnecting pipework. The model was also based on a 15 MLD design horizon which is conservative as it is 1.5 MLD beyond the abstraction limit and capability of the existing borehole pumps.
It was agreed with the client that the groundwater was considered stable such that a 15-minute t5 was the target figure, and the model showed an 18.2-minute t5 with 21m long contact tanks. This offered a saving of approximately £230k by having shorter tanks because the CFD modelling showed that 25m long tanks would have been required for a 20-minute t5. This would have made delivery of the tanks down Ufton Lane even more challenging. Even so, Autotrack analysis was completed to confirm in theory there was a route to the site, which was viable for delivery of the 21m tanks, which the tank suppliers’ delivery management company confirmed was possible during a pre-delivery survey. This was considered to be the right balance of resilience and affordability because it is unlikely the unstable groundwater events would occur at peak design horizon demand whilst one of the contact tanks is out of service.
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Exit age distribution of tracer measured at the outlet - Courtesy of MMD CFD Team (Spain)[/caption]
Use of SYNCRO to hold a digital construction rehearsal to de-risk programme: A P6 programme has been produced which lists numerous construction activities and outages limited to eight hours due to the island zone constraint, and a 3D model has been produced to illustrate the physical space each asset needs when installed. As part of MMB’s Digital Delivery Plan SYNCRO (one of the digital tools utilised by MMB) was used to hold a construction rehearsal which led to the following benefits; a better understanding of the space constraints, engaged client stakeholders for programme buy-in, improved safety and a de-risked programme.
By combining the P6 programme with the 3D model and reviewing it via SYNCHRO software allowed a better understanding of the concurrent activities and the ability to spot where there could have been potential space constraints. The digital rehearsal revealed that the design was proposing to install precast pipe support plinths and the access metalwork at the same time as the contact tanks were being installed, so SYNCHRO was used to update the P6 programme live to re-sequence the work.
This rehearsal simulated the contract lift of the contact tanks and illustrated just how much space was needed to have a safe working area to complete a lift of a 21m long 10t tank on a 20m radius. This again led to a change in the construction sequence of the mechanical installation of pipework and access metalwork.
Focusing on safety and being prepared to challenge programme where there looked to be too much concurrent working, should ensure a right first-time approach before committing to starting on site, reducing the risk to quality or safety and having to abortively re-plan works, which may end up increasing costs.
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MMB SYNCHRO digital rehearsal - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
The digital rehearsal review coincided with a change in a key construction assurance client team member, so the above process sought their buy-in and confidence in the construction programme and occurred at a significate project milestone (contractual solution review) where the client can make a go/no-go decision on whether the project goes ahead into detailed design and construction. The review received positive feedback from the client that the session proved to be a valuable and more engaging way to bring them up to speed with the scheme and the construction programme.
The project will revisit SYNCHO to plan in more detail at other key milestones like works outages, or whilst on site as a more visual way of completing 5-week-look-ahead planning sessions. MMB has a Digital Delivery Network which is a community of people who can support projects with tools like SYNCHRO and others which can be found on the MMB Digital Delivery Hub.
The benefits of this digital rehearsal were more cost/risk mitigation rather than direct cost reduction on a project. The estimated consequence of not having realised the space constraints and programme concurrent working is 10-weeks lost time meaning £148k cost increase ‘saved’ (avoided). It is difficult to estimate the cost saved/benefit of having a happy engaged client stakeholder like a construction assurance engineer. This is assumed as saving/mitigated a potential two-week delay resulting in a approximately £30k saving.
Providing maintainable assets vs keeping flood plain impact negligible: The existing site not only feeds an ‘island zone’ network; it also becomes an island during flood events and is surrounded by drainage ditches.
Relocating the entire site would be uneconomical and too intrusive so expanding the treatment works into the adjacent field is the best whole life cost solution even if that field is a flood plain. This meant any new assets needed to have as small a footprint as possible to ensure it had negligible impact on the flood plain, and yet still needed to be assessable for the planned maintenance and main driver for the scheme; to be able to take one contact tank out of service for quality and structural inspections.
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Flood plain location of contact tanks - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
The solution is to install the steel contact tanks on slim 2m tall concrete plinths, with the inlet/outlet stainless steel pipework supported off steel pipe supports founded on Legato blocks or strip foundations. Precast units were selected where practical and economical to speed up the install to reduce the risk of needing to poor concrete into a floodplain as part of the 10-month long construction programme.
The outlet pipework was looped back to join the inlet pipework such that all the isolation and air valves can be operated from the same common access platform, which is 21m long by 6m wide and stands 2.8m above ground level, which saved approximately £400k in metalwork and civil plinths The platform then bridges over the ditch between the treatment works and adjacent field to provide operational access.
To ensure all the new assets didn’t have a negative impact on the floodplain a flood model and flood risk assessment was completed based on the volume of new assets to be installed in the field, which showed negligible impact to the flood plain.
The contact tanks can be accessed at ground level outside of flood events via a new Grasscrete access road, which removed the need for road drainage which saved £37k. Foundations would have the existing underlying alluvium layer of soft organic clay replaced to target the medium dense gravels layer with stone to allow for better drainage during periods of rainfall and reduce the risk of settlement.
The alternative to the elevated assets would have been to bund the entire area which would have had significant cost, carbon and floodplain offset impact which was calculated using the Mott MacDonald Moata Carbon Portal.
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Ufton Nervet WTW 3D models - Courtesy of MMB[/caption]
Biodiversity net gain (BNG): Approximately 2m of the existing ditch will be disturbed to install the new headwall, so another section approximately 10m long will be enhanced from poor to moderate condition equating in a 13.3% BNG in river units. The 0.1ha of agricultural grassland will be enhanced from poor to moderate condition to achieve a net gain of 10% to account for that lost from installing the new assets.
Approximately 88 urban trees are proposed to be planted and maintained to moderate condition along the 180m boundary fence line to achieve a net gain of approximately 40%. To achieve a net gain of 10% would mean only 22 small trees needing to be planted, but this would of only provided a visual screening along 25% of the fence line. Therefore a hedgerow will also be planted along approximately 125m of the inside of the fence line to provide further visual screening and offer at least a 27% net gain in BNG hedgerow units.
Mini CS & Company News
- Sulzer HL Feed Pumps at Hampton Loade WTW
Sulzer HL Feed Pumps at Hampton Load...Hampton Loade WTW project is part of South Staffs Water’s current investment plan. It provides an interstage filtration system for the water treatment plant improving water quality for customers across the region. Ross-shire Engineering Ltd (RSE) – a UK’s leading company specialising in engineering services, was appointed to install one of the world's largest CeraMac® filtration plants from PWNT.Project background
Souths Staffs have carried out a project to introduce an additional stage of filtration level to enhance the water treatment. This was to be in place by the end of March 2024. After significant trials and piloting works, South Staffs chose to install a PWNT CeraMac® filtration system which brings significant benefits to the process. With this choice, the completion date was revised to end of March 2025. [caption id="attachment_9662" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
Courtesy of Sulzer Pumps Wastewater Ltd[/caption]
Adding the CeraMac® filtration
The project will deliver 20 CeraMac® C90 vessels. Each of the C90 units will be complete with a dedicated feed pump and backwash vessel. The 20 units are divided into two streams of 10 each with supporting membrane cleaning systems. Paul Foden RSE Project Manager said:‘’The CeraMac® solution was chosen as it provides the robust and ultimate physical barrier against particulates within the raw water. It also presents cost benefits, as in future the UV process can be removed.’’
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Courtesy of Sulzer Pumps Wastewater Ltd[/caption]
Enhancing filtration process with Sulzer feed pumps
Sulzer supported this stage of filtration by providing 40 HL feed pumps. These will pump water forward from the existing clarifier units onto the CeraMac® membranes. Steve Wilburn, Sulzer UK Business Development Manager, commented:"This is a very significant project. We are glad to be part of it and to support the customer both in the construction of this state-of-the art filtration plant, as well as in the upgrade of the treatment process."
Extending the filter run time with Sulzer pumps
In addition to the second stage filtration, there will be various cleaning systems installed to ensure that the membranes are maintained at their optimum operating conditions. There are two filtrate water storage tanks in the plant, each fitted with a clean backwash pump running between 3,5-4 bar. To this process, Sulzer delivered 4 backwash pumps. Their application in the process is to refill pressurised backwash vessels by pumping water into the system, allowing the air spring to remove accumulated particles and debris. Backwashing will help to maintain the efficiency of the filter and will prevent it from becoming clogged with debris. For the enhanced cleaning, Sulzer supplied 4 neutralisation pumps and 4 CIP pumps. Paul Foden concluded:"We are very happy with the pumps provided and Sulzer’s support in delivering the best value and quality of products in the time of economic challenges."
For more information contact: Sulzer Pumps Wastewater Ltd | +44 (0)1293 558140 | www.sulzer.com
Hampton Loade WTW | Full case study by Ross-Shire Engineering | Published on WaterProjectsOnline 2 March 2023 |
Hampton Loade WTW treats raw water from Chelmarsh Reservoir, located approximately two miles north-west of the site. The reservoir is supplied by the river intake pumps located within the intake building immediately adjacent to the River Severn. The maximum flow that can gravitate to the works from the reservoir is 130-135 megalitres/day (MLD). To increase the flow from the works up to the design value, there are four low-lift pumps which are also situated within the intake building ... MORE READ THE FULL CASE STUDY - Sandown WSW
Sandown WSWSouthern Water’s Sandown Water Supply Works is located on the south-east of the Isle of Wight and supplies drinking water to Sandown and Shanklin. The average winter demand of 7.7 Ml/d can almost double up to 13 Ml/d in the summer due to tourism. Southern Water’s Asset Strategy requires a reliable supply of 12 Ml/d of treated water from the works. A risk assessment to establish resilience of the works' infrastructure identified the ageing clear water tank and high lift pumping station as potential weaknesses which could affect supply. Southern Water awarded Trant Engineering a £10m design and construct contract, Phase 1 for the replacement of these assets. Phase 2 of the project works is for improvement of wash water discharge and flood resilience on site, and Phase 3 includes installation of new caustic soda offloading and storage facilities together with new dosing equipment installed in a new GRP kiosk.
The story so far
The new Phase 1 high lift pumping station will deliver up to 8 Ml/d to Shanklin Service Reservoir and up to 14 Ml/d to Brading Service Reservoir via existing ultraviolet reactors along with the power supply and motor control centre (MCC2). The contract also covers extensive pipework modifications and the installation of new supply flow meters, treated water aluminium monitoring and triple validated contact tank outlet chlorine residual monitoring. Prior to commencing on site, Trant undertook a series of surveys and investigations which identified a number of construction challenges. In addition to the requirement to keep the works in operation during the work, the site is located within an AONB, which required planning permission and environmental mitigations being satisfied for limited environmental impacts. Due to site space constraints and the need to cut down disruption to live treatment plant, Trant identified early on that the need to build the new equipment offline as far as possible and to provide a new incoming power supply, so that the new equipment could be powered up and tested independently of the existing works. [caption id="attachment_16889" align="alignnone" width="1200"]
The new glass-coated steel sectional clear water tanks - Courtesy of Trant Engineering[/caption]
Innovative design
To reduce excavation work, Trant proposed a design using two new glass-coated steel sectional clear water tanks, 6m diameter and 7m high, constructed above ground on a brownfield area of the site. The tanks feed two sets of five, vertical multistage pumps, one set for Brading and one for Shanklin, installed above ground mounted on concrete plinths, with a surrounding steel access platform with staircase at either end. Due to the level of the outlet of the contact tank being below ground, an intermediate 're-lift' pump station was introduced to feed the clear water tanks. The re-lift pumping station used a jacketed shaft construction method to avoid heavy temporary works. Southern Water’s Senior Project Manager, Kev Fausset said:“Trant was very pro-active in proposing innovative designs to minimise below-ground works and build off line for least disruption to live process works. That has helped to maintain supply and reduce the overall programme of works.”
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Inside one of the new glass-coated steel sectional clear water tanks - Courtesy of Trant Engineering[/caption]
Looking forward
Trant started on site in September 2023 and the scheme has made a great start with significant progress on the civil construction works. However, a high volume of complex works remains to be delivered on the scheme within what is a challenging programme and site environment. Tony Jacobson, Trant’s Senior Project Manager said:“Success will be achieved through ongoing collaboration with our client, supply chain and the wider water industry. The new clearwater tanks will be installed during the summer and the new MCC and electrical work will be completed in time for the arrival of the new pumps in the last quarter of 2024. Simultaneously, we are progressing the mechanical and electrical works for Phases 2 and 3 so that the project delivers on all its objectives and provides an excellent standard of new and upgraded assets.”
For more information: Trant Engineering Ltd | +4423 8066 5544 | www.trant.co.uk |
