Selwood’s pumping solutions specialists rose to an environmental challenge when they were tasked with installing more than 2km of pipework at a protected site that is the winter home for migrating birds.
The 13-mile Swale Estuary in Kent is a key RPSB reserve for birds for overwintering birds, and protected as a Site of Special Scientific Interest – meaning any infrastructure work can only be carried out between July and October.
This presented a challenge when work was needed to re-line a length of outfall main piping at a wastewater treatment works at Eastchurch, on the estuary.
While this work was carried out, wastewater that would normally go through the main needed to be overpumped a distance of more than 2,000 metres. There was a need to find a solution that was as efficient as possible, to keep running costs and environmental impact as low as possible.
Following a full on-site assessment and calculation of the flows and pipeline efficiency, Selwood’s team sourced 2.3km 500mm flanged steel pipework which reduced friction loss, resulting in lower running costs for the client and therefore improving the whole life cost of the scheme.
Two pumping systems were required to manage the site as flows varied dramatically, from 160 litres per second in normal flow, to 410 litres per second in storm flow.
A set of 30kw pumps was installed for the dry weather flow, while a generator set-up was configured to start and run only in the event of storm flows to power 70 KW submersible pumps.
This intelligent approach was supported by Selwood specialists who managed flows via ultrasonic-level controls and variable speed drives.
James Sinnock, Strategic Account Manager for Selwood, said: “Minimising environmental impact was key to the success of this demanding application. Our expertise came to the fore in designing a variable pumping set-up which resulted in a significant reduction in both the running costs and carbon footprint of the scheme.
“This project demonstrates Selwood’s commitment to environmental excellence and was also an example of collaborative working between partners.”
Selwood is the number one pump rental solutions provider in the UK , offering outstanding service from a national network of branches. Selwood offers site visits, installation and maintenance services backed by a 24/7, 365 days-a-year emergency callout system.
Selwood’s status as both a rental provider and a renowned manufacturer of pumps gives it a unique position in the water industry market. A global leader in pump innovation, this year saw the company expands its market-leading S range of solids handling pumps with the introduction of the new S160Eco solids handling pump, which delivers increased performance and near-silent operation from an environmentally-friendly engine.
The S160Eco, housed in Selwood’s renowned Super Silent canopies, is the quietest pump on the market as tested against EU directive 2000/14/EC and is designed to meet stringent EU Stage IIIB emissions regulations.
The S160Eco complements other Selwood units that are known across the sector for their quality and environmental compliance, including the S150 Electric. Available with an environmentally-friendly 30KW IE3 electric motor, the unit has been developed for large infrastructure schemes and major water providers are now renting the pump.
Super Silent electric drive configurations of Selwood’s S100 and S200 pumps are also available. Specialists are also developing an electric model of the company’s industry-leading Drainer “D” range, which are renowned for their versatility and are ideally suited to dewatering across a wide range of applications.
Chris Garrett, CEO of Selwood, said: “Customers in the water and wastewater sector are increasingly seeking to reduce emissions, and ever more stringent regulations make it paramount that Selwood remains at the forefront of environmentally-friendly technology.
“Our customers expect quality, performance and innovation, and we are very proud of our new additions which offer more choice from Selwood’s market-leading solids handling range.
“As a long-standing and trusted provider of quality pumps to the water industry, we have already seen significant demand for our newest units across both rental and sale.”
For more information about Selwood pumps, visit www.selwood.co.uk
