Miles Crossing Oregon

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Not long after Miles Crossing Sanitary Sewer District in Oregon installed a new vacuum sewer system they realized they had an issue that needed an immediate fix. According to the superintendent, Carl Gifford, “Our flows exceed 180,000 gallons [on heavy rain days] due to a massive I/I issue that we grew to have”.  This excess can put a strain on the system which can increase utility bills, not to mention, Miles Crossing is a collection system only.  They have to work with a neighboring system for treatment and have a limit on max flow that can be sent.

Flovac and Miles Crossing were able to meet and come up with a  plan to utilize Flovac Monitoring System to overcome these issues.

“With this system, we can monitor the fires from each individual pit. During a rain event, it is really simple to tell which ones contribute to the massive I/I we are dealing with. During the last winter, we were able to identify 9 sources of I/I that we were able to repair”.

Gifford also mentions how the system allows for the sewer district to know about problems before customers do. “An additional benefit that we observed with this system is the alarms that it provided. Numerous times we were called out for a high-level at a residence and were able to make the repair and get it back online before the customer knew there was a problem. This helps greatly with the risk management of possible failures and the following lawsuits that have happened in the past”.

Due to less load on the system, Miles Crossing have been able to add residential connections creating revenue.

To find out more about the Flovac Monitoring System – Click Here

Image on Front Cover Torsten Blackwood—AFP/Getty Images

Couran Cove Queensland Australia

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Eco Resort for 2,000 visitors and staff. Includes conference center, restaurants, sporting facilities and marina – https://www.courancove.com.au/

Kasane Kazungula Villages Sanitation Project

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A Flovac vacuum sewerage system has been installed at the site of one of Africa’s most important infrastructure projects, funded by the African Development Fund.

The Kazungula Bridge project which is connecting Zambia and Botswana over the Zambezi River will be a 40{1deaea03afbf3f3fb2d45caffee157f5a0ec73dd837732cad8f5061c47eb75db} boost to the GDP of the countries involved as it opens up the regions for trade all the way to the port at Durban.

The Kazungula Bridge is located at the only area in the world where 4 countries meet together. Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe. One of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, the Victoria Falls is located a short 1 hour drive from the project.

As the new Bridge opens up trade and tourism between the four countries it was necessary to set up a new border customs and immigration complex. Zhong Gan, an experienced International engineering and construction company based in Botswana, has done numerous projects for the World Bank and Botswana Government and decided to use a Flovac vacuum sewerage system on this project which services this complex.

Justin Peng the project director of Zhong Gan chose a vacuum sewer as a value engineering proposal to the client as there was a high water table which prevented deep excavations required by the original gravity system proposed. Ensuring that no sewage could overflow to the Zambezi River was also important as the area is home to elephants and others in Africas Big 5.

Smart Vacuum Sewer System

The Flovac system is the first smart sewer system installed in Botswana which allows the operator to have a complete system overview. The smart system allows the operator to look at the performance of each vacuum valve in the system and independently alert operators to any potential problems.

Mr Peng chose Flovac due to the operator friendly nature of the design and equipment and the overwhelming positive feedback from prior installations that his team visited. The Water Utilities Corporation approved the system who were extremely pleased by the advancement in technology and ease of maintenance compared to other systems that had been installed in Botswana and Southern Africa.

The Flovac Team worked very closely with our local representatives Multi Waste Pty Limited headed by Andrew Davies. Multi Waste are a large domestic company , experts in water, wastewater and energy in Botswana and Southern Africa. Multi waste set up a fabrication plant for the Flovac pits and handled all assembly of the system at their head office in Gaborone prior to delivery to site.

The Multi Waste team will operate and maintain the system for the time being with support from the Flovac International Operations Group via the monitoring system.

The Flovac and Multi Waste Design and Install team

Shin Kori Nuclear Power Plant South Korea

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This is a unique project, designed and installed by Flovac’s partners in South Korea Coway EnTech Co. Ltd.

Mr Changil Koh the Deputy Manager in charge of the project, said that vacuum systems are very useful in handling the wastewater from the offices and facilities in industrial projects such as Nuclear Power Plants.  they have also been installed in Oil Refineries and at airport facilities as no power is required at the collection points only at the vacuum station. This means that there are no points of ignition risk within the system.

Mr Koh said that the laying of the HDPE pipework was  a lot easier than using gravity sewers as it could be installed above ground where required or in shallow trenches. There is more than 2 kilometers of pipework involved. Most area’s where industrial complexes are built in flat areas with difficult to construct ground conditions. This is ideal for vacuum sewers.

The Shin-Kori Nuclear Power Plant #5,6 – Sanitary Water Transfer Facility in Busan will be providing much needed power by 2022. It is owned and operated by Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, a subsidiary of KEPCO. Flovac was chosen for this important project after an exhaustive trial to ensure that all of the Flovac components could handle the extreme conditions where temperatures can often drop to well below freezing.

Vacuum sewerage systems can be installed in a wide variety of projects READ HERE

London Olympics 2012

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Flovac provides for a safe easily deployable sewerage solutions with limited power requirements and is low maintenance.

“PLUG n PLAY”

1. VPS; 2. Vacuum Main; 3. Collection Pit; 4. Gravity Line; 5. Deployed Flovac System

The Flovac deployable Systems can be provided in conjunction with treatment or with camlock fittings to allow for easy access via sucker trucks.

Ideal for camps from 50 people to 5,000

Temporary Camps, whether emergency, workers accommodation, mining, military or refugee need to transport sewage from ablution blocks, kitchens and laundries. Installation of pipework can be time consuming, expensive and be damaging to the environment.

Flovac’s deployable vacuum system can be deployed to site and established within 24 hours. Upon redeployment can be packed and ready for transport within 24 hours, leaving the site as you found it.

All infrastructure delivered in re-deployable 20 ft containers, simply install the pipe network, power up the pump station and turn it on

The only power requirement is at the pump station

Collection pipe work can be laid above ground or buried at minimum depth and collects all wastewater within the camp

All systems pre-tested and commissioned prior to delivery and suitable for all climates

Can be supplied with containerised treatment plants if required

Also available with pre-constructed ablution blocks containing vacuum toilets to reduce water use in remote camps

No leaks, overflows or odours and all fully automated and monitored

Pierchic Madinet Jumeirah Dubai UAE

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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.

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.

Marie Quebec Canada

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Installation of a wireless monitoring system to assist with finding collection pits

Port Vell Barcelona Spain

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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.

Grand Case St Martin Caribbean

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When Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc through the Caribbean Islands in 2017 leaving a trail of destruction, it was clear that many towns would need to be completely rebuild many of their buildings but also their water and sewage infrastructure.

Having already been engaged in other Caribbean countries to install Flovac vacuum sewerage systems the engineers in Grand Case on Saint Martin approached Flovac to see if a vacuum sewerage system would be the best technology for the island.

This area is very flat and has a high water table, which meant that you could not dig more than one meter without finding salt water that would damage a system using gravity piping networks. Until now Grand Case had a network based on septic tanks that was not adequate. After the damage caused by Hurricane Irma, Saint Martin needed urgent repairs and a new, more efficient sanitation system. Work began in Grand Case (Saint Martin)  towards the end of 2019 and it was clear that a vacuum sewerage system was essential in the area.

Shallow Vacuum Main Installation

Often working in narrow streets with other cables and pipes already installed it was clear that a vacuum system was the only system that could be installed with the least amount of impact on the local community. The people of Saint Martin were also very happy to hear that there would be no odors from the system as well as no potential of sewer leaks from the pipes.

As the region had experienced more major storms and hurricanes in recent years it was also important that the system was resilient and would still operate during extended power outages.

Being a remote community with little experience with vacuum sewer technology the local managers and operators were very happy that Flovac installed a monitoring system throughout the network that could be watched and supported by the Flovac operations group in Europe. If there is ever a low vacuum or breakdown, Flovac’s experienced operators could assist.

The main design and installation was handled by Flovac’s project group based out of Barcelona as they had recently installed a system nearby in Canouan. This group, headed by Bruno Galindo and Francisco Rodríguez  is now supporting Saint Martin’s operators.

Grand Case St Martin

Hilton Salwa Beach Resort Qatar

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The Hilton Salwa Resort is designed to become one of the largest resorts and residential projects in Qatar. Utilizing a Flovac vacuum sewer system the resort is constructed on 257 acres of land in the Salwa area. The beach resort and villas is a massive project that includes a water park, marina, dive center, cinemas, pools, a health club, spa and a considerable retail space. In addition to the rooms and suites in the main hotel building, the resort will also include two small “villages” of family villas.

Flovac was asked to design and supply a vacuum system that would be able to handle the high flows that will ultimately be handled by the Resort. The vacuum system needed to facilitate not only the hotel but also residential areas, restaurants and the marina. The client was aware of the good work which Flovac had done at Reef Island in Bahrain and was particularly impressed with the monitoring system that had been installed. The monitoring allows operators to see exactly what was happening anywhere in the network including the operation of the vacuum pump station. Mr Willem Gooren one of the founders of Flovac managed the project and was based in the Middle East for extensive periods during the projects establishment and finalization.

Smart and Safe Installation

In sandy soils, especially areas where there is a high water table vacuum systems are ideal as all of the pipework is installed at a shallow depth in the ground. A stepped profile within the pipeline design allows for some utilization of gravity while keeping the pipe shallow. Installation of vacuum mains is a lot faster than the installation of gravity sewers as there is less requirement to de-water or pre-load the land. HDPE pipe is used often when installing in hot climates and where soil conditions are unstable.

Leak Proof

The use of a Flovac system was also important to ensure that there would be no potential leaks from the system. As all vacuum pipework is under a negative pressure sewage cannot leak from the pipe in the event of a break.

The Vacuum Pump Station is one of the largest stations in the world. Housed in a dry and air conditioned environment the two large collection tanks are connected to five large Busch Mink MM 1202 vacuum pumps. Flovac has used Mink pumps since before 2005 and so has great experience in the correct set up to maximize the ability to handle the large flows required in this project.