Marina Barcelona 92 Spain

/0 Comments/in /by

Flovac was in charge of the design and installation of a Flovac vacuum sewerage system at the MB92 Port of Barcelona expansion project to collect wastewater and ensure that no environmental damage could occur in the area.

MB92 expands its installations at Barcelona’s port

Marina Barcelona 92 (MB92), a company dedicated to the maintenance and repair of superyachts, was in charge of carrying out the ambitious project to expand the port coastline of Barcelona, in the Port Vell area. The project, started in 2015 and completed in 2019, consisted of the construction of a large surface area in which a new boat lifting system (known as shiplift) would be located, with the aim of grounding yachts of up to 4,000 tons for repair and maintenance. Currently, it is the largest shiplift in the world dedicated exclusively to yachts.

The Project

The project, which involved a total investment of 50 million euros, was completed in August 2019 after 4 years of work. Thanks to the shiplift, customers have more ability than ever to work out of the water, which offers more flexibility, capacity and opportunities when it comes to maintaining and repairing yachts. Since its launch, the shiplift has already carried 22 superyachts with an average of over 75m LOA. It is a feat of world-class civil engineering in the heart of the port of Barcelona.

Raising Capacity

  • Capacity to lift vessels up to 115m LOA.
  • 30,000m2 hard standing area to host up to 9 vessels of up to 115m LOA on dry land
  • Hard standing area includes integrated keel pit with dimensions of 8m depth, 5m width and 14.5m length.
  • Bidirectional rail system to facilitate flexible and more efficient maneuverability of vessels once hauled out.
  • Supply of all essential services such as fresh water and shore power connections.

Flovac Looking after the Environment

Flovac was commissioned to install a vacuum sewerage system in this project in order to collect the wastewater generated by MB92’s activity. The goal of Flovac and the products it offers is to reduce the human footprint. Therefore, one of the main priorities was to guarantee the environmental protection of the area. The installation is made up of 2 independent vacuum networks; one for the wastewater from buildings and yachts, and the other one for industrial wastewater produced from yacht repair. The industrial wastewater is transported to a new treatment plant, at MB92’s own facilities. The facility has 4 tanks with 2 vacuum valves each. Flovac has finished the commissioning this July.

To find out more about Flovac’s port and marina projects you can click here

Port Vell Barcelona Spain

/0 Comments/in /by

On April 27 2015, Flovac commissioned the vacuum system at the Marina Port Vell in Barcelona. Known as one of the finest new marinas for Super yachts in Europe, the owners saw the use of the Flovac system as essential.

The system designed and installed by FLOVAC includes the discharges from buildings in the Marina such as the restaurants, offices, locker rooms, gym, etc … and residences on the boats moored in the Marina.

Wastewater and Bilge Water

The vacuum system has two vacuum networks, one for wastewater generated in the Marina (waste water) and a parallel network where bilge water, which requires pre-treatment to collect the sewage discharged in port .The network of pipes, placed around

the perimeter of the marina, carrying the waste water has vacuum generated by a single vacuum station located in the Marina. It is the single point of electricity needed for the whole system. FLOVAC vacuum valves, which are located in different collection pits are pneumatically operated with this setup, FLOVAC has already installed four vacuum sewerage works in the area of the Port of Barcelona.

No Leaks from the Sewer System can occur

The vacuum system ensures the impossibility of discharges into the sea , is the most economical solution in terms of execution of work, since by its very nature design , the network of pipes need not be buried deep underground and no intermediate pumping. Moreover, in this case, the system is equipped with a remote control system that allows the owner to know exactly everything that happens anywhere in the sewer.

User Pay for Sewage Discharge

Flovac also designed software to control the discharge of sewage from yachts to the Marina and can accurately invoice by litres of discharge to the sewer. As a result, Marina Port Vell prevents sewage dumped at sea and in return gives them a MARPOL certificate.

MARPOL 73/78 is an international convention for the prevention of pollution at sea. The convention includes regulations aimed at preventing and minimising pollution at sea from ships, and this includes both, accidental pollution and pollution from routine operations.

Exmouth Western Australia

/0 Comments/in /by
Vacuum Sewerage technology has been fantastic for developers. Many areas that were once thought too difficult or expensive to sewer have now opened up.

Vacuum sewerage systems almost always cost less to install and less to maintain than traditional gravity systems, and certainly less than pressurized systems with grinder pumps. A single vacuum pump station will usually be sufficient to support an entire project.

  • Lower Cost Installation
  • Easy maintenance
  • Environmentally Friendly
  • Easier Staging
  • Low Initial Capital Costs
  • Ease of Installation
  • Single Pump Station
  • Versatile location for VPS

The shallow trenching and small diameter pipework ensures a speedy cost effective installation. This ensures less conflicts with other services to be installed.

Plug and Play Temporary Pump Stations can offer developers great flexibility with designs, fitting into important cash flow considerations. Read How

Cost Savings

A vacuum sewerage system almost always costs less to install than a gravity flow system because our vacuum system uses small pipe in shallow, narrow trenches, and there are no manholes. Once installed, it continues to save money because the tight system eliminates inflow and infiltration (I&I). This is even more important if you are charged by the gallon when treatment is by others.

Less Intrusive

Shallow, narrow trenches and absence of manholes also mean there is less surface disruption than with gravity systems which must follow favorable topography. Gravity systems can result in manholes, multiple pump stations, potential for odor, and ex-filtration. All this can be eliminated with a vacuum system.

Deferred Costs

Some costs of a vacuum sewerage system can be deferred. For instance, vacuum valves do not have to be installed until a property is sold. This cost can be added to the selling price of the lot.

Overcome Site Conditions

A vacuum sewerage system can be used to overcome site difficulties such as flat land, sandy or acid-sulphate soils, high groundwater, and rock, which are common in new developments. Because the horizontal and vertical direction of our sewer mains may be changed easily, developers have more flexibility in site configuration and lot layout.

Accepted Superior System

Many times, developers install sewer systems that will be operated and maintained by others. Often, the final owner is not aware of vacuum or its track record as a proven, reliable alternative to gravity-flow systems. We are available to help you design the perfect system for your needs, and to help explain its features and benefits to others.

Easy Staging

With conventional gravity sewers, as you add new stages to your development, the large equipment, blasting, and deep open trenches increase the dirt, danger, and disruption to existing homes and children who live there. These negatives are minimized with vacuum.

State-of-the-art Technology

The entire collection network is connected via IOT wireless communication protocols. This can help with line testing during construction, notification of inspectors when houses are connecting and integrate fully with utility SCADA networks.

Space Saving

A vacuum station can replace five or six lift stations necessary in a gravity-flow system. With vacuum, that land is available for profitable home sites. This also minimizes hard to sell lots. Nobody wants to live next to a lift station.

Praia da Rocha Portugal

/0 Comments/in /by
Vacuum Sewerage technology has been fantastic for developers. Many areas that were once thought too difficult or expensive to sewer have now opened up.

Vacuum sewerage systems almost always cost less to install and less to maintain than traditional gravity systems, and certainly less than pressurized systems with grinder pumps. A single vacuum pump station will usually be sufficient to support an entire project.

  • Lower Cost Installation
  • Easy maintenance
  • Environmentally Friendly
  • Easier Staging
  • Low Initial Capital Costs
  • Ease of Installation
  • Single Pump Station
  • Versatile location for VPS

The shallow trenching and small diameter pipework ensures a speedy cost effective installation. This ensures less conflicts with other services to be installed.

Plug and Play Temporary Pump Stations can offer developers great flexibility with designs, fitting into important cash flow considerations. Read How

Cost Savings

A vacuum sewerage system almost always costs less to install than a gravity flow system because our vacuum system uses small pipe in shallow, narrow trenches, and there are no manholes. Once installed, it continues to save money because the tight system eliminates inflow and infiltration (I&I). This is even more important if you are charged by the gallon when treatment is by others.

Less Intrusive

Shallow, narrow trenches and absence of manholes also mean there is less surface disruption than with gravity systems which must follow favorable topography. Gravity systems can result in manholes, multiple pump stations, potential for odor, and ex-filtration. All this can be eliminated with a vacuum system.

Deferred Costs

Some costs of a vacuum sewerage system can be deferred. For instance, vacuum valves do not have to be installed until a property is sold. This cost can be added to the selling price of the lot.

Overcome Site Conditions

A vacuum sewerage system can be used to overcome site difficulties such as flat land, sandy or acid-sulphate soils, high groundwater, and rock, which are common in new developments. Because the horizontal and vertical direction of our sewer mains may be changed easily, developers have more flexibility in site configuration and lot layout.

Accepted Superior System

Many times, developers install sewer systems that will be operated and maintained by others. Often, the final owner is not aware of vacuum or its track record as a proven, reliable alternative to gravity-flow systems. We are available to help you design the perfect system for your needs, and to help explain its features and benefits to others.

Easy Staging

With conventional gravity sewers, as you add new stages to your development, the large equipment, blasting, and deep open trenches increase the dirt, danger, and disruption to existing homes and children who live there. These negatives are minimized with vacuum.

State-of-the-art Technology

The entire collection network is connected via IOT wireless communication protocols. This can help with line testing during construction, notification of inspectors when houses are connecting and integrate fully with utility SCADA networks.

Space Saving

A vacuum station can replace five or six lift stations necessary in a gravity-flow system. With vacuum, that land is available for profitable home sites. This also minimizes hard to sell lots. Nobody wants to live next to a lift station.

Seeb Oman

/0 Comments/in /by

VACUUM SYSTEM DESIGNERS

Experienced Designers of Vacuum Sewer Systems for both Vacuum Main Networks and Vacuum Pump Stations.

Our engineering services include design for septic tank replacement programs, new residential developments, system upgrades, marina’s and specialist concepts.

If you would like a free concept design or budget price for your project, our engineering team will require the following information.

  • Location
  • Type of project. Septic tank replacement scheme; new residential development; marina or other.
  • Area layout. Preferably an autocad drawing but at least a pdf layout or a link to your town on google earth.
  • Flow rate information. Number of houses to connect up, number of people per house, flow rate in your area, including a peaking rate and any required wet weather allowance.
  • Are there any commercial or industrial costomers that will need to be included.
  • Are there plans for future growth in the catchment area
  • Location of discharge point. Is there a treatment plant location?
  • Ideal location for the vacuum pump station.
  • Any local site specific issues. Earthquakes, regular flooding, ground condition, seasonality.

Please contact us via this link and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Flovac’s engineers will always look for the best solution for the project. They are not tasked with selling vacuum systems, they need to ensure that whatever technology is used is the most appropriate for the client and local conditions. In many cases this has resulted in hybrid systems using a variety of technologies including gravity and low pressure grinder pumps.

As the Engineering Group is involved in a number of projects around the world at any one time they are kept up to date with product changes and enhancements which might affect the design. The same is true to changes in country or state standards that may also impact on the design.

Flovac’s engineers have designed hundreds of vacuum sewerage systems and vacuum pump stations but look to work with local and international engineering firms wherever practical. Local engineering firms have a great understanding of client needs and local conditions. These firms rely on Flovac’s expertise with vacuum technology and reduce their risks of being involved in a technology that they do not often get involved with.

Pump Stations are designed in 3D to allow the Operations Group to do a full review prior to Final Design to ensure that it meets internal health and safety guidelines. Not only do Flovac’s engineers get involved in full designs and extensions to existing systems they are also regularly involved with :-
Vacuum Pump Station Upgrades and Retrofits

Master Planning and System Design Read More

Flovac’s engineering team offer a wide variety of services:

  • Concept Design and Budgeting
  • Whole of Life Analysis
  • Catchment Planning and Master Planning
  • Vacuum Pump Station Upgrades
  • Reticulation Plans and Long Section design
  • Hazard, Safety and Operability Studies
  • Development of Standards
  • Comparative Studies
  • System Commissioning
  • Electrical and Mechanical Designs
  • Asset Management
  • Design and Planning Courses

Coorong Quays South Australia

/0 Comments/in /by

Interview with Alistair Read – Operations Manager Coorong Quays, South Australia.

Coorong Quays Project Link

1. What is your role at Coorong Quays?

I am the Manager of Operations of the Coorong Quays canal development in charge of the vacuum sewer system as well as the Treatment Plant. With the vacuum sewer system I am involved with the installation through to the tuning of each stage. I also review the specific design by Flovac and local engineer Wallbridge Gilbert Aztec (WGA). At this stage it is a private development and we have operated as a private utility.

2. How long has your vacuum sewerage system been in operation?

This vacuum system has been in operation since 1990 at Coorong Quays. It was originally known as Marina Hindmarsh and attracted a lot of holiday makers from Adelaide. It was the first vacuum system installed in South Australia. I have had 22 years of personal experience in operating this system. Starting out with Stage 2 with 36 Pits to Stage 8 with 276 Pits now servicing 845 homes. I have supervised seven stages, including the building of two of the three vacuum pumping stations. We also use the vacuum system to suck the wastewater off boats at the marina as well as many of the houseboats which travel up the Murray River.

3. What do you do when not managing the system at Coorong Quays.

I am very active with the Army Reserve and often need to be away with the Reserve. Earlier this year I was tasked to bushfire assistance at Kangaroo Island. It was a devastating period. I also love camping in the northern part of the state. It is incredibly beautiful. When I am away for extended periods I know I can rely on Flovac helping out my team, and I can also keep in touch via the monitoring system if I have coverage.

4. What are some of the main benefits of the Flovac Vacuum Sewerage System in your view?

There are many benefits of the vacuum system. It has a number of environmental benefits: It’s ideal for high water tables with typical trenching of 0.9 to 1.2 to 1.5 range, for the main lines. It’s specifically suited to coastal tidal areas and environmentally sensitive areas. For example, if there is any third-party major breach, that line flow will stop due to a lack of vacuum. This means the spillage impact is minimal in the area as it is a gravity system with vacuum assisting. Far less than conventional Gravity/Pressure or LP system, where the environmental impact could be greater, so the Flovac Vacuum System is ideal for such locations.

It is also ideal as it has minimal environmental impact for sensitive areas like Coorong Quays where the development borders on the Coorong and the Murray River. It is also a very cost-effective system to operate. It takes a smaller team to run, without needing heavy specialized equipment. Thus, keeping maintenance asset costs down.

We operate everything at the development under ISO 14001, which is an environmental certification. This governs many aspects including health and safety. The vacuum system helped with the certification. That it cant leak, no infiltration, low power use and very good from a health and safety perspective was all very important.

5. Why did you choose this system over other possible options?

 

In comparison with Gravity and LP sewer systems we are very happy with this system, as it has the flexibility for ‘add-ons’ to initial plans. You can tune this system to work for your purposes. For example, until recently Coorong Quays had a low population in winter, with higher numbers in summer.

The system needed to be tuned to fit in with this and thus reducing operating cost it has been more energy efficient. This vacuum system has the ability to have an auto air injected system to assist with this over the ‘High season’. This system is highly flexible.

We have recently experienced some social changes from having a ‘transitional’ population to more permanent residents. This has occurred because of lifestyle changes and with the current COVID-19 situation people are now working from home at Coorong Quays coupled with increased domestic holidaying.

This system has worked well for us as it has allowed us to cope with this social change, and with changing housing designs now being built, that includes more bathrooms, bedrooms etc.

6. What do you think of FVS systems in general?

This system is a robust one that also has the ability to be flexible’ in coastal terrains. It can be designed to better fit in with the land contours.

For example, in the case of Coastal it can be designed with minimum disturbance, as opposed to conventional system installations. From an operations viewpoint it is also easy to maintain with a smaller crew.

Maintenance is recommended annually. With rebuilds 10 -15 years for internal components, depending on cycle usage.

From my experience with valves, it’s about 15 years with nominal use of 30,000 to 40,000 cycles per valve a year.

7. Would you recommend this particular system to other similar developments such as yours?

I highly recommend this system for coastal environments. Used in conjunction with the wireless monitoring system (FMS) it is an even better way of monitoring this system and tuning it to run at its optimum. The benefit of this is that it can be done remotely, and tuned on site.

The FMS electronic monitoring system also records how the valve activity is performing and allows the operator to address any maintenance issues straight away.

8. Has Flovac provided good support to you and your team?

Flovac have been with us all the way through. New product developments like the monitoring system and PE collection pits. Improvements to their valve and controller and  their engineers and operators have been fantastic. They run 24-hour support, though we have never really needed it.

It’s important to recognise that a vacuum system is not just a single product, its a system. So we need to be on top of all aspects. I have plenty of other things to watch over in my life so its been great knowing that we can rely on the Flovac team. They are doing this day in, day out , all around the world. They know what they are doing and they have never let us down.

Coorong Quays residential canal development project in South Australia

Orangefield Texas

/0 Comments/in /by

The key to the success of the Flovac Group is the emphasis placed on the importance of the operations group. At every level within the delivery of our projects the operations group plays some part.

  • As an integral part of the design team with insights into hazard and operability studies and current health and safety legislation.
  • As part of the research and development group within production.
  • Site supervision during the construction phase
  • Providing experienced personnel and equipment during commissioning phases.
  • Education programs for contractors, plumbers and operators.

Being part of a global team is a big advantage as we have found that each project has unique challenges and issues not found elsewhere within a country but may have been seen somewhere else in the world.

Flovac Installation Team, Botswana

Some of the critical work undertaken by our operations teams includes:

  • System Maintenance
  • Tuning and Optimisation
  • Valve and Pump Upgrades
  • Remote Analysis
  • 24 hour Phone Support
  • System Audits
  • Operator Training
  • Asset Management Support
  • Parts Supplies (all systems)
  • Contractor and Plumber Accreditation Courses

Jambatan 6 Kampong Ayer Brunei

/0 Comments/in /by

Kampong Ayer in Brunei’s capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan is a cluster of around 40 small villages connected by a 38-kilometer (23-mile) boardwalk. It dates back more than 600 years. Today, around 13,000 people live in the water village, about 3{1deaea03afbf3f3fb2d45caffee157f5a0ec73dd837732cad8f5061c47eb75db} of the country’s population.

These Water Villages are very common throughout South East Asia down as far as PNG which has a large water village just outside of Port Moresby at Hanuabada.

Many of these villages have enormous cultural and historic value to the countries and communities that live in them. They are also major drawcards for tourists with the Kampong Ayer townships in Brunei known as the “venice of the east”

Although some of the houses are now on vacuum sewer networks, many have still not been connected. Historically having raw sewerage drop into the water below only really affected the health of the local population as many of the water people swam or fished in the same water. With the wealth of those living in the villages increasing, more problems have surfaced with detergents entering the waterways, killing off the fish and other local seafood. None of this is good for tourism, especially the odour.

The government has big plans to increase many of the houses serviced but are also finding the structural integrity of many of the houses to be a problem. Imagine laying a length of pipework between houses to pick up the sewage when the house in the middle collapses due to age.

How these houses get serviced is a very complex problem. At one of the water villages in Labuan Malaysia a gravity system was installed but proved to be a failure within a short amount of time.

The pipework sloping to a gravity main below the houses close to the surface of the water was cut many times by local residents as it was impeding the way that many residents got around the area in their boats. For hundreds of years the residents drove their small boats under their houses and around the village. All of a sudden plastic pipes were in the way. A simple solution – cut them.

In 1995 our firm was hired by the Brunei and Australian governments to design and then supply a vacuum sewerage system for two main sections of Kampong Ayer at Bolkiah A and B. The sewerage was collected into sumps pinioned below the walkways to the houses and on average 4 houses was connected to each sump.

Vacuum valves were housed in small stainless steel valve boxes attached to the side of the walkways to allow for easy operator access. All of the vacuum mains were laid under the walkways back to land where the vacuum pump station and treatment plant were located.

As the pipework was laid directly under the walkways it was not visible and did not impact on the passage of the residents. The number one lesson for residents was to learn not to use their toilet as a rubbish bin. Initially blockages were common and operators grew frustrated by the number of items thrown into the system.

The problem residents were easily found as with only 4 houses connected to a sump, the process of elimination was easy and the residents were educated as to proper use. Modern valve monitoring systems will make this even easier.

Our engineers received an award from the Institute of Engineers Australia for this project. Our operations group still goes to site whenever requested the the government to ensure that the system continues to work well.

The lessons which both our engineers and operators learnt from these projects has enabled us to offer clients great insights in to how best design systems for water villages, resorts and marina’s. If you would like to learn more about other Flovac projects you can read about them here.  FLOVAC PROJECTS

Llay Llay Chile

/0 Comments/in /by

A FLOVAC delegation was recently in Chile, in the Llay-Llay commune, where the first vacuum sewerage installation of the country is being built. As this technology is innovative for the Chilean technicians, a conference was organized for everyone interested in FLOVAC’s system, having it coincide with the formation day of the Regional Development Subsecretary (SUBDERE).

His Excellency the Mayor of Llay-Llay, Mr. Mario Marillanca, welcomed FLOVAC’s Commercial Manager, Mr. Bruno Galindo, who introduced the project that is being developed and explained how the system works. In the audience there were more than 45 engineers from different localities around the country. In the conference room a vacuum pit was installed in order to show the attendees different components  of the system.

“I have great faith that everything works well, and that this project model will serve in other places where there is the same deficit,” said Mayor Mario Marillanca in a welcoming address to regional officials of the Sanitation Clearing of theUndersecretariat Of Regional Development.

For the regional manager of Subdere Valparaíso, Eduardo Pasten, the pioneering and innovative project that is implemented in Llay Llay, can be replicated in other cities of the country. He emphasizes the importance of the presence of representatives from all over Chile, “in order to be able to disseminate, and if applicable in the regions, to implement it,” Pasten said.

A Flovac system was considered in the area due to the difficulty of pipe installation in the rocky area which meant that installation could be carried out quickly and with the least disruption to local residents.

Another important consideration was the low amount of power that is required for the vacuum pump station. With power required only at the vacuum pump station a back up generator can easily be supplied if there is any interruption to local power supplies.

Flovac’s site supervisor on the project Francisco Rodríguez worked very closely with the large local contractor Montec to ensure a correct installation.

Bonaire Netherland Antillies

/0 Comments/in /by