Automating air injection during tourism bursts

/0 Comments/in , /by

Vacuum sewer systems are highly resilient and adaptable, and the Water Corporation in Western Australia has shown how they have used technology in a clever way with the help of Flovac.

The Water Corp had a unique situation with one of their remote vacuum systems in the  town of Exmouth on Ningaloo Reef.

Regularly listed as one of the top 10 destinations in Australia, tourism pressures has led to increased flows in the town during peak tourism seasons.  In particular, this year saw the towns population increase from 3000 people to 30,000 people as it became the centre of a solar eclipse global event. This included a great video incorporating the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyds, Dark Side of the Moon 

Exmouth WA

How does any sewage system cope with massive variations in population? If you size it for peak, then sewage will not flow during the off peak periods. If there is a big increase in flow there could be overflows. Overflows in such a pristine location was not an option. Vacuum systems operate on a pressure differential which manages a complex mix of air and water. Systems are all designed for a specific air to liquid ratio. If there is too much air, then either you get very high energy costs with increased pump runs, or flows that don’t carry efficiently to the station. Too much liquid and there is a risk of overflows, or capacity issues at the rising main (force main) or treatment plant (discharge point).

Flovacs wireless monitoring system has a unique feature. The ability to alter the air to liquid ratios within the system. Programmed into the networks, different valves can be programmed to alter the mix to either increase or decrease the amount of air required along the vacuum main, changing the air liquid ratio. In dealing with seasonal issues, like Exmouth, or in areas that can get inundated by too much water via hurricanes or storm surges like Key Largo, Florida, the ability to change the air to liquid ratio becomes an important tool for managers and operators. It is fantastic that monitoring can identity infiltration, but it is essential that we give the operators the tools to handle the system when it occurs.

Rajiv Narendranathan

Last month Rajiv Narendranathan , from the Asset Management Team for the Water Corporation presented a paper at the AWA (Australian Water Association) conference in Darwin. The title was IMPROVED PERFORMANCE OF VACUUM SEWERS WITH PRESSURE MONITORING ALONG VACCUM MAINS AND PROGRAMMED AIR INJECTIION BASED ON PRESSURE TRENDS.

In his talk Rajiv said

Exmouth is approximately 1,100 Kms north of Perth and about 550Kms south-west of Karratha and the remoteness of this town makes it challenging to operate. Exmouth has a population of 2,500 people however as a tourist town the population can increase to about 6,000 people during peak holiday periods. The extreme variability in population results in unpredictable flow patterns which make the vacuum system in Exmouth near impossible to tune. Without appropriate levels of air being sucked into the system to cater for increased flows the vacuum lines are flooded and the pressures crash resulting in wastewater overflows.

Flovac AAI air injection success

The FLOVAC system monitors pressures along the Vacuum line in Exmouth and this improved visibility has enabled the system to be tuned to respond to variable flows from the catchment. The ability of this system to monitor pressures and inject air into the line appropriately has resulted in the air/liquid ratio being maintained during peak demand periods and maintain pressures throughout the vacuum line preventing wastewater overflows.

 

The project and rollout was a tremendous success and is being rolled out to numerous other projects in Western Australia. Flovac has used automated air injection systems at many projects around the world over the last twenty years. If you would like to learn more about setting up intelligent operations of your vacuum systems please let us know. Air Injection Systems

Protection of Polish Regions Water Source

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Polish city of Imielin is located in southern Poland beside the  Dziećkowice Reservoir, a beautiful man-made lake used by locals and tourists for a broad range of recreational activities, including sailing competitions, fishing, swimming and sunbathing on sandy beaches.

Dziećkowice Reservoir also supplies drinking water to Imielin and communities across the Silesia region. It is therefore vital that Imielin was served by an effective and reliable sewerage system offering the highest level of environmental protection.

The city also sits in a region that has been subject to extensive coal mining over many years, causing damage to the terrain, including subsidence. Between 2006-2019, Imielin implemented a comprehensive vacuum sewage system as part of a multi-phase construction process. A total of 60 km of vacuum lines were built and more than 1,000 vacuum valves installed. Flovac Polska was an integral partner in the project, supplying vacuum valves, vacuum station equipment and a propriety cable monitoring system.

“Operating any sewage system involves challenges, but the task is easier when you are working with a reliable partner like Flovac Polska sp. z.o.o. We know we can always count on the company’s help in terms of design, implementation and operation”.

Marek Jędrysik, President/CEO Miejska Spółka Komunalna

Why Flovac’s solution was chosen

Imielin is characterised by flat and mining-damaged terrain, as well as difficult ground-water conditions. Given these challenges, the city recognised that Flovac’s vacuum sewerage system offered a cost-effective solution, in part because it requires shallow trenches, which cuts construction costs and enables faster deployment.

Environmental protection was also a key factor because vacuum systems operate with negative pressure, ensuring no sewage can leak out (even in the event of a rupture). In addition, this means there are no overflows and rainfall cannot infiltrate

Finally, Flovac’s solution offered reliability and stability (with an inlet system designed to ensure air is always automatically entering the system), as well as easy monitoring and maintenance.

The monitoring of the vacuum system via a cable system (FMS) offers the client stable power and is a great alarm system for activations, pressure and potential failures. Flovac Polska has been a leading developer  in this type of monitoring and can save the client money through ease of operations and reduces risks to the community via fast alerts to the operators.

The results

Flovac’s technology has delivered outstanding reliability to the city and unrivalled protection to the Dziećkowice Reservoir. As a result, Imielin City Council remained fully committed to an investment and implementation process that continued over a 15-year period until completion in 2019.

Smaller scale expansions of the vacuum sewerage system will continue as the Imielin are continues to expand.

For a reprint of this article you can download it here 

Flovac’s vacuum sewerage system is not only suited to environmentally sensitive regions or challenging terrains. It offers tangible benefits to all manner of new and existing residential developments. For more information, please contact your local office.

Key Largo using monitoring for hurricane preparedness

/0 Comments/in , /by

Key Largo, Florida to Install Large Scale Telemetry Monitoring System in its Sanitary Collection System

Installation of FLOVAC Americas radio-telemetry system technology to help prevent SSOs and warn collection system’s operations of potential issues to begin.

Flovac has been contracted by the Key Largo Wastewater Treatment District to install its wireless monitoring system (FMS). The project is partially funded thru a grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The driver of the project to assist the Key Largo’s sanitation system cope when hurricanes and large storms hit the Florida Keys. The monitoring technology is to provide the district with real-time alerts of system issues as a means of mitigating SSOs. The installation is expected to take approximately two years to complete and will utilize a basin-by-basin approach to make such a large-scale project manageable. The monitoring technology will be deployed throughout the district’s vacuum collection system, grinder pump collection systems and force mains. This includes nearly 3,000 collection pits.

Once online, the system will monitor levels and pressures continuously and if changes outside normal operating conditions are detected, alerts will be sent to the district’s staff through Gateway transmission. Changes to the system can be made remotely and this will give operations crews time to conduct a field response to address issues such as low pressure, high flow, or other system failures.

Key Largo’s vacuum sewer pits resemble manholes seen in traditional gravity sewer systems and the monitoring devices will be installed inside of the existing pits/pedestals and so will be hidden and undetectable by residents and will not impact the appearance of neighborhoods.

“We are excited to be working with Key Largo and incorporating our technology into their existing infrastructure. Similar implementations have provided our clients with the ability to see what is happening in their systems in real-time and get ahead of issues before they occur and we look forward to delivering those same benefits and operational cost savings to Key Largo,” shares Michael Pringle, Director of Operations at FLOVAC Americas.

For more information about Flovacs Wireless Monitoring Read Here

Key Largo, Hurricane Irma Devastation. photo by Contessa Brewer CNBC