Water Industry Journal 10

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INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Going underground Sustained innovation to deliver leakage reduction

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Trenchless Technology | Wastewater Treatment & Technology | Sludge Management | Leak Detection and Repair

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Welcome

Making a splash

Editor Ellen Rossiter

Welcome to the latest edition of the Water Industry Journal in which we take a look at projects that are making waves in the industry.

scientists, engineers, geographers, architects and social scientists. Taking a broad view of water systems, the hub will explore the challenges and barriers to water security.

You know the water industry is no stranger to a challenge, from legacy issues to unpredictable weather patterns and increased demand, in this issue, we gain an insight into how the industry is tackling some of our most pressing concerns.

Whilst over at the University of Bath, another collaborative research project shows us why algae are the world’s most important ‘plants’. Discover how algae provide a crucial insight into climate change and learn how the early detection of algae signals could help the water industry.

Ensuring the water infrastructure is working as well as possible is a priority.

Yet carrying out the improvement and maintenance work this entails, without causing disruption to the general public is a challenge. Does trenchless technology hold the answer?

Mapping, condition assessments, leak detection and pipe repair have all benefitted from advances made in this area of technology in recent years. Matthew Izzard, Chairman of the United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT), provides us with an overview of the developments made in ‘no dig’ technology over the last 30 years.

The link between the innovations developed in our universities and their application in industry is nowhere more present than in this edition.

First up, we take a look at a collaborative research project between the Universities of Sheffield, Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds, which is developing intelligent ways to find and repair pipes without causing disruptive excavation works.

Find out how insects and worms are inspiring the trenchless technology of the future. Could bio-inspired robotic technology provide a sustainable way of building and repairing our infrastructure?

The Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub at Newcastle University will bring together 94 organisations from 25 countries, drawing on the expertise of

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

In this edition, we also learn how one company is taking a new approach to managing its wastewater network with a project that uses historical and current data to predict future performance, so the network can be managed more effectively.

Dividing up a water network into district metered areas (DMAs) has helped another water provider better understand where leakage is occurring. Whilst in taking steps to repair these leaks, we hear how a performance contract model has been a contributing factor in achieving one of the lowest leakage levels in the country.

Both climate change and the growth in demand make better surface water management crucial for creating sustainable water supplies. We find out about a project which aims to reduce rainwater flow into sewers by redirecting water into a sustainable drainage system feature such as a rainwater tank, thereby providing a useful non-potable water supply for gardens, for example.

As loyal readers will know, few issues of the magazine go by without a mention of ‘sludge’ and this edition is no exception. We hear about the efforts being made to turn the waste that’s flushed down our toilets into renewable energy.

Thermal Hydrolysis Advanced Anaerobic Digestion is the formal name for it, but you might simply call it ‘power from poo’.

Turn the pages to find out more about the innovative Howdon power plant.

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Contents

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Contents

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News

24-45 Trenchless Technology 48-55 Wastewater Treatment & Technology 56-57 Sludge Management 62-73 Leak Detection and Repair

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69 Editor

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Ellen Rossiter ellen.rossiter@distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Design

Distinctive Publishing, 3rd Floor, Tru Knit House, 9-11 Carliol Square, Newcastle, NE1 6UF www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

Advertising

David Lancaster Business Development Manager Tel: 0191 580 5476 david.lancaster@distinctivegroup.co.uk

72 www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

Distinctive Publishing or Water Industry Journal cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and Water Industry Journal.

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News

Yorkshire Water invests almost £8m in North Yorkshire treatment sites

Yorkshire Water is starting two schemes of investment worth £7.7m at two wastewater treatment works (WwTW) in North Yorkshire.

The company is spending £5.2m at Thirsk and £2.5m at Bedale Wastewater Treatment Works to improve the quality of water returned to the local water courses, Bedale Beck and Cod Beck, after treatment.

The spend is part of a £70m investment from Yorkshire Water to improve 196km of water courses across the county to meet new environmental targets on phosphorus removal.

Phosphorus is an essential nutrient for plant growth but when a water body becomes overly enriched it can lead to excessive plant and algae growth that can lead to oxygen depletion in water.

Yorkshire Water Communications Advisor Mark Allsop said “This work will build on Yorkshire Water’s vision for Taking

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INDUSTRY JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2018

A further £2.3 million scheme is already under way to lay a new sewer pipe from Bagby to Thirsk WwTW which will also help improve the quality of the water in Cod Beck as Bagby WwTW is decommissioned.

The company is investing £70 million pounds to improve the water it returns to the environment from 16 of its waste water treatment works to meet new environmental

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Responsibility for the Water Environment for Good. We’re committed to doing everything we can to improve our local environment and by completing this work we’ll exceed our target to reduce phosphorus and ensure the water we return to the environment is of the highest quality and deliver significant environmental benefits, and in particular to aquatic life.”

JOURNAL SEPTEMBER

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INDUSTRY JOURNA L DECEMBER 2018

Water and wastewater monitoring

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targets on phosphorus removal. Phosphorus is a normal part of domestic sewage and is naturally contained in soil. Many household products such as shampoo, washing powders and washing up liquid contain phosphorus.

The amount of phosphorus has become a measure of how good our rivers and water courses are as part of the Water Framework Directive. Phosphorus can also wash off from agricultural fields after the use of fertilisers and be dissolved from soil which can be difficult to control.

The company is advising customers that during this work customers water and waste water services won’t be affected, and they won’t need access into their home. Customers should always ask for identification before letting anyone in to their home or premises.

If you would like to participate in the June edition of Water Industry Journal we shall be featuring: n Anaerobic Digestion n Health & safety

The Phosphorus Challenge Phosphorus Removal

Wastewater Treatment

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t t | Flow and Level measuremen | Catchment Managemen Networks Digestion | Clean Water & Technology | Anaerobic

n Making the circular economy work Water & Wastewa ter Monitoring & Analysis | Improvin g Customer Experienc Utility Security & e | Wastewater Treatmen Incident Managem ent | Sustainable t & Technology Urban Drainage | Sludge Managem ent

n Improving drinking water quality n Wastewater treatment & technology n Phosphorus removal

Contact David Lancaster on 0191 580 5476 or email david.lancaster@distinctivegroup.co.uk for more information.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

News

£4 million investment at Caugh Hill Water treatment works complete NI Water is pleased to announce the completion of a £4 million investment at Caugh Hill Water Treatment Works outside Dungiven. The improvement work involved the construction of a new sludge press, which is an essential element of the water treatment process at the plant. The sludge press will improve the efficiency of the water treatment process, bringing essential cost savings to the business as well as improving the water quality and service to our customers.

l-r, Grainne McNicholl (Doran Consulting), Paul Davison, Paul Harper and Aaron Vogan (all NI Water) take a tour of the Caugh Hill plant with Councillor Brenda Chivers, Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council

Paul Harper, NI Water Director of Asset Delivery said: “Water is a vital part of our infrastructure and impacts on our daily lives.

We are delighted to have completed this major investment at the plant, which will greatly improve the water treatment process and deliver benefits to our customers such as improved water quality.”

Councillor Brenda Chivers Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council added: “I am delighted to visit the plant today to see firsthand the improvements that have been made at the Caugh Hill site.

Work started on site in August 2017 and was completed ahead of schedule this month.

A new filter was also added to enhance the overall process. This new filter will also bring environmental benefits, as the water used in the process is recycled, which maximises water usage at the plant and will enhance the water quality in nearby rivers.

“It was fascinating to see how the Water Treatment Process works in practice and how this new sludge press will make the overall

process more efficient. The council welcome this major investment in the area, which will greatly benefit the local community.”

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News

First WRAS ‘certified’ submersible level sensor

Commitment to customers rewarded Outstanding customer service continues to be Wessex Water’s hallmark, according to an independent report.

The water and sewerage company has been awarded the coveted Customer Service Excellence (CSE) accreditation from leading inspectorate SGS, an accolade it first picked up in 2008.

The SGS assessment report highlights several areas of good practice at Wessex Water, including extended opening hours for the customer services unit and digital innovation.

VEGA Controls have achieved the first ever WRAS approval of a submersible pressure sensor as a whole device.

This means a full product certificate number registration and listing on the WRAS approved product list. The VEGAWELL submersible pressure sensor is the first and only transmitter of this type to be fully WRAS certified and meets the requirements of Regulation 31 (4)(b). The WRAS certification means it will not contaminate or harbour microbial growth when used in potable or drinking water. This enables it to be deployed anywhere on the water supply chain: from the heart of a water treatment facility, to monitoring in the network or measurement of drinking water on a business premises.

Laboratory tested

Uniquely for this type of sensor, it has been fully laboratory tested and assessed as a compete device/assembly. This was on top of the materials of the individual components, which included testing and scrutiny of their composition, design and surface finishes. A newly certified material has also been added, the 99.9% pure CERTEC® Sapphire ceramic that makes up the sensor diaphragm of the sensor.

This is what makes the measurement of these devices so highly accurate and repeatable with almost zero-drift, yet extremely robust, pressure-shock and overload resistant. The VEGAWELL WRAS certified transmitter is now capable of cost effective, safe level and pressure measurement of drinking water throughout the supply chain. With ranges from 0.1 Bar to 60 Bar, it is extremely versatile, and suitable applications include clean water reservoirs, pump control, storage or small header tanks and associated pipework, found either in the water company supply or end users onsite storage or ‘towns water’ buffer tanks.

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Additionally, it features integrated lightning protection as standard, PE cable lengths up to 1000m, as well as an optional PT100 output for water temperature measurement.

WRAS explained

What is WRAS ? It is the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme and it is a conformance mark that demonstrates that an item complies with high standards set out in the UK water regulations established in 1999. It is enforced by the UK water supply companies. It covers all plumbing systems, water fittings, and equipment supplied, or to be supplied, with water from the public water supply. The Water Regulations 1999 (and within those Regulation 31) are enforced by the UK water supply companies (who essentially act as appointed/authorised enforcement for the UK Government) and this is the fundamental legal requirement. A WRAS approval number is a way of proving that the item meets a part of the above legislation. Of course it needs to be used in an appropriate way to meet those regulations too.

Ray Tregale, Managing Director of VEGA Controls said, “This is an important first for us and our customers who want to use submersible pressure sensors in drinking water supply. We want to distinguish the difference of this certification - we put in a lot of time and effort to achieve it - as many manufacturers designate sensors as ‘approved’, but in reality they are not WRAS certified or listed on the WRAS website.” He added, “The certification of the VEGAWELL 52 also gives water supply companies peace of mind as it also conforms to Regulation 31 (4)(b)” from the DWI.“ For further information or a demonstration about the product, certification and its capabilities, contact VEGA Controls Ltd.

There is also praise for the use of roadside stencils to make the public aware of reported leaks, meaning customers don’t have to make needless calls, and the Queen’s Award for Sustainability which the company received in 2018.

The report reads: “The commitment to customers is evident at all levels of the organisation and is the embedded culture in all teams.

“The ethos of being customer driven is from the top and the teams have a collaborative approach to ensure services are delivered in the best way for customers.

“It was refreshing that, when an ICT (computer) outage happened during the assessment, the chief executive’s immediate concern was the inconvenience to customers and not a comment about loss of revenue or decreased profitability.”

CSE accreditation is one of Wessex Water’s performance commitments in its business plan.

Sue Lindsay, the company’s director of customer policy and regulation, said: “It’s a great honour to once again be recognised by SGS, and testament to the hard work of our staff.

“We build our service on the basis that every customer matters and we’re proud to employ people who are caring, sensitive and go the extra mile.”

Wessex Water was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for a third time last year. Nominated in the Sustainable Development category, the awards are the UK’s highest accolade for business success.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

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Biological wastewater treatment and anaerobic digestion course Join us at the University of Aberdeen on the Biological Wastewater Treatment and Anaerobic Digestion Course. This 4-day CPD course is open to industry professionals and those specialising in the area of wastewater and solid waste treatment.

The course is intensive and interactive in nature; places are strictly limited to ensure that all participants can engage with the tutor and the group as a whole. This provides the opportunity for everyone to benefit from sharing different experiences, exploring relevant work-related issues and areas of specific interest.

Dr Davide Dionisi, Reader in Chemical Engineering at the university who delivers the course, explains: “This in-depth course describes how to optimise and design biological wastewater treatment and anaerobic digestion processes in order to maximise treatment efficiency while minimising the capital and operating costs.

The course starts from the fundamental of biological wastewater treatment, covers kinetics and stoichiometry of biological reactions and shows step-by-step how to develop and solve the mass balances and design equations. The main processes used in the industry are described and the

corresponding design equations are developed.

The course includes numerical examples and design problems, where the students will be able to work hands-on and apply the theory learnt in the lectures.”

The University of Aberdeen has been named as Scottish University of the Year in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019. It was judged to have performed

strongly in areas including teaching quality, degree outcomes, and graduate prospects. The Guide has also acknowledged the University’s world-leading medical research, which was recognised earlier this year when Aberdeen was awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize - the highest national honour for a UK university.

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Presenter Dr Davide Dionisi, Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering at the University of Aberdeen

Further information: www.abdn.ac.uk/events/conferences/wwtp/ Contact us: +44 (0)1224 272523 cpdservices@abdn.ac.uk www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

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News

Solenis and BASF complete merger of paper and water chemicals businesses The combined company will operate under the Solenis name as a global specialty chemical company focused on paper and industrial water technologies.

Ankleshwar, India; and Kwinana, Australia and related assets including intellectual property.

BASF’s paper coating chemical business is not part of the transaction.

Following the approval of all relevant authorities, BASF and Solenis have completed the previously announced merger of BASF’s wet-end Paper and Water Chemicals business with Solenis. With pro forma sales of approximately U.S. $3 billion, the combined company will operate under the Solenis brand and is positioned to provide expanded chemical offerings and cost-effective solutions for customers in pulp, paper, oil and gas, chemical processing, mining, biorefining, power, municipal and other industrial markets.

“Combining our strong heritages creates the leading customer-focused, global solutions provider for the paper and water industries.

Customers from these industries will benefit from our joint strengths, resulting in an unparalleled and complementary range of products and services, state-of-the-art innovations and know-how,” said John Panichella, president and CEO, Solenis.

BASF will own 49 percent of the combined company and 51 percent is collectively owned

by Solenis management and funds managed

by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R). The new Solenis has approximately 5,200 employees, with increased sales, service and production capabilities across the globe.

The merger includes the Paper and Water assets of BASF’s Performance Chemicals unit, including production sites in Bradford and Grimsby, UK; Suffolk, Virginia, USA; Altamira, Mexico;

“Joining forces with Solenis is the right step for BASF’s Paper and Water Chemicals business to maintain sustainable growth. Together, we will provide the broadest scope of products and services to meet the specialty chemical needs of the global paper and water industry,” added Anup Kothari, president of BASF’s Performance Chemicals division.

“Bringing together these two highly successful and complementary businesses creates an even stronger global enterprise with enhanced prospects for long-term growth and value creation,” said David Scheible, Chairman of Solenis and Operating Advisor to CD&R.

A Solenis representative audits the water quality to ensure the customer’s treatment program is fully compliant to the local environmental regulations Learn more about our unbeatable combination of world-class technology and practical innovation: www.Solenis.com/ MoreReadyThanEver

Yorkshire Water publishes ethnic pay gap

Yorkshire Water has revealed that its mean ethnic pay gap is 3% and after becoming one of the first companies in the county to publish, has encouraged others to follow suit.

The firm is committed to being one of the most transparent companies not just in the water sector but throughout the country and earlier this year announced it was going to release the majority of its operational data by 2020.

The ethnic pay gap figure appears in the company’s first workforce diversity report which is published today. In addition to the figure for Yorkshire Water, the report also includes the pay gap for its customer service business Loop, which is 6.6%. The combined mean ethnic pay gap for the two businesses is 17.9% and the median is 27.6% due to the size populations in each organisation and the difference in salaries.

As well as the pay gap figures, the report shows how the workforce breaks down at all levels by gender and ethnicity. It also details differential recruitment and promotion performance across both these dimensions.

The company has also published a limited amount of data relating to disability in the workforce.

In the report it recognises that although

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its data on gender is comprehensive, information on ethnicity and disability is less complete as a number of colleagues at the company have chosen not to disclose.

The report mostly shows data tables without a narrative or explanation as Yorkshire Water wants to let the data speak for itself and then enter into an open dialogue with its colleagues in the business, the communities from whom its workforce is derived and with other stakeholders.

The company is also looking at releasing its disability pay gap in the future and although Chief Executive Richard Flint is pleased that Yorkshire Water has taken a lead, admits there is still more to be done.

“We made a commitment to take a leading position on openness and transparency and this report is an important part of that commitment,” he said.

“We intend to have an open dialogue with other large employers, such as local authorities, so that we can align our efforts to improve the diversity of our workforce

with theirs and ensure we are working collaboratively.

“However, we know we must not rest on our laurels. We currently have no data on any of the other protected grounds such as religion and belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership or pregnancy and maternity.”

To improve, Yorkshire Water will work on the completeness of its data and will launch a plan to raise awareness of the importance of self-declaration amongst its colleagues and will engage with them so that they will do so confidently and safely. Keen to make the use of technology, Yorkshire Water will also be making use of data analytics tools which will can help it to provide some of the missing ethnic profile data.

Rachel Reeves, MP said: “I’m encouraged by Yorkshire Water’s decision to be open and publish their ethnic pay gap statistics. This approach will lead to honest conversations and I am sure, positive changes. I am hoping other companies not just in Yorkshire but around the country follow suit.”

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

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Selwood unveils SelWatch technology to introduce real-time data and remote monitoring across its market-leading pump range Selwood, the UK’s largest pumping solutions provider, has unveiled its new SelWatch technology – a bespoke data panel that introduces real-time performance data and remote monitoring to its market-leading pump range.

SelWatch was developed to Selwood’s exacting specifications in close consultation with the product development team at the company’s Hampshire pump manufacturing centre.

in the world they are. The data can be used to ensure pumps are running as efficiently as possible, minimising fuel consumption and emissions, and enabling maintenance to be scheduled as required to limit downtime.

The technology responds to increased demand for digitisation in the water handling industry, driving efficiency and environmental sustainability through realtime telemetry.

Chris Garrett, CEO of Selwood, said: “From our knowledge of the market and from our regular conversations with customers in the field, we know that access to accurate, easily-accessible, real time data is often a factor in the decision to rent or buy a pump.

SelWatch provides users with real-time information on discharge and suction pressure, engine speed, fuel conditions, operating temperature and oil levels, as well as “wet end” data on pump flows and vacuum.

The panel works with an online platofrm, providing remote telemetry to users wherever

“That feedback was crucial in developing SelWatch to our precise requirements, giving our customers increased reassurance and choice. The launch of SelWatch underlines Selwood’s continuing commitment to exceptional standards in everything we do – from the excellence of our R&D and manufacturing teams, to the quality of our products, to the outstanding service provided by our specialist pumping solutions teams.”

SelWatch technology will initially be offered as an option on the newest addition to Selwood’s flagship S pump solids handling range, the S160Eco, before being introduced across the range.

In line with Selwood’s commitment to minimising the impact of all its products, the unit was developed to reduce emissions without sacrificing performance. Using Selprime technology for fast, environmentallyfriendly priming and housed within Selwood’s

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market-leading Super Silent canopies, the sixinch pump is driven by an Isuzu diesel engine and is the quietest on the market.

The S160Eco is suitable for a full range of sewage, sewer bypass, overpumping, water and wastewater applications and is designed to handle large solids including raw sewage and fibrous solids without blocking.

Selwood remains one of the few British pump companies to design and manufacture, rent and sell its own range of surface diesel and hydraulic pumps – meaning that the design of every Selwood pump is proven to meet the rigorous demands of the market.

Renowned for expertise, Selwood’s clients include Anglian Water, the Canal & River Trust, Wessex Water, Welsh Water and United Utilities. With the largest dedicated network of pump rental branches across the UK, Selwood is proud to deliver bespoke installation and site surveys.

In 2018 Selwood acquired water treatment specialists Siltbuster, creating a single point of contact solution for pumping and water treatment requirements.

For more information about Selwood’s range of products and pumping solutions, visit www.selwood.co.uk

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Ati’s metrinet wins IUG Innovation Award

ATi’s pioneering MetriNet has been awarded the IUG Innovation Award 2018, voted for by UK water companies.

In a tough category featuring a variety of industry-leading products, the Instrument User Group (IUG), which is run by the WRc, chose the MetriNet as the Break-Through Product of the Year. During the 2018 WWEM Gala Dinner presentation, hosted by stage and screen star Brian Blessed, ATi were presented with the coveted award by Leo Carswell following the MetriNet’s outstanding success in helping water companies turn their distribution networks into Smart Networks.

already delivering actionable insights and are identifying potential risks within DMAs and its water-saver feature also allows continuous measurement or batch-sampling regime.

MetriNet – the Sustainable Solution

The water industry is now entering a new era that will see networks measure, think, predict and take actions in the best interests of its customers.

Industry experts hailed ATi’s MetriNet as the sustainable solution for the complex challenges in the water sector, providing a flexible method for delivering information, even from remote locations. MetriNet systems are already delivering actionable insights and are identifying potential risks within DMAs and its water-saver feature also allows continuous measurement or batch-sampling regime.

Innovation and Collaboration

Innovation and collaboration play a vital part in providing solutions and advances in robust, high-precision, reliable and smart network monitors are revolutionising water quality management in water distribution systems.

Delivering innovative and integrated solutions to water quality challenges

The introduction of multi-perameter monitors means that an INTELLIGENT, not just smart, water distribution network is now in reach, predicting events, discoloration, taste and odour, loss of disinfection, burst or leak and automatically acts to prevent or mitigate.

The latest MetriNet case study has helped to prove that embracing new technologies also presents opportunities. Cloud computing can be used, quickly expanding the evidence base from which options can be developed and decisions made. By collaborating to connect people, data and resources, there are opportunities to achieve more cost-effective solutions with greater benefits to the water industry, the environment and society.

Not only is this within reach, some companies are already well along the journey towards smart water networks. MetriNet systems are

There is a need to develop a long-term multi-sector water resources strategy to provide a sustainable supply for the next

Smart Technology Solutions

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100 years, resilient to the effects of climate change, population growth and drought. By collaborating with partners from different sectors, water companies can optimise their expertise and expenditure, ensuring a robust outcome for themselves, wider society and the environment.

IUG Innovation Award

Mike Strahand, ATi Managing Director, expressed the company’s enthusiasm with the award win saying, “It is a great honour to win this award that recognises ATi’s continued commitment and dedication to providing innovative, customer-focused solutions along with industry-leading customer service.

“Innovation and collaboration play a vital part in providing solutions to the challenges faced by the Water Industry and advances in robust, high-precision, reliable and smart network monitors, like the MetriNet, are revolutionising water quality management in distribution systems.

“Understanding network behaviour by using smart monitors allows operators to truly understand the networks, predict their behaviour and plan solutions, all whilst being able to condition the mains or have long-term maintenance strategies in place to reduce customer complaints and safeguard against water quality failures.” www.atiuk.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

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Working to achieve water security for all UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is pioneering an ambitious new approach to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges through a £200M investment across 12 global research Hubs.

Over the next five years, the 12 interdisciplinary Hubs will work across 85 countries with governments, international agencies, partners and NGOs on the ground in developing countries and around the globe, to develop creative and sustainable solutions which help make the world, and the UK, safer, healthier and more prosperous. The Hubs are dedicated to helping countries meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Two of these 12 hubs will be led by experts at Newcastle University.

Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub

The Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub will bring together 94 organisations from 25 countries and draw on the expertise of scientists, engineers, geographers, architects and social scientists.

80% of the world’s population live in areas threatened by water security yet efforts to resolve this are repeatedly thwarted by pressures such as pollution, extreme weather, urbanisation, over-abstraction of groundwater and land degradation.

The Water Security Hub takes a broad view of water systems to explore the challenges and barriers to water security from the impact of different social, cultural and environmental values of water through to the consequences of fragmented water governance. It will tackle these barriers by providing a forum, open to all stakeholders, to jointly question, discuss, and construct new ideas to resolve water security issues.

Starting in March, the Newcastle Universityled GCRF Water Security Hub will run for five years and bring together leading research partners from Colombia (Universidad del Valle and Universidad del Cauca), Ethiopia (University of Addis Ababa), India (Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and School of Planning and Architecture Delhi), Malaysia (University Teknologi Malaysia), the UK (University of Leeds and University of Oxford), and the International Water Management Institute.

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Global water challenges key facts: 80% of the world’s population is exposed to high levels of threat to water security (Nature) 2.1 billion people lack access to safe, readily available water at home (WHO/UN) 61% of the world does not have access to safely managed sanitation (WHO) Without concrete action on climate and development 143 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Latin America could be displaced by climate change (World Bank)

Professor Richard Dawson, from the School of Engineering at Newcastle University and academic lead for the new Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub, says: “The enormity of the problem means we can only solve it if we work together, by bringing researchers together with local communities, local and national governments, water providers, business and industry and global organisations.

“I am delighted by the quality of our partnership which has a truly global presence.

The key will be to learn from each other, to share examples of good practice and look at how these can be transferred and translated to ensure water security around the world.

2019 marks 70 years of water research at Newcastle University, and this new Hub will further build on our expertise, marking a new era in our research programme, as we work with partners around the world to develop and apply interdisciplinary systems approaches to water security, explicitly acknowledging the interplay between the physical world and the people that live in it.”

“Ensuring water security at scale is of primary importance for Ethiopia’s development agenda,” adds Dr Tena Agumassie, from the Water and Land Research Centre, University of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.

“This hub will generate and collate vital scientific evidence and engage with local communities, catchment managers and key government ministers to guide the national development policy and practice.”

Living Deltas Hub

The Living Deltas Hub focuses on safeguarding river deltas and their communities, and also addresses global challenges that communities face on water.

River deltas comprise just one per cent of global landscapes yet support over half a billion people. Deltas are vital social-ecological systems and global food-baskets, but the landscapes and the livelihoods of those who rely on them are under threat from human exploitation, environmental degradation and climate change.

“The urgent need for the River Deltas Hub is clear,” says Dr Andy Large, Reader in River Science at Newcastle University and academic lead for the new Living Deltas Hub, “as human impacts increase, the necessity of sustainable development strategies underpinned by locally-rooted knowledge becomes ever greater.”

Even median levels of sea level rise predicted by the IPCC could displace between three and 13 million people in Bangladesh by 2100.

According to Professor Mashfiqus Salehin of BUET in Dhaka, “inundation and saline intrusion would have serious consequences for the most vulnerable people in the region.”

“Reduced coastal resilience because of mangrove loss in the Red River delta has had dramatic cultural effects on the lives of local communities, especially women and girls,” says Dr Hue Le of Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

According to Dr Kien van Nguyen of An Giang University, Vietnam, “in the past, the Mekong delta was considered a beautiful place to live, but now all that has changed as a result of loss of heritage, environmental degradation and the growing threat of climate change.”

The GCRF Living Deltas Hub will work with delta-dwellers and policymakers to develop solutions that can help better realise the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in delta-specific contexts.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Announcing the 12 UKRI GCRF Hubs alongside 16 other international research partnerships, Science and Universities Minister Chris Skidmore, said:

Newcastle University Global Water Research

“The UK has a reputation for globally influential research and innovation, and is at the centre of a web of global collaboration – showing that science has no borders.

“We have a strong history of partnering with other countries – over 50% of UK authored research involves collaborations with international partners.

“The projects being announced today reinforce our commitment to enhance the UK’s excellence in innovation at home and around the world, driving high-skilled jobs, economic growth and productivity as part of the modern Industrial Strategy.”

Further information about projects in sustainable water at Newcastle University is available on the Global Challenges Academy’s website: www.ncl.ac.uk/ globalchallenges/water/ A podcast about the Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub is also available: https://bit.ly/2sVrFXR

Water Hub Locations Water Research Collaborations

“The enormity of the problem means we can only solve it if we work together, by bringing researchers together with local communities, local and national governments, water providers, business and industry and global organisations.”

Professor Richard Dawson, from the School of Engineering at Newcastle University

World-leading water research Our areas of expertise: • Advanced biology for water engineering • Green infrastructure testing facilities • Adapting cities and infrastructure to climate change • Sustainable wastewater treatment at scale • Advanced city-scale flood modelling • Remote sensing, geospatial data and digital innovation We partner with industry to accelerate innovation and tackle the big challenges facing the water sector.

Find out more about our work and join us in creating a sustainable future for water:

go.ncl.ac.uk/sage/water

Working towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS).

go.ncl.ac.uk/sage/nwg

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

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Basalt transformation for ageing sewer networks

A revolutionary, cost-effective method of improving the performance and resilience of sewer systems is now available for the first time in the UK. Soon after the Czech Republic’s ‘Velvet Revolution’ freed the country from communism, under the streets of the country’s capital a basalt ‘revolution’ began gathering momentum.

As Prague’s outdated sewer system caused devastating floods in 2002, a dynamic solution was needed to update the Victorian-era sewer system to meet the needs of a vibrant, 21st Century European capital.

In the years leading up to the flooding, sink holes had appeared in several parts of the city in public and residential areas because of the on-going collapse of the sewer system. A solution was needed to future-proof the system.

Already tried and tested in some of the most demanding heavy industries, locally-sourced basalt was soon identified as having all the qualities required for long-term reliability in the extreme environments found in urban sewer systems.

Now the residents of Prague benefit from one of the world’s most reliable sewer systems thanks to the unique qualities of its revolutionary basalt lining. These qualities include: Unrivalled wear, abrasion and chemical resistance.

Guaranteed to last at least 100 years.

Extremely resistant to high pressure jet washing Provides added protection at junctions and other sections of the system more prone to wear, blockage or failure.

The highly versatile material was supplied

by Czech firm Eutit and now it’s partner, the Greenbank Group, is bringing the basalt ‘revolution’ to the UK waste water sector.

Ray Moorehead, Greenbank Sales and Marketing Director, explained, “Volcanic basalt proved the perfect replacement for the city’s flood-damaged brick sewers.

the lifespan of sewer systems, even under the added pressures of modern living.”

Few companies understand the qualities and uses of basalt as well as Greenbank, which has been bringing the benefits of basalt to a number of industrial sectors., A specialist engineering company, it has developed a wide range of lining products for use in heavy industries such as power generation and minerals extraction.

“The results for owners and operators of sewer systems in Prague and other European cities really do speak for themselves with ease of installation, improved performance, reduced maintenance costs and much longer effective life expectancy.

“Eutit’s work on the Prague sewer system has shown that the use of basalt solutions really is revolutionary for the waste water industry, adding a new level of security to systems. It has completely transformed them, making worries of a repeat of 2002’s flooding a thing of the past. Basalt really has transformed the waste water industry in Central Europe and we are excited to bring this revolution to the UK,” Mr Moorehead said.

“Basalt also delivers increased flow rates for any given diameter of sewer, improving efficiency of the system. In short, this revolutionary product is the most costeffective and reliable on the market to increase

A wide-range of basalt products are now available in the UK for implementation in all sewage disposal systems and drainage projects, including bottom gutters, branch pipes and tubes, slip-resistant elements

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for walkways. Greenbank can even supply bespoke shaped tiles to meet the unique requirements of individual clients.

Basalt tiles can also be used to overlay onto existing brickwork, a more cost-effective solution than full replacement and their reduced drag coefficient means improved flow – in effect a smaller diameter pipe or tunnel lined with basalt can carry a higher volume of water than a larger one with traditional brick surfaces.

“Using basalt, there really is a cost-effective way to massively improve the quality of every sewage system project. It’s a revolution that the whole industry should get behind to create the most robust systems possible,” added Mr Moorehead.

As Greenbank brings this know-how to the UK, this basalt revolution is changing the face of waste water system projects for the better.

To find out more about our basalt products, water companies, contractors and pipe manufacturers should contact the Greenbank Group on 0845 0707 094 r email info@greenbankgroup.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE

Greenbank brings Czech sewer revolution to the UK The basalt solution that’s fit for the future…

Following devastating floods in 2002, the historic city of Prague saw its Edwardian era sewer system completely refurbished to meet the requirements of a vibrant, 21st Century European capital.

To meet the growing demands of urban growth and climate change the city turned to the most ancient of materials to ensure its waste water management system is fit for the future.

Thanks to its unrivalled abrasion-resistant properties, volcanic basalt has proved the perfect replacement lining for flood-damaged sewers.

Since the ‘Velvet Revolution’ in the former Eastern bloc country, Greenbank and its Czech partner Eutit have been leading a basalt ‘revolution’ in the waste water industry.

Their basalt lining systems offer: Increased flow rates Reduced maintenance costs Full and partial lining Resistant to high pressure jet washing Protection from areas prone to abrasion and chemical attack

To find out more about our basalt products, water companies, contractors and pipe manufacturers should contact the Greenbank Group on 0845 0707 094 or email info@greenbankgroup.com

‘Talking’ algae could provide new route to monitoring climate change A researcher at the University of Bath has for the first time developed a way of monitoring alterations in the aquatic system by listening in to microalgae communicating.

Led by the University of Bath, the research which has been published in Nature Scientific Reports demonstrates that contrary to popular belief, microalgae do communicate with each other when under stress.

The researchers have revealed that under darkness a population of Diatoms - a type of microalgae – produce electrical oscillations.

This cell-to-cell communication is believed

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to be a feedback or survival mechanism as a result of stress due to changes in the microalgae’s physiochemical environment - such as light deprivation and temperature rises. This cell-to-cell signalling is designed to counteract these changes and could result in the formation of algal blooms.

By decoding this form of communication, at the phase where the concentration of cells most increases with time (growth phase), the researchers believe this will provide vital clues to understanding world challenges such as climate change. Algae blooms are an element of climate change where cells multiply at a face pace, which the researchers hope they will be able to better mitigate from this new understanding.

For the first time, the research team were able to listen to the microalgae communicating by recording their electrical interactions

extracellularly using sensitive and low resistance multi electrode arrays (MEAs).

The recordings, taken over a period of hours, showed Diatom communication is cooperative and synchronized through the whole measured population.

Algae occur naturally in the majority of fresh and salt water. However, climate change is causing an increase in the formation of harmful algae blooms across the world.

Warmer waters, high levels of nutrients from increased rain washing agricultural fertilisers into the water, and sufficient sunlight all contribute to the rise in algal blooms.

Algae blooms can be damaging to both aquatic ecosystems and humans. Thick blooms can block sunlight and deplete oxygen levels in the water needed by fish and other organisms to survive, and certain algae can produce toxins that can damage to the human nervous

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

system by contaminating fish which are then eaten as well as causing eye and lung irritation as well as asthma.

Lead researcher and Lecturer in the University of Bath’s Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Dr Paulo Rocha, said: “Algae are the world's most important ‘plants’. They play a crucial role in the air we breathe, food we eat and pharmacological drugs we take including for cancer. Yet there is only so much we know about these amazing plants.

“One such reason is because there are no methods to actually decode algae behaviours.

This project has opened a new page in the understanding of algae signalling and will enable novel sensing technologies to predict the development of algae blooms and of an extensive range of stress-induced alterations in the aquatic ecosystem.”

Director of the Water Innovation & Research Centre at the University of Bath (WIRC @ Bath), Professor Jan Hofman commented: “This is an exciting and important discovery.

Understanding how algae behave is extremely important for water security in many areas in the world. Algal blooms have significant impact on water quality and availability, but also can be used in engineered solutions to improve water quality. This project is an excellent example of how important multidisciplinary water research is.”

This interdisciplinary work has strong scientific and technological implications for probing ecological and physiological stress conditions in algae. It is anticipated that water companies will in the near future benefit from a control technology able to predict and impair harmful and toxic algae

blooms by early detecting the onset of algae signals.

In the longer term, this new knowledge could mean cleaner, more natural water and cheaper bills for water consumers as there will be a reduced need for water utility companies to use water treatment chemicals.

The research was a result of an international collaboration between the University of Bath, Delft University of Technology (DUT) in The Netherlands, Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência in Portugal and the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, I. P. The article ‘Collective electrical oscillations of a diatom population induced by dark stress’ has been published in Nature Scientific Reports and can be viewed at www.nature.com/ articles/s41598-018-23928-9.pdf

Algae are the world’s most important ‘plants’. They play a crucial role in the air we breathe, food we eat and pharmacological drugs we take including for cancer.

We can help you reimagine your water R&D

Water Innovation & Research Centre

Through the Water Innovation and Research Centre at the University of Bath our experts work with industry, academia, and other stakeholders to tackle the fundamental issues surrounding sustainable water. Through WISE, our Centre for Doctoral Training in Water Informatics: Science and Engineering, we work with collaborative partners to train the next generation of skilled water scientists and engineers.

To explore a partnership with water research experts and students at the University of Bath for your organisation, contact water-research@bath.ac.uk.

go.bath.ac.uk/water-research

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

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Trenchless Technology

Going underground 24

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Trenchless Technology

Matthew Izzard

Chairman, UKSTT

Although some techniques, such as pipe jacking, have been around for many years trenchless (or No Dig) technologies really started to develop about 30 years ago, largely in response to a need to replace or rehabilitate deteriorated Victorian sewers in cities such as London and Manchester.

At that time cured in place pipe (CIPP) was one of a few emerging techniques that were highlighted in the first No Dig Conference and Exhibition held in London in 1985. Since that time there has been much innovation in the industry and there are now scores of different techniques that can be classified as trenchless, including methods for accurately locating and mapping existing pipes, cables, and underground obstacles, inspection and condition assessment of pipes, leak detection, lining and repair of defective pipes, and the installation of new pipes and cables without digging trenches in our streets.

The application of these methods can significantly lessen traffic disruption and many of the environmental problems that normally accompany open trench work. The adoption of trenchless systems reduces the dust, noise, and the amount of imported fill required for reinstatement; and their smaller site footprint reduces traffic disruption.

Trenchless methods often make use of the existing pipe or hole in the ground and do not therefore add to the spaghetti-like congestion of pipes and cables so often found beneath our city streets. Many trenchless methods also

deliver faster output rates than conventional open cut and can reduce the overall cost of the work, thus saving money for the utility companies as well as reducing the frustration of the general public.

One of the most widely used techniques for relining pipes is CIPP which in its original form was a resin impregnated felt tube which could be inserted into a defective sewer and then heated with hot water to cure the resin, leaving a new pipe inside the old one.

Since the early days of CIPP there have been many developments in resin formulation, the material used for the tube, methods of inserting the tube into the old pipe, and innovative forms of curing the resin. Curing with ultra violet light is one such innovation.

This greatly reduces the cure time, allowing the work to be completed faster and further reducing the disruption to both the surface traffic and the flow in the pipe. Similar developments have taken place with PE lining systems which can be inserted into old pipes to form a tight fit thus minimising the reduction in cross sectional area.

The Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) technique was first used for drilling oil wells around 80 years ago but it was not until the mid 1980s that the first HDD rigs specifically for the trenchless installation of pipes and cables for the utility companies appeared.

Now HDD is a common tool in the armoury of trenchless methods, and pipes and cables of up to a metre in diameter are routinely installed over distances of up to 2km or more, making it perfectly feasible to install water/gas mains and cables under obstacles such as rivers, estuaries, and railways without disruption.

Probably the fastest growing areas of innovation in the trenchless world today are developments in underground surveying and condition assessment of underground assets. Back in 1985, the electromagnetic Cable Avoidance Tool (CAT) was the only method available for locating underground pipes and cables, but this was not able to detect non-metallic pipes. Since that time Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) has been developed as a technique for locating and mapping pipes of all materials as well as other underground assets and obstructions. Although this has been a much needed and welcome addition to the techniques available for locating and mapping underground infrastructure it requires an operator to push the GPR detector over the assets to be detected and is hence a

fairly slow operation. However, developments in GPR sensors and the computerised analysis of GPR signals, combined with the latest global positioning systems, have led to a vehicle towed mobile GPR coming on to the market.

This system can survey and accurately map the underground assets beneath up to 50 km of road per day. By combining accurate mapping of the underground with Building Information Modelling (BIM), topographical digital maps, and photographs, it is now possible to store all this data on a tablet computer, take it on to site and literally ‘see’ what assets are underground beneath your feet.

Although there have been many technological developments, and the benefits of trenchless methods are multiple and obvious, there is still a lack of awareness of them and more use could be made of them. The UK Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT) aims to promote the use of trenchless technology for the benefit of the general public and does not underestimate the need to improve and update industry’s knowledge of current system developments and capabilities. To achieve maximum exposure of these systems, materials and techniques to the widest possible audience the UKSTT organises lectures on trenchless methods for university students and technical events for members and Patrons.

The Society also organises road shows at venues throughout Britain and a biennial ‘No Dig Live’ exhibition. In addition, a series of CPD events – MasterClasses - are regularly held and presentations can also be found on line at the organisations YouTube channel.

The UKSTT also works with the Department for Trade and Industry promoting members export business, sits on relevant steering groups and British, European and International Standards committees.

One impediment to the greater adoption of trenchless methods is lack of accredited training that inhibits client confidence in specifying their usage. Although training does exist it remains undervalued and underutilised. UKSTT is therefore involved in assisting and encouraging companies able to organise and running suitable trenchless technology training programmes. The UKSTT’s Awards Dinner will take place in Bristol on the 19th September. Details of this and other UKSTT initiatives can be obtained from www.ukstt.org.uk or the secretary, Lynn MacLachlan at admin@ukstt.org.uk.

The application of these methods can significantly lessen traffic disruption and many of the environmental problems that normally accompany open trench work.

The adoption of trenchless systems reduces the dust, noise, and the amount of imported fill required for reinstatement; and their smaller site footprint reduces traffic disruption. www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

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Trenchless Technology

Introducing… The ManUp Key The current, traditional techniques of releasing stubborn manhole covers have been shown to have health and safety implications. The ManUp Key provides a one-man solution to allow stuck manholes to be released without chiselling or hammering. Its patented slide hammer exerts a momentary upward force capable of releasing stuck, jammed and rusted chamber covers quickly and efficiently.

Costs Less

“I go straight for this (the key) and they always come up” The ManUp Key replaces many other tools needed to raise stubborn manholes, no broken man-holes, it means no other agencies need to be commissioned, all tips available to fit one device . . .

An estimated cost of a broken manhole – labour, fuel, parts = £1850

Weighs Less

The ManUp Key replaces many other heavy releasing and raising tools, all tips available to fit one device often replacing many keys needed to raise stubborn manholes . . .

An estimated weight reduction of 50%

Saves Time With other tools injuries can be caused from using poor lifting techniques or from tools slipping. Traditional manhole keys allow bad lifting techniques with the operator stooped and unable to judge the force required to free the manhole cover, usually meaning multiple operators are required. Severe back injuries can easily be caused and are detrimental to both the individual releasing the manhole, and to the employer as it could potentially cost them money.

Current methods of releasing manholes and manhole covers also often result in damaging the cover requiring them to be replaced, often at the company’s expense. Due to its length and 8Kg weight, the ManUp Key allows the operator to stand in a natural upright position and using the momentum of the key, exert an upward hammer-like effect on the underneath of the manhole cover. This action breaks any seal that dirt, grit, corrosion or rust has created, minimising damage to the manhole and cover, effectively reducing repair and replacement costs.

“This is so much better than attacking the edges of the manhole with a hammer and chisel or screwdriver. Hopefully the Welsh inventors of the ManUp Key will win some kind of award from the Welsh Development Agency for services to man and his holes!”

Roger Bisby, Professional Builder Magazine – 2016 “We used the ManUp Key on an estate today where a lot of the Manholes were seized. As a whole the ManUp Key saved us a lot of time freeing up Manhole covers. More importantly this was achieved in a safer manner than using hammer and chisel, wrecking bar, sledge hammer, crow bar, WD40. Specifically there was less risk of flying shards/debris.”

United Utilities, October 2016 “This has saved us time on the job and is a lot safer than using pry bars. An excellent piece of equipment that all our engineers will now be carrying in their vans.”

Jason Cornock, DynoRod

For more information call 01443 841540 or visit www.draincamerarepairs.co.uk

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“This has saved us time on the job” The ManUp Key is proven to lift stubborn man-hole covers everytime, saving time in hammering down, chiselling around the edges, requiring large tools and specialised equipment and further agencies . . .

An estimated time saving on stubborn man-holes = 145 hrs per annum

Saves ‘You’

“Then another colleague said, ‘look at his straight back’ and the job was done” Due to the upright position and the ability to get the ManUp Key to do the work There are more than 350 back injuries per year in the drainage industry

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

JOSEPH GALLAGHER LTD CIVIL ENGINEERING CONTRACTORS

Joseph Gallagher Ltd is the leading UK based Civil Engineering & Tunnelling sub-contractor

A proven track record of working on award winning major infrastructure projects.

With over 30 years’ experience, means we are able to deliver high quality complex infrastructure projects

visit

www.josephgallagher.co.uk call

+44 (0) 1375 672 070

Negron House, Stanford, Orsett, Essex, RM16 3BX

Trenchless Technology

HammerHead® Trenchless tough equipment, trusted support

HammerHead® Trenchless, a Charles Machine Works Company, of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, manufactures and delivers a unique combination of rehabilitation, replacement and installation equipment and consumables for the underground construction market.

HammerHead products are sold and serviced in more than 63 countries, including the United Kingdom, with worldwide sales, support, service and parts through a network of authorized dealers.

The company was established as Earth Tool Company in 1989, just a few months after co-founder Jon Haas consulted with his friend Rob Crane, a Harley–Davidson experimental mechanic, about designing a better earth piercing tool. Crane in turn invited his coworker Steve Wentworth, a Harley–Davidson product design engineer, to join him for a hands-on look at a piercing tool Haas had on hand at the time.

Although piercing tool technology had been used for many years, little had been done to improve its original design. Crane and Wentworth discovered the legacy piercing tool couldn’t be taken apart. They set about building a tool that was easier to use, maintain and rebuild with greatly improved performance and reliability. The result was the HammerHead Mole®, the namesake of what is now the industry’s most complete offering of trenchless pipe installation, replacement and renovation systems from a single source.

The first company headquarters was a converted chicken coop near Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, which moved to larger facilities in town shortly thereafter to accommodate the company’s almost immediate commercial success. The new company doubled its market share each consecutive year from 1990 to 1995.

Meanwhile the design team set out to develop and improve other trenchless products such as pipe ramming tools, bursting tools and purposebuilt winches and rod-pulling machines.

Each reflects the fundamental principles of HammerHead’s winning formula: designs

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focused on quality, durability, ease-of-use, ease-of-maintenance and low cost of ownership with the ability to rebuild components for longer service life.

However, design improvements and the efficient manufacturing processes the three developed were not solely responsible for HammerHead’s remarkable success. One other reason was HammerHead leadership’s penchant for skillfully allying the company in mutually beneficial partnerships with established distribution networks that gave customers the greatest access to their quality products. In 2010, HammerHead Trenchless was acquired by The Charles Machine Works, a family of brands dedicated to the design, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of a range of equipment for the underground utility construction industry.

HammerHead Trenchless relocated its operations to Lake Mills, Wisconsin, having outgrown its Oconomowoc facilities due to continued growth since its founding.

Today HammerHead Trenchless solutions include a wide array of equipment and tools to install, repair or replace fiber, communication, water, sewer and gas lines with minimal disruption to landscapes, structures and traffic flow. HammerHead now offers customers the most complete array of equipment, tooling accessories and consumables for use in Earth piercing Pipe bursting Pipe ramming Horizontal-direction-drilling (HDD) Pneumatic HDD boring CIPP pipe lining and CIPP point repair In 2019 HammerHead announced it had formed a partnership with Per Aarsleff Pipe Technology, of Aarhus, Denmark. The agreement makes HammerHead the exclusive producer and distributor of the Bluelight

LED curing system for cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) outside Europe and Russia, where Per Aarsleff Pipe Technology will continue to sell the Bluelight product under the Bluelight brand name.

Perhaps the most important ingredient of HammerHead’s success is its people. Decades of closely working alongside the trenchless industry have given HammerHead engineers and technicians the experience and knowledge to serve as expert application consultants.

HammerHead’s dedicated team is committed to helping customers choose the right solution for their job and will customize a given solution to the project. The company’s 24/7 responsiveness means customers can rely on expert assistance throughout the project cycle, pre-bid to completion. A global network of HammerHead dealers is ready with industryleading support by phone, in your office or even at your side in the field.

Additional details regarding products, events, special financing, videos and other informative features can be found on HammerHead’s official Facebook® and Twitter® pages. For more information about HammerHead Trenchless products, please call your local dealer, or +1 (920) 648-4848.

You may also visit us on the web at www.hammerheadtrenchless.com.

HAMMERHEAD, HAMMERHEAD MOLE and HAMMERHEAD LOGO(S) are trademarks of Earth Tool Company LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

tough equipment. trusted support.

HammerHead Trenchless provides precision-manufactured equipment, comprehensive trenchless materials and supplies, and all the training and support you need to attack anything standing between you and rehabilitated pipes.

Offering only the best and most innovative technologies available, our responsive team is by your side throughout the life of your quality HammerHead equipment – no matter how down and dirty your trenchless needs may be.

TOUGH EQUIPMENT. TRUSTED SUPPORT.

visit hammerheadtrenchless.com or call +1 920 648 4848 BURSTING | RAMMING | LINING | POINT REPAIR | GAS SLITTING Š2019 HammerHead Trenchless

A Charles Machine Works Company

Trenchless Technology

Watertight solutions that last Trelleborg is a world leader in engineered polymer solutions that seal, damp and protect critical applications in demanding environments. We speak to Jörg Garbe, Sales Manager Pipe Repair EMEA, about how their innovative solutions accelerate performance in a sustainable way.

Trelleborg produces advanced polymer solutions, including Pipe Seals operations advertised with the slogan “Watertight solutions that last”. What exactly is behind this?

“Depending on the temperature and desired working time, we provide resins that offer long pot times, quick curing resins, and accelerators when you want to use a slow curing resin in weather that has suddenly turned cold – making it extremely easy to use.

“Trelleborg was founded in 1905, meaning our customers today benefit from more than 100 years’ experience of engineered polymer solutions that seal, damp and protect. We offer a large portfolio of watertight solutions for new pipes as well as methods for repairing existing pipes.

“We are truly committed to providing customers with the best quality, ensuring our sealing solutions last for a very long time. Our systems comply with international standards and our materials have been tested by independent research institutes, like Elastocon and the Institute for Underground Infrastructure (IKT). Their 2018 research proves that our compounds last significantly longer than our competitors’ systems and our short liner patch repair system is the best silicatebased resin system on the market.”

How can you ensure that these high-quality materials lead to long-lasting results in the area of pipe repair?

“We guarantee a service lifetime of more than 50 years when our systems are applied correctly. Sometimes, we’ve seen how mixing the wrong materials or insufficient curing of liners leads to less optimal results. That’s why we train customers, either at our facility in Duisburg or on-site. We also give regular demonstrations, for instance at No Dig Live 2018 in Peterborough, UK. In the past, we’ve done roadshows and we’ll continue to do so when the opportunity arises.

“For those with urgent questions, we offer an app that helps customers calculate the right amount of resin to be mixed. Our customer services and technical service team can also help. Together with RSM, our distributor in the UK, we hope to raise the bar in pipe rehabilitation.”

What is special about your systems for trenchless pipe rehabilitation?

“Our reference projects speak for themselves.

At Frankfurt Airport, the fourth largest in Europe, which serves 60 million passengers a year, we assisted in the rehabilitation of the sanitation infrastructure underneath Terminal 1. Almost 4 km (2.5 miles) of pipe in hard to reach areas were repaired from the inside, using Trelleborg’s cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining technology, patch repair methods, and

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“You only need one type of liner and one resin system for the most common pipe sizes and applications. This minimises application errors and reduces the cost of stock and storage to the absolute minimum.

Why should pipe rehabilitation professionals choose Trelleborg solutions?

lateral connection repairs, without disrupting travellers or business operations.

“In another project in a dense forest with steep inclines, we helped repair a wastewater system without felling a single tree. This was due to a large extent, to Trelleborg’s epoxy resin system, which offers long pot times and quick curing times. This enabled teams to transport 76-metre (250 feet)-long sections of resin-impregnated Trelleborg liner down to the manholes by hand in large wheelbarrows.”

What type of liners do you have and where are they manufactured?

“As a system provider, we supply the entire rehabilitation and installation equipment for the underground construction market.

We manufacture our liners on our own, in one of the most modern factories in Europe, according to strict quality criteria including ISO 9001 and 14001.

“Each liner is tailored to a specific application area. Whether you need to navigate multiple bends in small pipes inside a building, transition from one nominal width two steps up, i.e. from 4 to 6 inch, or need the highest mechanical properties with glass fibre reinforced felt, we have the solution.

We also make liners to size, when customers have a project which requires a custom-made solution.”

What about resin systems?

“Our epoxy and silicate resins are the perfect match for our liners and glass fibre mats, offering the best mechanical properties after the curing process is complete.

“Our resins contain no VOCs or hazardous odours, making them pleasant to work with, even inside, and friendly for the environment.

“Our solutions are safe: safe to work with and deliver excellent, long-lasting results that save you and your customers time and money!

“We are proud that Trelleborg’s Patch repair system was recently awarded top marks for absolute tightness – even in cases of heavy pipe damage. This system was assessed in a 10,000 hour test which confirmed another 50 years of lifetime.

“This is what we call “watertight solutions that last”.

For more information, please refer to the recently published test report by IKT (Institute for Underground Infrastructure) or download the resume under: www.trelleborg.com/en/pipe-seals/ resources/certificates

About Trelleborg

Trelleborg is a world leader in engineered polymer solutions that seal, damp and protect critical applications in demanding environments. Its innovative solutions accelerate performance for customers in a sustainable way. The Trelleborg Group has annual sales of about SEK 34 billion (EUR 3.32 billion, USD 3.92 billion) and operations in about 50 countries. The Group comprises five business areas: Trelleborg Coated Systems, Trelleborg Industrial Solutions, Trelleborg Offshore & Construction, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions and Trelleborg Wheel Systems. The Trelleborg share has been listed on the Stock Exchange since 1964 and is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Large Cap. www.trelleborg.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Watertight solutions that last LINER AND RESIN SYSTEMS THAT HANDLE CHALLENGING TRANSITIONS AND BENDS

Trelleborg, a world leader in pipe repair solutions, presents: • High quality pipe liners, manufactured in our state of the art European factory • Fast curing Epoxy Resin HC120+ designed for longer liners in larger diameters • The best silicate-resin-based short liner system on the market Discover more at www.Trelleborg.com/pipe-seals

T REL L EB O RG S E A L S & PRO FIL E S

Trenchless Technology

‘NO-DIG’ contractor, specialising in a range of trenchless applications Chiltern Thrust Bore Ltd is the UK’S leading specialist ‘NO-DIG’ contractor, specialising in a range of trenchless applications with a reputation for excellence, reliability and high standards of workmanship.

By adopting a ‘can do’ attitude backed up by key personnel offering a wealth of knowledge and experience within the trenchless industry, CTB Ltd has been achieving Clients’ aspirations through innovative solutions since 1994.

Trenchless Technology is now recognised as being an efficient method for installing pipes and ducts which is both cost effective and environmentally friendly. Whether you require the installation of new services or are upgrading existing ones, Chiltern Thrust Bore provides a variety of solutions that will be tailored to meet your requirements from planning through to completion.

Whether on major roads, railways, watercourses, SSSI’s, airport projects, or more specialist engineering schemes at major sports venues across the UK and Mainland Europe, we always take each job in our stride.

We cover the full range of Trenchless activities that you might expect on either specialist contracts or full turnkey packages. These include, but are not limited to, Directional Drilling (HDD), Guided Auger Boring (GAB),

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Unguided Auger Boring, Pipe Ramming, Pipe Bursting, Rock Drilling and Rock Boring.

Working for large contractors and independent enquirers alike. Installing all forms of pipework, including; HDPE cable ducting, clay foul and surface water drainage and steel gas pipes.

We pride ourselves on our professional approach which, along with our ‘can do’ attitude, ensures our clients receive only the best services whilst working with us.

When working with our clients we ensure that their needs and desires are satisfied whilst protecting the local infrastructure, environment and ecosystem.

In order to provide the best possible assistance with our clients civil engineering works, we endeavour to help them understand how we work and how it can benefit their projects.

The process of Horizontal Directional Drilling (above) is an effective means of installing single or multiple pipes and ducts from 25mm to 900mm diameter. We pride ourselves in offering a service that leaves environmentally sensitive landscapes unscathed during the directional drilling process. By using our large fleet of steerable direction drilling rigs, we can provide a precise and controlled bore in which the final product pipe(s) can then be pulled to completion. With an accuracy of +/- 50mm we can install up two 200m of pipe a per day with extreme precision.

Guided Auger Boring (Right) provides an even more precise method of trenchless installation. Able to thrust out of 2.1m PCC rings, the guided auger bore can be utilised on sites with confined space. Originally designed and predominately used for drainage, Guided

Guided Auger Bore (GAB) installing steel sleeves for ducting under a railway line Auger Boring is evermore becoming the methodology of choice for duct installations, particularly in sensitive areas or adverse ground conditions. Whether it’s installing steel sleeves or clay jacking pipe, this technique is the ideal No-Dig solution for gravity pipelines, drainage pipes and various ducting requirements with an accuracy of +/- 1%.

Chiltern Thrust Bore boasts a prestigious reputation, having installed pipework under the UK’s major airports, national rail lines, MOD bases and even at the London 2012 Olympics. This wealth of knowledge and experience within the trenchless industry has led to Chiltern Thrust Bore becoming the UK’s leading ‘NO-DIG’ contractor. www.chilternthrustbore.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY TRUST IN THE THRUST!

Chiltern Thrust Bore Ltd is the UK’S leading specialist ‘NO-DIG’ contractor, specialising in a range of trenchless applications with a reputation for excellence, reliability and high standards of workmanship.

DIRECTIONAL DRILLING

GUIDED AUGER BORING

PIT-LAUNCHED DRILLING

TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY SPECIALISTS SINCE 1994.

T: 01234 240225 | E: info@chilternthrustbore.co.uk | chilternthrustbore.co.uk

Trenchless Technology

Self-repairing cities Trenchless technology of the future

Maintaining the underground water infrastructure is one of the greatest challenges facing the industry, especially given the pressure to deliver more without passing the cost onto the customer. Pinpointing exactly what is going on where, is extremely difficult and at times, attempts to maintain the infrastructure can seem reactive and disruptive.

A new 5-year programme grant hopes to alleviate these problems by pioneering the use of robots to investigate and fix underground pipes, propelling trenchless technology into the future.

A collaborative team led by the University of Sheffield, working with the Universities of Bristol, Birmingham and Leeds, has received £7 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), plus a £2 million contribution from the four universities to develop intelligent ways to find damaged, leaking and blocked underground water and sewage pipes so they can be repaired without disruptive excavation.

By developing a robotic inspection technology platform, the team hopes to facilitate better management of underground pipe networks, with robots being used to both find and fix damage, thereby avoiding disruption and reducing costs. The programme will look at other innovative ways to combine new navigation and communication technology to help utility companies inspect and monitor buried pipes.

Professor Kirill V Horoshenkov, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, who is the lead academic for the project, said: “Maintaining a safe and secure water and energy supply is fundamental for society but faces many challenges such as increased customer demand and climate change.

“Our new research programme will help utility companies monitor hidden pipe infrastructure

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and solve problems quickly and efficiently when they arise. This will mean less disruption for traffic and the general public.”

He added: “This innovation will be the first of its kind to deploy swarms of miniaturised robots in buried pipes together with other emerging in-pipe sensor, navigation and communication solutions with long-term autonomy.”

At present, it can be extremely difficult to find out when and where underground pipes are damaged and utility companies often have to rely on digging up roads and pavements to find the exact nature and extent of the problem. This means that 1.5 million roads are excavated in the UK every year to fix damaged buried infrastructure, causing road closures and disruption to business totalling approximately £5.5 billion.

The new research programme will investigate ways in which robots can move freely and intelligently through complex underground networks to map and inspect pipes.

These autonomous robots will be able to communicate and share data to ensure pipe defects are identified early and repaired, avoiding disruption for households and businesses.

At the University of Leeds, Professor Richardson will fabricate robotic devices that can enter and move in tiny spaces, which are at present impossible to reach. Traction will be an important design feature, as the robots will need to work in varying conditions without breaking the pipes or damaging themselves.

He said: “We are extremely excited to be able to take on new challenges that come with applying this new robotic sensing platform to real-world conditions, which includes overcoming the constraints imposed by the physicality of the robots.

“The next stages of our research into the robotic sensing of buried infrastructure will allow us to take this concept from a laboratory setting and test the autonomous robotic technology in a real-life environment.”

Whilst Professor Cohen will develop algorithms which control the robots so they are able to function independently while also performing inspection and repair functions in challenging conditions. Her methods include extracting engineering principles from simple animals, such as insects and worms, and applying the lessons learnt from the characteristics to the robots’ programmed behaviour.

She said: “Our robots will be small enough to fit into pipes, limiting their sensors and also their computational capacity.

“Animal behaviour can teach us how to program simple robots to survive and function in such harsh environments.

Speaking of their part in the project, Professor Bruce Drinkwater commented: “At the University of Bristol, we are leading the sensors research. These sensors will be the eyes and ears of the robots. We will be listening for the acoustic signature of leaks and actively probing the pipe with ultrasonic

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Trenchless Technology

waves. Our aim is to find defects such as corrosion and cracking before they present a problem. Fixing minor issues before they become catastrophic failures.”

Professor Chris Rogers, University of Birmingham’s Department of Civil Engineering commented: “This is an exciting development in our 20 year programme of transforming the way we install, maintain, repair and upgrade our buried infrastructure. Pipebots will enable us to detect progressive and incipient failure in pipelines by comprehensive pervasive sensing from within – something that is currently either impossible or prohibitively expensive – and intervene using the suite of trenchless technologies that have emerged over the past 30 years.

“This would represent a sea-change from what happens now, which is typically carrying out emergency repairs once leaks are detected using trenching, with the myriad adverse consequences for the travelling public, the

surrounding environment and for the life of the road and adjacent buried infrastructure.

and ensure that the results of this research have strong practical outcomes.

“Pipebots builds on our novel research on Assessing The Underworld, which explores how to survey the condition of road structures and buried pipes, and the ground that supports them both, from the ground surface. The benefits of this new research to citizens, and the places where they live, work and play, are huge, since the Pipebots approach will manifestly move our infrastructure and urban systems towards a more sustainable, resilient and liveable future.”

Professor Robertson of the University of Leeds, said: “It is important to consider the long-term impact of this pipe inspection technology and both the innovative and economic outcome it may have, not only for businesses, road users and commuters, but also new young scientists and engineers in training.

In addition to the universities, a number of industry partners will take part in the project including key water utilities in the UK who will help to develop a set of requirements for the new pervasive robotic sensing platform to work in clean water, wastewater and gas pipes.

They will support the formation and operation of the new research Centre of Autonomous Sensing for Buried Infrastructure in the UK

“It will also aid policymakers and contribute to the development of Government research and design strategies. By applying this autonomous, bio-inspired robotic technology, we can shape a new, sustainable way of building infrastructure to educate skilled emerging scientists and build a new foundation for an emerging generation of expert engineers.

He added: “We are contributing to a wider vision of self-repairing cities, which is set to be in place by 2050.”

This innovation will be the first of its kind to deploy swarms of miniaturised robots in buried pipes together with other emerging in-pipe sensor, navigation and communication solutions with long-term autonomy. www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

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Trenchless Technology

Could the drainage industry benefit from wider use of Trenchless Technology?

By Glenn Cartledge

MD of Source One Environmental Trenchless pipeline repair techniques are widely used in the UK and have been available – tried and tested – now for decades. In fact, the United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT) itself celebrated 25 years in existence during 2018. But, with the Health & Safety Executive estimating that around 4 million holes are dug every year by utility companies in the UK, there must be a wider opportunity for these techniques. So, what is holding the industry back?

For those unfamiliar with trenchless techniques, the term encompasses any method of pipeline installation or repair that is achieved without excavation. Trenchless installation methods include horizontal directional drilling and microtunnelling. For repair and renovation, patch repair, point repair, pipe bursting, slip lining and cured-inplace-pipes (CIPP) are all common. Pipes are prepared for renovation using high-power jetting or by the use of cutting and cleaning robots. All of these preparation and repair techniques are effected by access to the pipeline via the manhole.

In addition to techniques that are wellestablished, there continues to be significant innovation, with methods and products that further reduce cost or time on site or that offer improvements in the quality or life expectancy of repairs. One example is the development of different curing methods for CIPP lining:

this has developed from an ambient cure, through hot water and steam methods, to the current popular method of using a UV light train and to the latest development, using LED technology.

The Government are also investing in further innovation in trenchless repair technologies.

At the very end of 2018, they announced finance of some £26.6m in an academic-led project to research and develop robots for this use, headed by the University of Sheffield.

The benefits of trenchless techniques are clear – they can substantially reduce time spent on site, reducing costs and minimising noise pollution and disruption to the surrounding area. The reduction or avoidance of road closures is a significant plus, as the Government has estimated such closures cost the UK economy approximately 5 billion pounds each year – an issue that they are trying to tackle with such measures as extended Lane Rental Schemes, which could further increase costs on site to contractors.

So, why are the available technologies not as widely adopted as they could be and why are some parts of the industry getting left behind?

Source One Environmental (S1E) is a supplier of specialist trenchless technology products.

Our experience of the industry suggests a few key barriers to more widespread adoption.

The structure of the Water Industry.

Our products are purchased by specialist installers and contractors for pipeline repair. Often, these companies are sub- subcontractors to those engaged by the Water Companies. This long line of supply hinders understanding and specification of these methods by those ultimately responsible for the networks.

A focus on cost.

The UK & Irish markets seem to be particularly cost-focused. S1E has sister companies in Europe and the States. None are subject to the constant price pressure we see in our market.

This cost-focus approach doesn’t allow for other benefits, such as improved longevity of repair or enhanced structural integrity, to be clear and visible throughout the supply chain.

Lack of awareness or skills.

Image: Showing the installation a large diameter patch repair

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With no great driver via specification, some repair companies have been slow to adopt trenchless techniques. Some more traditional sections of the industry, particularly in

Image: Showing a UV light train, used to speed up the curing of a CIPP liner. contracting companies, seem to engage little with press, events or organisations that might bring them into contact with newer methods.

Training courses are on offer for such techniques, from as little as £50, so availability of upskilling should not be an issue.

The structure of contracting companies.

The driver for adoption largely emanates from our contractor customers making choices about how they can best provide solutions, rather than from specification by utility companies. For some techniques, such as UV or LED curing techniques, investment is required. Larger and more forward-thinking companies are in a position to make such decisions, but there are still many drainage contractors who are smaller companies, less able to make such a commitment.

Fewer options for clean water networks.

Many of the techniques described have been established for sewer pipelines. Trenchless repair is much less well-established for potable water lines. Polypropylene or polyethylene pipelines, more common for potable water, do not create as strong a bond with current CIPP or patch repair materials. The longer lines, with fewer access points, create issues with accessibility for these repair methods. However, techniques such as slip lining, pipe bursting and spray lining can be a good alternative to traditional methods for clean water.

Overall, it seems that greater involvement from the utilities could be the key to far wider adoption of trenchless techniques, with all of their benefits. www.s1e.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

INNOVATIVE TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY

For pipeline repair without excavation.

Source One Environmental - specialist suppliers of no-dig materials & training Suppliers of: •

Latest UV & LED lining curing technologies for fast repair

•

Powerful tools for clearing blockages, cleaning debris & repair preparation

•

Point repair options for permanent leak stoppage, including the WRc-approved Pipe Doctor patch repair system

•

Feature-packed pipeline inspection systems

From the company who brought you the market-leading, WRc-approved Pipe Doctor no-dig patch repair system.

For enquiries contact Source One Environmental on:

01226 397 015

contact@s1e.co.uk

www.s1e.co.uk

Trenchless Technology

Sanivar UK and Danaher & Walsh APS announce new partnership.

Sanivar UK and Danaher & Walsh APS have announced a partnership to bring the ground-breaking SaniTube and SaniLine trenchless pipe lining systems to the UK market.

With over one million metres of Sanivar products successfully installed worldwide, Danaher & Walsh APS is now offering guaranteed installations in the UK across a range of applications.

Danaher & Walsh APS has been appointed Approved Sanivar Product Installer in the UK, having undergone comprehensive product installation and technical training.

Sanivar products began development in Switzerland in the 1970s, in response to the need for robust repair products for pipelines carrying dry gas. Since then, Sanivar has innovated and expanded to produce high quality, Swiss-manufactured, PE-coated textile liners that will rehabilitate pipes that carry not just gas, but also potable water, petrochemicals, industrial water, drainage and sewage.

The Sanivar product range is approved for potable water use throughout Europe and in many countries worldwide. The products have WRAS approval in the UK and are currently undergoing testing for Regulation 31 potable water usage. This will enable Sanivar products to be used to help reduce the UK’s water leakage levels by providing quick, costeffective trenchless repairs.

SaniTube is Sanivar’s high performance standalone 'pull-in' liner for trenchless rehabilitation of fresh water pipelines of all common types (including cast-iron, ductile iron, steel, PVC and asbestos-cement pipes) from DN25 to DN400.

It is also available with PE and PU coatings.

Extremely long sections of pipe (up to 700m) can be rehabilitated in one installation, which

can include bends of up to 45° depending on radius and diameter. The installation process is 100% chemical-free, as no adhesive or resins are needed. The product is rated for operating pressures up to 16 bar.

Installation is extremely cost-effective because no trench is required, the works footprint is small, installation is fast and the cleaning and preparation requirements for the host pipe are minimal.

SaniLine offers all of the benefits of Sanivar products but using an inversion installation process. It allows trenchless rehabilitation of pressurized water pipelines of all common types from DN80 to DN1200.

SaniLine is available with polyethylene (PE) and polyurethane (PU) coatings.

Section of pipe up to 350m can be rehabilitated in one installation, which can include bends of up to 90°.The installation process is epoxy-free.

The pipe is cured in-situ at ambient temperature, reducing the needs for expensive equipment.

The Sanivar product range has been age tested for over 50 years to prove there will be no deterioration in performance.

Speaking about the new partnership with Danaher & Walsh APS, Sanivar UK Managing Director David Ripley commented: “We’re delighted to be working with Danaher & Walsh APS. “The company is passionate about embracing the latest in trenchless technology and quickly recognised the huge potential of the Sanivar range.

“They are an extremely competent and professional contractor with a huge amount of knowledge and experience. Most importantly, they are absolutely committed to providing a high-level of customer service.

“Any product is only as good as its installation, so it is critical for us to only work with companies we have confidence in. Because of their experience and track record in this industry, we felt Danaher & Walsh APS met that requirement perfectly.”

Danaher & Walsh APS offers a range of costeffective, high-tech solutions for pipeline repair and rehabilitation, primarily using no-dig techniques.

Services offered include CIPP lining, patch lining, robotic cutting, pitch fibre pipe re-rounding, culvert lining, concrete removal and CCTV condition surveys.

The company has established a reputation for employing innovative solutions to tackle even the most difficult sewer and pipeline repair challenges.

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Danaher & Walsh APS is part of Danaher & Walsh Group, which this year is celebrating 50 years in business. The group has earned an excellent reputation as a leading regional civil engineering contractor, specialising in highways, infrastructure, bridgeworks and public realm works.

The largest company in the group, Danaher & Walsh Civil Engineering, is an alliance partner of water company Anglian Water, as part of their Integrated Maintenance & Repair (Water Recycling) programme, which runs until 2030.

Speaking about gaining Approved Sanivar Product Installer status, Danaher & Walsh APS’ Contracts Manager Paul Cleaver said: “We’re very excited to be working closely with Sanivar to introduce these fantastic products to the UK market.

“We’re very impressed by the quality and versatility of the Sanivar products and see them as an important part of our offering. As well as being extremely high quality, good value and quick to install, they are suitable for a huge range of applications.

“The Sanivar products are used extensively throughout Europe, some projects which we have witnessed first-hand and we feel their introduction to the UK market will be a game changer for pipe rehabilitation here and we are very excited to be a part of that from an early stage.” www.sanivar.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Trenchless rehabilitation systems for pipelines.

Rehabilitation or replacement of ageing pipelines can be costly and highly disruptive. Keep disruption and cost to a minimum with SaniLine® and SaniTube®.

Our products have been developed to allow the trenchless repair of all types of existing pipelines from DN80 to DN800. Benefits include: • Faster installation and commissioning • High pressure pipelines approved to 16 bar • Lengths up to 1000m

• Bends up to 45 degrees • No specialist equipment required • Age tested to over 50 years

The Sanivar product range is approved for potable water use throughout Europe, is UK WRAS approved & is currently undergoing testing to Regulation 31 for use in potable water applications.

Find out more at our website or call us direct for further details.

www.sanivar.co.uk

01670 700498

@SanivarUK

Sanivar UK

PLEASED TO BE WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DANAHER & WALSH APS

Trenchless Technology

Hammer straight through with Geonex hammer drilling

Geonex hammer drilling is a trenchless method which provides clear benefits for the water industry, producing a guaranteed slope, no matter what the geological conditions you come across.

The slope is guaranteed even if you encounter boulders, hard bedrock, soft soil or any combination of the above.

Drilling is even easier than with unguided auger boring. Geonex hammer drilling doesn’t require a thrust wall and accuracy can be achieved simply by aiming, there is no need for laser guides or measuring systems, as the drill remains straight and on course.

Looking at the concept, it’s easy to understand why, for the drilling process is turned around, instead of pushing from behind; the pipes are pulled from the front by a powerful hammer.

Consequently, the hole is completed with a single pass, as the pipe is pulled. Pushing the rope and expecting it to stay on target is impossible without steering, but pull and it has no option but to keep on a straight course.

It’s as simple as that.

Due to the accuracy and straightness, less friction is produced, allowing the pipe to reach 100m lengths without getting stuck.

Whilst the small overcut inherent in the process, means there are no bumps made in nearby roads or rails as no hollows are produced. As the pipe is pulled by the integrated drill-head, no ground pressure deformations are produced by the force of excessive pushing.

Benefits for the water industry include the reduction in disruption caused to roads, rails

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and other nearby infrastructure, allowing for shallow installation depths and no need for excessive cover as with horizontal directional drilling (HDD). A minor overcut of a few mm’s is all that’s required to facilitate the process and guarantee the slope, meaning it’s almost impossible for it to rise up and cause deformations.

Experience has shown that there is either no deviation or the drilling has dropped slightly in the drilling direction. No drilling fluids are required to reduce the friction or support the hole. The steel casing can be pulled through the ground simply by the vibration provided by the hammering, and the steel casing supports the hole as it’s drilled.

This clean drilling is a clear benefit for sensitive locations and projects, an example of which is the horizontal groundwater well drilled in Bex, Switzerland. As the aim of the project was to collect alpine water for bottling and sale, the use of bentonite or drilling fluids was prohibited, as any foreign material would be seen as a contaminant.

As hammer drilling only requires air, it was ideal for the purpose. The impact of the small amount of hammer oil needed for lubrication was tested in this project. The oil was found to remain in the drill cuttings, so the soil was kept completely clean as the cuttings were collected.

For contractors, the hammer drilling is the perfect choice as the same tools can be used in all geological conditions. Although each diameter needs its own tools, when used properly in typical mixed soil conditions, they are economical.

Drilling hard rock frequently proves expensive, but even here the project costs remain interesting. When compared to microtunnelling, which also uses a full face drill head, the costs are competitive, especially when you consider that with microtunnelling you may still get stuck or go off course due to the geological conditions encountered.

Hammer drilling remains a particularly competitive solution for short (<60-80m) crossings with diameters of 140 to 1220.

Typically remaining the best solution in casing sizes 324, 406, 508, 610 and 813, easily competing against pipe ramming, when total project costs and risks are considered. Geonex hammer drilling easily enables 100m tunnels to be successfully drilled and now after careful analysis, 150m drillings have been completed, Overall, Geonex hammer drilling enables straighter more accurate drilling to be completed, at competitive prices, with less disruption to the nearby infrastructure and less of an impact on the environment.

Find out more on the Geonex YouTube channel or visit geonex.fi

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

RIGHT TOOLS FOR CHANGING CONDITIONS

COME TO MEET US on Bauma April 4–8, 2019 at Munich. Our Stand number is Area FN Stand no. 523/6.

GEONEX HORIZONTAL DRILL RIGS AND DTH-EQUIPMENT KEY BENEFITS

FOR ALL SOIL TYPES

Same drilling tool for all soil types. Specially good for rocky and difficult mixed soil types.

GEONEX HORIZONTAL DRILLING SOLUTION CREATES UNDERGROUND TUNNEL THROUGH MIXED SOIL Typical applications for Geonex Hammer Drilling are drilling casings for cable and pipelines under roads, railways etc. Geonex Hammer Drilling works most efficiently in mixed and rocky soil conditions, up to 150 m in length. All our products have a full 100% compatibility warranty.

FOR LARGE DIAMETERS

Fully cased hole after single phase drilling from diameters 140 mm – 1220 mm.

THE DRILLING LENGTH

Drilling is often not about how deep you can go, but how far you go. Horizontal drilling Hole length up to ca. 150 m.

HORIZONTAL GEONEX HAMMER DRILLING RIGS RIG

POWERPACK

HRZ1200

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PP 180, PP90, PP180HA

Ø139.7 Ø168.3 Ø219.1 Ø273.0 Ø323.9 Ø406.4 Ø508 Ø610

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GEONEX HAMMER DRILLING RIGS IN ACTION

ESPOO, FINLAND | Ø 219 mm

BOCHUM, GERMANY | Ø 610 MM

HAVE PROJECT IN MIND? send mail info@geonex.fi

VÄSTERÅS, SWEDEN | Ø 1016 MM

www.geonex.fi

TrenchlessTechnology

Utilising digital transformation for PR19 compliance

By Gerard O’Keeffe CEO, Geopal Solutions

In 2014, as many of you will be aware, OFWAT introduced PR19 – an outcome based methodology for setting water prices across the UK with AMP6 covering the period up to year end 2019. OFWAT have recently released details of the next stage, AMP7 which will refine the methodology through the next 5 year period beginning in 2020. The regulator aims to ensure that utility organisations are focused on delivering important improvements to customers.

Leakage is arguably the most significant issue facing water industry in the UK today. The Telegraph published an article with the bold headline “Britain to face widespread drought by 2050 unless leaky pipes fixed” back in May 2018, which was in response to findings in the previous year’s Water Conversation Report, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in the UK. The 2018 version of the annual report (released in December) shows that this is still a valid concern with circa 22% of water put into circulation in 2018 being lost through leakage.

The extreme weather storm known as “the beast from the east” that hit the nation early in the year is said to have, at minimum, partly added to this figure with a large number of burst pipes due to heavy frost levels.

We realise that there is indeed a fundamental issue creeping to the forefront in terms of water leaks but the question still remains, what can and will be done about it? PR19 stipulates that leakages must be reduced by 15% (>170 billion litres) over the course of the programme, the equivalent of three months of daily showers for everyone in England and Wales according to WWT Online. The Government supports Reducing the number of leaks in line with this demand in a timely and efficient manner is something that will most certainly require

the use of digital technology. At present leak management is something which is generally taken care of on a periodical basis – often in response to a report or issue. Once found, the leaks are generally repaired, and improvements to efficiency are measured to give a full evaluation on the current state of the repaired infrastructure.

Digital technologies are allowing water utilities to gain more accurate information and create further efficiencies from existing water related infrastructure to influence decision making and in turn evangelise conservation, creating infrastructure that is fit for the twenty-first century. Introducing any type of technology alone won’t magically solve the problem of leak detection and repair – there needs to be a specific process put in place.

At GeoPal we work with a number of water contractors across the UK and Ireland and processes is always the first hurdle before any implementation. It’s all about mapping out the process to find leak points and, of course, exactly what should happen when a leak is found.

Below is an example of how this process is implemented for a typical utility organisation currently using GeoPal to manage the leak detection and repair process.

Step 1: Identify Leak

A leak is often detected by a survey team employed to go out on a daily basis to identify leak points and report them back to the utility – they are also often found as a result of a notification made by a member of the public, whereby a surveyor will be sent out to gather more information. Once the source of the leakage is found, the surveyor will make a note on GeoPal and send through accurate GPS readings using a device such as the Leica GG04 which integrates with the GeoPal platform.

Once this information is sent through it will

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

be imported directly into the ERP system being used by the utility organisation, generally through an API connection.

Step 2: Issue Job

Once the details of the leak have been recorded, the next stage of the process is sending the job out to a contractor who will repair the infrastructure. The job will be issued through GeoPal with a strict workflow to ensure the work is carried out in the correct manner. The workflow can stipulate that “before & after” photos be taken at opportune stages which can be included in a report to prove to the client the work has been carried out to the appropriate standard, often eliminating payment disputes. Before work can begin, a Line Search Before You Dig is completed through an API integration to gain an understanding of other utility pipelines buried in the area and mitigate the risk of a strike. If appropriate a road closure permit may also need to be requested – this is included as pre-job check on the GeoPal App.

Step 3: Job Completed

Once the job is completed by the subcontractor all information is sent through to the ERP system and payment can be approved if necessary (this varies depending on the customer). Having all work in the one area allows for easy comparisons to be made on cost effectiveness of the different subcontractors making it much simpler to create a list of approved contractors.

We will be running a series of free webinars to show how our clients are employing this process and current best practices in the UK Water industry over the coming months – visit www.geopal.com/waterindustryjournal to sign-up. www.geopal.com

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Trenchless Technology

Is trenchless pipe pulling the most environmentally sound way to repair and replace lead pipes?

Simon Drain, managing director of UK utility supplier Kobus Services Ltd, shares how innovative pipe pulling technologies are being successfully deployed in the United States to not only repair and replace old lead utility pipes, but also ensure they are removed from the ground.

Much utility infrastructure in most Western industrialised populations is very old – over 100 years in many cases – and needs repairing or replacing with modern pipe materials.

Ageing water infrastructure is causing a rise in leakage and places challenges on water companies to provide the best quality drinking water.

Why this is important?

We know, in the UK, the Environment Agency issue Regulatory Position Statements (RPS) which must be adhered to when dealing with decommissioned pipes (RPS 8). Decommissioned pipes are considered environmental waste if left in the ground unless certain procedures are followed:

If RPS guidelines are not followed, the Environment Agency has the authority to take action against a company responsible for the pipework and the company responsible for its safe decommissioning.

Your activity meets the description set out in this RPS You comply with the conditions set out in this RPS Your activity does not (and is not likely to) cause environmental pollution or harm human health.

This environmental waste also has a scrap value if recovered for recycling which reduces costs.

Decommissioned pipes are a potential source of contamination to the surrounding ground, and in the long term to the water table, as well as contributing to environmental pollution. This could be in the form of metal pipe corrosion or lead contamination from the lead pipe.

In the United States, the problem is acute. It is estimated there are around 7 million lead pipes, totalling 65,000 miles of lead. If the average size of lead pipe is” (internal bore), this has a specification of” 11lbs lead pipe.

If left unchecked?

The environmental pollution aspect is significant and leaving them in the ground also undoes the good work of taking faulty, under-performing or dangerous pipes out of commission.

Solution

Pipe pulling removes the old pipework from the ground thereby eliminating the potential environmental pollution, as well as enabling the recycling and scrap value recovery of the old pipe.

Decommissioning of old pipes would not then be bound by the RPS8 rules.

Kobus Services, a firm specialising in utility pipeline replacement technology, has launched its 400 Series Pipe Puller, which delivers a state-of-the-art solution for quickly and effectively removing and replacing service pipes.

The system requires two excavation holes, no larger than 1m x 1m, to extract an old pipe

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while towing in the new replacement. Up to 25m of galvanised iron, copper, lead or poly pipe can be easily replaced in a single pull (for diameters up to 1 in).

The 400 Series Pipe Puller is mounted on a mini excavator and operates from the auxiliary hydraulics. It provides greater pulling power and efficiency improvements for contractors.

The unique spool design makes removal of the pipe from the spool after extraction quicker and easier, while the rotatable foot means the puller can be positioned in any direction to suit excavator access.

The 400 Series Pipe Puller, already in use in five states in the Mid-West and being displayed for the first time at the No Dig Show in Chicago in March 2019, can replace all types of service pipes, including galvanised iron, much faster than more traditional methods. It is ideal for cross road applications and replacement programmes.

With several new features and capabilities, it has been designed in partnership with some of the UK’s leading utility companies, and will bring economic, logistical and business transforming benefits to contractors using it.

And the recycling economics?

In the US alone, with just one foot of lead pipe weighing 11 lbs or 5 kgs and is 15 metres in length, this equates to an astronomical 3.8billion lbs of lead (1.72 million tonnes).

The average scrap value of lead is approx.

US$ 0.75 per lbs (£1,350 per tonne). Therefore, the potential scrap value of lead pipe to US contractors alone is worth $2.5 - 3bn.

Do we want to leave this in the ground to pollute the environment when it is has a US$3bn scrap value alone?

Find out more www.kobuspipepuller.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Trenchless Technology

Innovative trenchless technology from the KOBUS Pipe Puller, can help reduce leakage from water communication and supply pipes with economic replacement. Ideal for lead, copper and poly pipe replacements in R&M, lead replacement schemes and mains renewal applications.

• Minimises risk of utility strikes • Economic pipe replacement instead of spot repair • Reduces damage to homeowner’s property • Reduces traffic disruption • Minimal reinstatement • Removes old decommissioned pipe from ground • Removes old pipe and inserts new PE pipe in a single operation

Contact us today to request a trial KOBUS Services Ltd | Unit 9, Mercian Park | Felspar Road | Tamworth | B77 4DP T: +44 (0)1827 33 88 55 | www.kobuspipepuller.com | info@kobusservices.com

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Lakes & Water Courses

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Wastewater Treatment & Technology

United Utilities rolls out Systems Thinking approach to wastewater network management If the water and wastewater industry is to improve resilience and meet the expectations of customers and regulators, the traditional reactive approach to operational asset management must evolve.

For United Utilities’ wastewater operation this means introducing a System Thinking approach to its asset base. There are three key elements, or production lines, within the wastewater operation: Wastewater network (collection, transportation and delivery) Wastewater process (treatment) Bio-resources (production and delivery to the environment).

The wastewater network collects effluent from customers’ properties, transports it through a series of assets (sewers and pumping stations) and delivers it to the treatment works as efficiently as possible.

Over the past two years, in the Preston area, United Utilities has been developing and trialling a new approach to managing its wastewater network.

The Wastewater Network Management Project is looking at how the holistic drainage system can be adjusted in order to improve service and efficiency. The objectives of the project are straightforward. It aims to create a comprehensive understanding of the asset base so that it can be managed proactively and remotely in order to prevent any adverse impact to customers or the environment.

The starting point of the project is to create a complete understanding of the network production line and how it delivers its service to customers, as part of the overall wastewater system. To make that possible the decision was taken to move away from a network plan based on local authority boundaries and instead take a more holistic, integrated view of the network and how the asset base connects together.

To achieve this System Thinking approach to its wastewater network United Utilities has developed a five step methodology and tool kit: Step 1 - Understand the asset base including full risk assessments.

Step 2 – Analyse area information e.g. customers served, traders, development, watercourse interactions etc.

Step 3 – Establish the connectivity through to the treatment works and appreciate the interaction with external components e.g.

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other drainage systems. Determine whether United Utilities’ focus areas are similar to external stakeholder focus areas e.g. The Environment Agency or Local Authority as this will identify potential partnership opportunities.

Step 4 – Increase the asset monitoring capability to enable system monitoring and control including using rainfall predictions to assess the potential impact to asset performance.

Step 5 - Evolve to using Artificial Intelligence to run the system.

This five-step methodology enables the wastewater network team to understand the asset base, how it connects together and its historic performance so it can plan for the future.

It also allows United Utilities to develop its situational awareness capability so that it can understand the variable factors which the system is under at any one time such as weather, what customers flush, interaction with watercourses and third party assets.

The pilot project in Preston has applied the methodology and toolkit to all the assets upstream of, and connected to, Clifton Marsh wastewater treatment works which collect and deliver sewage from properties within the drainage area to the works.

The assets within that boundary were validated and any data gaps logged. A risk assessment was also carried out for all the assets to determine the proportionate risk within the area for flooding, customer complaints, and compliance.

Operational or maintenance practices were reviewed to reduce that risk where possible or identify if investment was needed. All the data was analysed to identify changes to the network that signalled a potential incident was about to occur and alert a user to make a proactive intervention.

The project has created a series of anticipated system signatures under a range of operational conditions so the actual system signature can be compared with the anticipated system signature in real time. Any variance in signature can then be a potential indicator of system deterioration. This early

warning means that the company can carry out investigations to rectify problems before they have any adverse customer impact.

This solution uses asset signal data (monitoring points) which measures the signature of assets and is used to create business rules. Alerts are used to ensure that incidents are appropriately prioritised and dealt with in all instances, including preventative measures taken before an incident actually occurs and reactive responses to measures taken afterwards.

The visualisation system provides situational awareness capability, pulling together a vast amount of wastewater network system datasets from multiple corporate and external data sources to aid with decision making.

These include:

Understanding the impact of rainfall

The collection of rainfall and surface water run-off is a critical input into the wastewater network production line. Despite limited options to control this at source, there are a number of ways it can be monitored and analysed to determine the most appropriate control mechanism to better manage it within the network.

The Wastewater Network Management Project is working to better understand this input by installing rain gauges across the region coupled with MET Office data, analysing the weather patterns and developing a storm classification index based on historic storm data and its impact on the network in those areas.

This should allow the company to understand how rainfall is going to impact flows into the network and its effect and, where possible, to mitigate the predicted impact. It also allows the deployment of resources in a more planned way to manage predicted storm events and alert customers to potential flooding so they can take appropriate action.

Managing domestic and trade effluent discharges

The collection of wastewater is another critical input impacting on the flows in the network.

There are a number of projects and initiatives

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Wastewater Treatment & Technology

aimed at educating customers to improve the quality of wastewater entering the network in order to reduce the risk of blockage and other incidents. United Utilities’ ‘Think before you flush’ and ‘Let your river run’ campaigns promote its message that only the three ‘P’s should be flushed – pee, poo and (toilet) paper.

Understanding how the network is performing

A project called Dynamic Network Management (DNM) is installing monitoring technology within the network to understand when something is about to go wrong so an intervention can be made to rectify the issue before it impacts customers. It also allows the company to understand how a failing asset could impact the network in order to prioritise the necessary interventions or investment.

Understanding external factors

There are a number of external factors that impact the wastewater network including external stakeholder assets, new building developments, rising river levels and tree root invasion.

Controlling the flows in the network to optimise performance Understanding the capacity and flows within the network provides the opportunity to manage the transportation of wastewater through the production line in the optimum way. This means United Utilities is able to: Maximise and control the use of storage space in the network to reduce pollution and flooding incidents Ensure storage capacity is available to cope with increased flows of predicted rainfall Install automated flushing systems to use the flows to cleanse the network in problem areas

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

Terminal pumping station

Terminal pumping station

Move towards an ‘on demand’ planned cleansing programme by using appropriate monitoring to inform when intervention is required

The overall aim of the project is to meet the company’s regulatory obligations to efficiently and effectively ensure we comply with our targets to reduce sewer flooding over the next five years.

Deploy variable consenting on sewer overflows to protect customers from flooding and minimise environmental impact by spilling at the right times During the Preston pilot, for example, flows were held back within the network for 36 hours to allow for maintenance to occur within the works boundary without detriment to performance.

Working in an integrated way across wastewater services At the end of the production line, the delivery of wastewater becomes an input to the wastewater process production line. An integrated approach is therefore essential. This means controlling the network so that it delivers the right quality and volume of wastewater product to the treatment works.

Improving understanding and control of discharges to rivers and seas The discharge of wastewater through surface water outfalls and sewer overflows is another delivery point from the network.

This project is working to improve the monitoring and control of these outputs to ensure the environmental impact is reduced and complies with the appropriate regulations and directives.

Results

The Preston pilot has had excellent results so far including an 80 per cent reduction in sewer blockages and a 70 per cent improvement in customer service.

United Utilities is now planning to roll out the toolkit, methodology and new way of working regionally to its wastewater network teams over the next 12 months and has identified 41 key areas to be targeted first.

It has also recently completed a major restructuring of its wastewater network team so that it is more proactively rather than reactively focussed and has been fully trained in the new methodology and toolkit.

Emma McCabe, United Utilities’ drainage area manager and wastewater network management senior business lead, commented: “The Wastewater Network Management Project is truly innovative in that for the first time we are using historical and current data to predict future performance so that we can manage the network as effectively and efficiently as possible.

“It has developed a methodology and tool kit which includes remote monitoring of our network and this approach provides a foundation for our people to understand our wastewater network system, increase our situational awareness capability and proactively, rather than reactively, manage the network.

“It means that we can prevent problems before customers are affected by them and can provide an even better service than we did before.

“This project has also highlighted how using system signatures and advanced analytics to identify proactive interventions provides significant benefits in terms of cost and reduction in customer disruption.”

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Wastewater Treatment & Technology

Utilising software to achieve greater safety and efficiency Working within the water sector brings with it a host of regulations and certification requirements. Having planning software of the highest quality helps develop and implement a stringent plan that ensures site safety is a priority, that all on-site personnel are tracked and monitored for security and health and safety reasons, and that all regulations relating to both AMP7 and PR19 are met with utmost professionalism and accuracy of data.

SitePlanner offers a range of benefits that are applicable for the water industry, helping to meet strict standards and raise the level of efficiencies on a wide range of projects and individual tasks within a sector that can often be challenging. This article will review the regulations in place and the industry landscape that SitePlanner can assist with.

There are many challenges that the water industry has to face head on, and AMP7 is designed to do just that, looking at ways in which standards can improve and customer satisfaction levels increase. Innovation is key with regards to looking after the environment for future generations, and with the anticipated higher costs to perform those roles whilst maintaining customer satisfaction the water industry has to perform to greater efficiencies in all areas.

The welfare and safety of all personnel and contractors in the water sector is paramount to achieving the goals laid out in AMP7. Without key, qualified staff, there is no way that the standards can be met, and ensuring there is a

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strong HSEQ framework for personnel is a key deliverable from the SitePlanner software.

SitePlanner helps clients achieve greater safety and efficiency by providing the tools to:

How can SitePlanner assist the Water Industry?

Pre-enrol personnel and have their induction completed before they arrive on site

SeaRoc Group understands the pressure points and specific requirements of the water industry. With our SitePlanner system we can assist those within the sector to implement operating practices to a high and consistent standard, in line with PR19 and AMP7. Our software has been designed and developed to help improve the effectiveness of operational implementation, as well as to reduce potential risks for personnel, contractors and any other site visitors within a wide range of projects and sites.

Record personnel certificates and qualifications and receive alerts when they are due to expire

A number of water companies are now using SitePlanner in order to meet the high standards set out by regulations during the next AMP. Our clients have already seen the rewards of a cost-effective method to deliver site inductions to personnel, across multiple locations through an online process. This leads to a greater level of efficiency in terms of monitoring and controlling all personnel present on site, as well as all contractor certificates being identifiable and accessed from one single point. SitePlanner also offers a direct link to the CITB database for verification of credentials and the ability to be fully customisable to suit the specific requirements of individual water companies, projects and sites.

Ensure contractors arrive on site with preapproved Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) Manage multiple sites from a central system Receive a time and date stamped audit of activity With AMP7 fast approaching, it is important for all companies working within the water industry to finalise plans and go through a thorough implementation period prior to the next AMP beginning in 2020. Time is of the essence, and a solution in the form of SitePlanner will help water companies to provide a framework of detailed, accurate, and up-to-the-minute data analysis that increases efficiencies across the board, looks after the safety of all personnel and contractors working on-site and in the process increases standards and customer satisfaction levels. www.searoc.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Driving greater safety and efficiency

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CONTACT US FOR A DEMONSTRATION +44(0)1243 816 606 | info@searoc.com

www.searoc.com

Wastewater Treatment & Technology

Connected Stormwater Management with Smart Water Butts The Anglian Water region is home to some of the fastest growing cities in the country, so continuing to save water and manage excess rainwater effectively is essential to continue meeting the needs of the company’s six million customers. Anglian Water’s Innovation Shop Window Project Manager, Nick Sexton, explains how the company is utilising technology in a bid for resilience while relieving pressure on the region’s water and sewerage network.

Background

The East of England faces enormous climate change challenges. The increasing extremes of weather and ever-growing population, means surface water management (SWM) is an important tool in securing the future resilience of our waste water network. Harsh and sudden storms coupled with the effects of population growth bring acute SWM issues to the region.

One such problem, known as urban creep, sees an increase in hard surfaces, such as extensions, patios and paved driveways and means less and less rainfall is collected by plants, trees and soil, ultimately allowing more surface water to flow directly into sewers.

There is also a significant amount of rainfall entering our system from property downpipes.

The challenges presented by too much rainfall over a short period of time differ greatly from those presented by too little rainfall over longer periods, but we recognise solutions can be holistic and address both issues where possible.

A long-term, multi-faceted challenge, requires a long-term strategy. And with that, we created a 25-year SWM plan that recognises the importance of removing unwanted surface water from our sewers to ensure serviceability, resilience and capacity for future growth. To achieve this, we are testing novel ways to engage communities with the challenge of reducing rainwater flows into sewers with innovative installations, which have the added benefit of providing an alternative non-potable water supply for use in the home and garden.

The installations involves the disconnection of downpipes into the sewer and redirecting them into a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) feature, such as a swale or rainwater tank. Whilst these alternatives are not new in themselves, the challenge of delivering them on a large scale, and achieving positive societal and environmental change using exploratory new technologies, is a new challenge for the water industry.

Engagement Innovation

The success of the long-term SWM plan relies on customers actively engaging with us to make sure any assets are maintained in the long-term. But what is in it for customers?

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(fig1) A graph showing rainwater discharged from tank in advance of predicted rainfall

One of the biggest challenges with SuDS is that they require a repurposing of small amounts of urban land, and people don’t always like change. So, it’s critical to take people with us on the journey through communication that listens to and engages with people’s emotions.

We developed the ‘Make Rain Happy’ brand to support our project and it has a simple principle. Rain is happy if it ends up in a green space or in rainwater tank, but it’s sad if it lands on an impermeable surface or in our sewers. The rhetoric resonates with all age groups, providing justification for SuDS without the over-complication of climate change, population growth and resource management.

SuDS and SWM aren’t widely recognised concepts by the public, so engagement to install traditional SuDS may only get us so far.

To explore how technology could benefit our communities and SWM, we have collaborated with experts outside of our current supply chain to take our solutions to the next level.

Technological Innovation

We are working with OTA Water – a sustainable water management company – to utilise near-real-time data solutions at customers’ properties to provide a real change in our management of surface water. This is taking place in Newmarket, our Innovation Shop Window location – a real-world test-

bed trialling the latest technology, systems and process in one environment. Our unique relationship with customers here has allowed us to test previously unproven technologies and approaches as a community, rather than a silent service.

Working with 11 customers, ourselves and OTA Water have installed two rainwater harvesting systems, two 800-litre water butts, six 300-litre water butts and one rain planter.

OTA Water’s technology monitors the water level, water and ambient temperature, and water flow rate (where appropriate) at each property and has the built-in capability to remotely monitor and control the draining of these tanks into our network. This control will allow us to establish whether the ability to alter attenuation and discharge of surface water can influence successful future SWM, whilst ensuring access to non-potable supplies for customer’s homes.

Following commissioning of these installations in Autumn 2018, OTA Water has demonstrated the systems performance during and after rainfall. Utilising the data collected from each tank and characteristics of each site, including customer demand and forecasted rain, the system can operate to provide the necessary storage for an upcoming storm.

Illustrated above, (fig1), a predefined volume of water is discharged from a water tank, so

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Wastewater Treatment & Technology

further storm water can be captured during the next storm. This illustrates the capability to successfully manage decentralised storage and control the volume and timing of discharge to the sewer system. The impact is particularly significant where several tanks work together to generate an optimum discharge, whether these are locally led by the ‘master’ tank or connected to a centralised management system.

OTA Water has developed control algorithms and proprietary software that enables them to monitor and manage rainwater at a plotscale. The system was developed building on intellectual property licenced from The University of Exeter’s Centre for Water Systems. Their software predicts spill events and takes actions to release rainwater (either to green space or into the network), thus freeing capacity for coming storms.

CEO Dr Peter Melville-Shreeve describes the system: “It has taken our team several years to develop the platform and control algorithms to enable deployment in a costeffective manner. It is really exciting to see our assets in the field performing so well. With our StormSenseTM technology, we can help customers capture and reuse rainwater, whilst maximising capacity to mitigate flooding during intense storms.” Benefits are also being seen on customers’ bills – at a property where a rainwater tank is feeding a toilet and washing machine we’re seeing an average daily demand reduction of 95 litres.

Scaling Up

Initial results indicate that this technology provides the capability to control the release of surface water into our sewerage network when it has been collected at customer properties.

Alongside OTA Water, we’re working to understand how this control can help alleviate the pressure storms cause on our sewerage network and serve the needs of our customers with water for non-potable use. Our Newmarket installations provide us with data to understand how customers are using water from the tanks so we can ensure this need is always met, even when we plan to drain tanks to mitigate storm flows to sewers.

The next phase of work is investigating how we successfully install disconnection features at a community scale. We want to understand the potential for these when we have a knowledge of forecasted rainfall, current sewer levels and customer demand of water. An understanding of both engagement and technology is critical to the successful evaluation of this approach.

A street in Newmarket, which is near a school where we have installed SuDS previously, is a location where we know surface water is entering the sewer. This dense urban area and high number of properties provides us with an important and challenging location to trial the technology on a larger scale. By completing disconnection work at the school and landing the ‘Make Rain Happy’ message, we have already warmed the community to

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An example of a smart water butt in situ at a customer property our work and its purpose, in anticipation of another targeted engagement and installation programme.

We are working with OTA Water to understand how the tanks could work together when installed at numerous properties on the same street, against the performance of the older, traditional ‘leaky’ water butt – a water butt which discharges a pre-determined amount to provide capacity for storm events. The OTA Water StormSenseTM software enables us to model a range of low and high-tech SuDS devices for a given site. This ranges from leaky water butts through to smart rainwater control systems driven by real-time rainfall data provided by our modelling team using ICM Live.

Our work with OTA Water is providing us with a wealth of knowledge for our longterm approach to SWM. We see it as having the potential to alleviate the ever-increasing pressure on our existing infrastructure, whilst providing a sustainable, long-term solution to longer periods of dry weather. www.anglianwater.co.uk

Through evaluation workshops, we have been working with OTA Water to understand the value of plot-scale SuDS and rainwater reuse systems, and how control systems can help us to test different strategies in a real-world setting. This is to ensure our future investment in these technologies provides maximum benefit for both Anglian Water and our customers.

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Wastewater Treatment & Technology

Hitting the ground running Eliquo Hydrok officially announced the new collaborative and distribution association with Biogest on the 1 November 2018, an association both companies believe to be a positive for the UK water industry, utility companies and contractors.

It therefore came as no real surprise that 14 days after the new arrangement came into place the first order for a Biogest flow control regulator was agreed, swiftly followed by another on 26 November.

An order for a project within Wessex Waters operational area was received on the 14 November for an ALPHEUS-AS, DR200 to control flows to 20l/s @ 1.8m head for foul sewage. The package included an Adaptor plate with an integrated emergency bypass penstock and spindle.

A development project for a Leisure Centre in Bude, Cornwall required an ALPHEUS-VO, DR100 and a second order was received for

this on the 26 November. This unit shall control surface water flows at 2 l/s to a max head of 1.2m. Both projects are scheduled for installation early 2019.

Managing Director, Dave Armstrong said “the speedy recognition within the water industry of the Eliquo Hydrok/Biogest technologies new association clearly reinforces the decision of the two companies to work together to bring proven, tried and tested water engineering solutions to the UK”.

For more information of the Eliquo Hydrok range of Flow Control solutions visit the website, or contact Steve Tomlinson on 01726 861900, steve.tomlinson@eliquohydrok.co.uk

“The speedy recognition within the water industry of the Eliquo Hydrok/Biogest technologies new association clearly reinforces the decision of the two companies to work together to bring proven, tried and tested water engineering solutions to the UK” Dave Armstrong, Managing Director

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Wastewater Treatment & Technology

Wastewater Treatment with OMEX Anaerobic digestion is one of the principal methods used by the water industry to treat primary sewage sludge. It is a preferred process in that it produces methane as a usable by-product, reduces sludge volumes, and creates a digested sludge that is both readily dewaterable and relatively inoffensive in nature.

Efficient breakdown of sludge relies on different groups of bacteria, all of which operate in conjunction, but within a defined range of parameters, e.g. pH, temperature, feed rate, nutrients and trace elements. Periodically however digestion failures occur. This can be due to the presence of inhibitory substances such as high metals concentrations, organic solvents or detergents, or simply from overloading. The result is a failure in part by some of the anaerobic bacteria and a drop in pH. Digester failure may require the digester to be reseeded and more importantly for the pH to be adjusted.

Traditionally lime or sodium carbonate is used for this purpose, but they are powders and can be difficult to apply. Overdosing can often result in the pH increasing to above 12, which will inhibit digester recovery. A recent water treatment plant had similar issues and for health and safety reasons and due to handling

difficulties, lime was not the preferred alkali for this application. So OMEX Environmental Ltd was contacted for specialist advice on the use of their product Magmex速.

input from the site. The pH rose to 7.5 within an hour, without the problems associated with lime, and the digester was back online within the day.

Magmex速 is a stable suspension which can be easily pumped into a system. More importantly for a biological system Magmex速 naturally buffers out so that the maximum pH achievable is around 9.5; consequently there is no danger of overdosing.

As well as Magmex速, OMEX provide a wide range of nutrients and neutralisers for biological wastewater treatment and biogas plants. This range of products are designed to overcome potential problems that can occur with modern effluent and septicity treatment, including odour control, filamentous bulking, and COD removal.

In this case OMEX were able to deliver the product in a pump off bulk tanker which was then applied straight into the digester. This was achieved with the minimum of disruption, in less than two hours, with only supervisory

Contact us for further information on +44 (0)1553 770092 or visit our website for more information www.omex.com

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Sludge Management

‘Power from poo’ innovation A north east water company is leading the way with its innovative approach to green energy production, making renewable energy from customers’ poo.

Northumbrian Water is the only wastewater company in the UK to use 100% of its sewage sludge, the left over material at the end of the wastewater treatment process, and converting it into gas and electricity – so literally producing power from poo!

The ‘Power from poo’ production, more formally known as Thermal Hydrolysis Advanced Anaerobic Digestion (AAD), started in 2009 with the company generating electricity and furthermore, a second plant followed in 2012 where it began to produce electricity. In 2015, the company invested further in a gas cleaning plant to clean the gas from the AAD process and produce high quality gas at one of their site’s, feeding directly into the National Gas Grid so meaning customers were now cooking on poo.

Northumbrian Water’s pioneering plants at Howdon on Tyneside and Bran Sands in

Teesside, have seen a huge level of investment over the years, including £75 million in Thermal Hydrolysis AAD. The Howdon plant is the company’s largest sewage treatment works and treats up to 12,000 litres of wastewater from customer homes and businesses every second. Its £8 million gas to grid plant is the biggest of its kind in the industry, with work well underway at its sister plant, Bran Sands, to create a gas to grid plant there too as part of a £10 million investment.

The industry-leading ‘Power from poo’ process has transformed sewage sludge from being a waste product that needed a lot of energy to clean up before it could return to the natural environment, into a fuel being used to produce green energy. The innovative process is cutting the company’s annual operating costs of around £9 million and delivering a significant cut of more than 20% in the company’s carbon footprint.

Northumbrian Water’s Head of Wastewater Treatment and Bioresources, Richard Murray, said: “We’re proud to be able to produce gas and electricity with more than 20% of our total power now from renewable energy sources, including hydropower at our treatment works and reservoirs like Kielder Water.

“Our customers can be reassured that we’re doing all we can to use the waste they flush down the toilet as a fuel and turn it into renewable energy, which can then be used to light their homes and cook meals.

“Innovation is at the heart of everything we do here at Northumbrian Water and we are proud to be leading in this innovative approach to waste management.”

Bran Sands

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The Thermal Hydrolysis AAD process involves pre-treating the leftover sludge and heating it in something similar to a giant pressure cooker to around 165 degrees Celsius under six bars of pressure.

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Sludge Management

“Our customers can be reassured that we’re doing all we can to use the waste they flush down the toilet as a fuel and turn it into renewable energy, which can then be used to light their homes and cook meals.

Howdon This process destroys any pathogens and breaks down the cell structure, which is then fed to billions of bacteria in giant digester tanks, making it easier for them to eat.

As the bacteria eat the sewage sludge, they release methane and carbon dioxide gases, which is similar to a person burping and letting off wind. These gases are collected in huge 11-metre diameter sized golf ball-like biogas storage bags, before being burned in a gas engine, which then produces nearly ten megawatts of electricity, equivalent to about 35 million kWh per year, or is fed into the gas into grid process.

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The gas to grid process is more efficient than electricity production. As with natural gas the artificial odour chemical Butyl Mercaptan is also added giving it the characteristic gas smell so it can be detected for safety.

Any waste heat and steam generated from the overall process is also captured and recycled for use elsewhere across the company’s operating sites.

This innovative ‘Power from poo’ technology is helping Northumbrian Water to reduce about 300,000 tonnes of wet sludge from the treatment of domestic sewage and biodegradable industrial effluent from a

population equivalent of about four million, to about 100,000 tonnes.

It also means less energy used for transportation of sludge for the company, leading to significant carbon savings and what remains of the 100,000 tonnes of sludge afterwards goes back onto local farmland as an enhanced biosolid fertiliser.

The industry-leading transformation of energy-intensive waste products, into renewable energy is just another innovative approach Northumbrian Water are taking.

Who would have thought you could be cooking at home using power made by poo?

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AVK’s focus on product range and technical support leads to framework contract award from Yorkshire Water AVK has been awarded a framework contract by Yorkshire Water for the supply of mechanical fittings including tensile-resistant fittings, under-pressure tees, repair fittings and end caps. The contract covers AMP7 which runs from 2020 to 2025.

Although Yorkshire Water has used AVK mechanical fittings for many years, this is the first formal contractual award. Graham Charnley, AVK’s National Sales Manager, believes the award is down to AVK’s longterm commitment to product development, the flexibility of its logistics offering and the breadth of technical support it is able to provide: “Fittings have been manufactured at the Hyde facility since 1979. AVK Syddal was formed in 2012 following the purchase by AVK of Syddal Engineering Ltd. We have invested heavily in UK design, development and manufacturing to ensure we can provide customers with comprehensive ranges across our core product groups. This investment in product, process and people enables us to service and supply larger contracts. We have quite literally grown – in scale, skills and performance – as a company.

We are looking forward to working closely with Yorkshire Water Services (YWS) as a strategic partner across the supply, implementation and support phases of this contract. Our collective goal is the reliable supply of safe and clean water to all YWS customers.”

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Two of the priorities for all water companies in AMP7 are reducing leakage and customer service. AVK’s under-pressure tees enable connections to be made without disrupting customers and its repair clamps ensure continuity of supply in the event of a leak.

According to Charnley, the contract will be serviced from the AVK Syddal factory in Manchester and from stockholdings located

across the YWS region: “I am a great believer in the savings that can be generated by, in effect, value engineering the supply chain.

AVK’s engineers will be involved earlier in the design process to ensure the most effective product is specified. We will also be working hard to streamline and optimise the number of orders placed to reduce transaction costs.” www.avkuk.co.uk

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

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News

£17m phosphorus removal schemes to improve water quality of northern becks and rivers Yorkshire Water has started a £17m scheme to improve the final effluent released into rivers and becks from four of its sewage plants to help meet environmental targets on phosphorus removal.

Waste water treatment processes will be improved at Skipton, Gargrave, Foulridge and Earby sewage works to improve the quality of treated water returned to local watercourses including the River Aire and Earby Beck.

As part of the EU Water Framework Directive, the amount of phosphorus has become a measure of the health of rivers and watercourses.

Phosphorus is a normal part of domestic sewage and ends up at sewage works as it is contained in household products such as shampoo, washing powders and washing up liquid.

The problem with phosphates is when they are at high levels in water bodies, which can trigger algal blooms that block sunlight from reaching lower waters, thereby causing plants to die. As the plants and algae decay they

River Aire near Skipton cause depletion of oxygen levels, resulting in fish suffocating.

released into the natural environment where it can negatively impact on aquatic life.”

Mark Allsop, Communications Advisor at Yorkshire Water, said: “By upgrading our waste water treatment processes we will be able to remove more phosphorus so that it is not

Yorkshire Water is investing a total of £70m at 16 of its sewage treatment works to improve over 196 kilometres of watercourses to ensure the company exceeds targets to reduce phosphorus levels.

Welsh Water to invest £2.5 million to upgrade Barry wastewater network Welsh Water is to invest £2.5 million to upgrade the wastewater system in Nant Talwg, Barry which will help to protect the environment in the area for years to come.

The company plans to install a brand new pipe from Nant Talwg pumping station, across private land to the rear of Ffordd Cwm Cidi, Fforest Drive and Lon Ferm Felin before connecting in to the existing network on Glamorgan Street Barry.

Work began in February and will see around a kilometre of wastewater pipe - which has almost reached the end of its operational life - being replaced.

To avoid going through the housing estate where the current pipe is located, Welsh Water has liaised with the local authority to agree a new route across their land.

Work will involve removing some trees to clear a path for the new pipe through the wooded area at the rear of Ffordd Cwm Cidi.

This work will start in mid-February to avoid the bird nesting season.

It is anticipated that the work will be completed towards the end of August.

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Welsh Water’s Programme Delivery Manager, Teresa O’Neil said “At Welsh Water, we are committed to ensuring we provide an effective wastewater system which gives customers a first class service and protects our valuable environment. Our work at Nant Talwg reflects our commitment to reinvest profits for the benefit of customers and the environment.

“We always want to make sure our customers know what we are doing when we are working in their community so we have written to local residents to tell them about the work. We will also be holding a public drop-in event on the 31st of January 2019 at the Millwood Bowling Club.

Customers can drop in anytime between 2:30pm and 7pm where our team will be on hand to answer any questions they may have about the work.

“The work will involve removing some trees to ensure that the pipe can be laid in an area free from roots which could damage the pipe in the future. Any woodland, hedgerow or grassland habitat which needs to be removed will be replaced with a similar

species in the surrounding area, as well as additional species to benefit the wildlife. We will be replanting in the autumn 2019 as this is the optimum planting time.

“The work will be monitored by ecologists to ensure that, should any protected species be found on site, they will not be adversely affected. The work programme may however need to be extended should any protected species be found during the course of the work but we will ensure that we keep our customers up to date with any changes.

“We appreciate that this kind of work can cause some inconvenience but we will do all we can to keep this to a minimum and would like to thank people for bearing with us whilst we undertake these essential works.”

Melanie Stewart, Site Ranger Porthkerry Country Park said ‘’ We liaised closely with Welsh Water to make sure that their work will not have any detrimental effect on the local environment.’’

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Clean Water

Waste Water

Water Courses

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Leak Detection and Repair

Sustained innovation to deliver leakage reduction Leakage. A subject that is important to us and our customers. At SES Water we take great pride in our detection methods, practices and results. Daniel Woodworth, Network Strategy Manager at SES Water explains.

In the 1990s, we were one of the first water companies in the UK to divide up our network into district metered areas (DMAs) to help us better understand where leakage was occurring. The infrastructure we installed then means that today we have high information coverage across our network and lots of historic data about how it performs which helps us identify and address issues more quickly and effectively.

It is this focus on collecting data and understanding where our water is going within our network that has underpinned our leakage detection strategy for the last 20 years, and enabled us to meet our regulatory leakage target every single year since they were first introduced. It has also ensured we stay at the forefront of innovative methods and technologies with one of the best examples being our coveted leakage detection contract model which has been based wholly on the actual volumes of water saved since its inception in 1992.

We began establishing our DMA structures with a simple brief: understand where our water is going and reduce leakage through pressure management and improved targeting of leakage repair interventions. In 1991 we finished the programme in our East Surrey supply zone and had completed our whole supply area by 1995. With DMAs and pressure management in place we set about recording flows into each of the districts assisted by our data logger providers – and quickly established good coverage across our network. DMAs had been designed to have single feeds where possible which greatly assists with data consistency, can be constantly monitored and, crucially, are of an appropriate size to assist with efficient

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leakage detection. One of the key reasons for our success over the years is that this early DMA structure has changed very little – consistency is the key to successful leakage management.

After achieving significant leakage reduction through pressure management, we needed a way to continue to drive leakage down and in 1992 came the ‘game changer’. For too long the Company’s leakage contracts had focused on the number of jobs raised or the type of job being raised as a proxy for the impact this would have on reducing the total leakage figure. We were employing far too many contractors and spending far too much money on leak detection and location, with not enough impact on actually reducing the water being wasted. That’s why the performance contract model was introduced, the concept being that contractors are only paid for the volume of water that is saved and this payment is only made once the required repair has been completed. Introducing this innovative approach was only made possible through all the network structuring and data capture that had gone before.

Managing the contract requires stable DMAs and credible data. Contractors understand that they are chasing volume rather than the number of jobs and this incentivises them to find as much water loss as they possibly can. The whole process is self-motivating and leakage technicians get out what they put in - the ‘no stone unturned’ mentality means that all leaks are prioritised, so areas are returned to low leakage levels each time they are surveyed. Another distinct advantage over the years has been the way that the detection teams chase and see jobs through to completion as they need to be paid. This

keeps the pressure on repair teams and unwanted ‘dry holes’ are minimal because there is no benefit to anyone of raising a job that is not a genuine leak. Our approach benefits the whole water industry too as it promotes the training and growth of very good leakage technicians who must be at the top of their profession to reap the rewards.

We have been fortunate to work with some innovative and forward-thinking partners over the years including detection contractors, data logger companies and software providers whose commitment to the model we have chosen to adopt has made it possible. At times it can be a tough environment for contractors to operate in relentlessly looking for volumes of water in order to make money - but the rewards for all parties far outweigh these challenges.

We have remained committed to our approach over the years but have continued to look for ways to improve our methods and processes to support our ambitions.

In 2001 the now readily available leakage detection software options did not exist so we introduced our own. My predecessor was suffering - like many other leakage managers - from being unable to produce an accurate prediction of leakage on a daily basis which made it very difficult to predict the end of month or end of year position in relation to targets. The bespoke system that was built enabled, for the very first time, a daily leakage figure to be calculated in under an hour. But more than that it introduced some techniques and tools that are now commonplace in most leakage management software packages, such as notification of flow increases in DMAs, gradual increase in leakage over time and work registers for issuing areas for

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Leak Detection and Repair

survey. The system was well ahead of its time, increasing our efficiency and, until it was replaced in 2016, was vital in helping us achieve our annual leakage target every year.

We have one of the lowest leakage levels in the country and have committed to reduce it by a further 15 per cent in our Business Plan for 2020 to 2025. Our long-term ambition is for at least a 50 per cent reduction by 2045 and the only way to achieve both of these targets is to build on our successful history of innovation. We have already made strong progress on implementing a new technique to condition assess the integrity of water mains, allowing us to further improve the targeting of mains replacement. Also looking to the future, our Water Resources Management Plan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which considers the next 60 years and a range of different factors that we need to be ready for â&#x20AC;&#x201C; does not forecast a need for more water sources if we can significantly reduce demand. As well as more metering and customer education, tackling leakage will continue to be a key part of our efforts in this.

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It is clear that the decisions made 30 years ago and our commitment to maintaining this approach since has enabled SES Water to continue to be a leading performer in leakage management in the UK. We will continue to champion our performance contract model as a shining example of the value of data and the knowledge and insight that it brings. It also demonstrates how to incentivise and reward exemplary performance and hardworking leakage technicians who, day in, day out, find the water that keeps leakage in our network under control. With a tough leakage reduction challenge around the corner we must adapt and improve further still and our performance contract will be at the heart of this, assisted by ever better data through smart networks and smart metering. For us at SES Water, with a proud record of innovation and continuous improvement behind us, this represents the start of an exciting chapter and one we are relishing the opportunity to tackle. www.seswater.co.uk

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Leak Detection and Repair

Space technololgy beamed down to earth

Researchers analyzing RADAR signals gathered over three years from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express spacecraft discovered a large lake of salty water buried deep below the surface of Mars. This seems like science fiction, but water agencies are using the same technology here on earth. The difference is that water agencies, such as Severn Trent in the UK, are not looking for underground lakes; they are looking for leakage from their drinking water distribution pipes.

Severn Trent Water (STW) is one of the largest water companies in the United Kingdom. They serve almost 8 million customers through 4 million service connections. STW owns and maintains 47,000 km of distribution and transmission mains and serves large metropolitan areas such as Birmingham. STW has some of the lowest water rates in all of the UK, thus there is little financial incentive for customers to actively conserve water. In addition, STW has many of the same drivers as other water companies around the world; ageing infrastructure, population growth and climate change. Very cold weather followed by a quick thaw last winter caused havoc in the system and leakage skyrocketed.

STW delivers two billion litres of water every day to their customers and over the past ten years the company has reduced leakage by 20%. The utility regulator in England, Ofwat, has mandated that all water utilities must further reduce their NRW leakage by an additional 15% by 2025. STW is committed to exploring all available viable technologies to accomplish this goal, including using drones and satellites to help spot leaks. STW has also announced a multi-million pound plan to install new acoustic monitoring devices in the pipe network to help prevent bursts.

In 2017 STW began using the Utilis satellite imagery service to detect leaking pipes remotely. This system works the same way as the Mars imagery, illuminating the earth with RADAR waves and collecting and analyzing the returned images to look for underground water signatures. The remote satellite imagery allows leak detection crews to be deployed to specific areas in the system that have the highest likelihood of leaks. This increases the crew’s overall efficiency because they are directed to the areas where there are more likely to be leaks, thus they find many more leaks per crew-day.

A first trial was held in Birmingham and achieved a 26% true positive rate of success.

True positive is a measure of success; the number of Utilis identified sites that have at least one leak when investigated. Sometimes first trials in new areas generate lower than expected performance when using Utilis. A number of observations were made during this

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Example of a delivery to the customer, with blue lines signifying the pipe network and yellow lines the Points of Interest (POI) trial; the manual reporting via leak sheets and recording of findings was time consuming for field operations staff, winter is not the best time to perform this work as it is the busiest time of the year (not just for Santa), and, training and experienced leak detection crews are critical to success.

When the second trial was held, the true positive rate was 70%. Because many Utilis identified sites result in the finding of more than one leak, another success metric is used: leaks per site investigated. The number of leaks found per site investigated was over 0.75 in this trial; in other words, the inspectors find three leaks for every four sites they investigate. Project Manager, Samuel Berry, of Severn Trent is very excited about Utilis; he says, “The technology is very good at finding the many small leaks in the system. That really helps reduce the NRW and ensure we meet our customer expectations to find leaks as quickly and efficiently as possible. The results are especially good at identifying leaks on plastic pipe versus other technologies.”

The second trial was very successful based on a number of performance metrics, and, a great improvement over the first trial. Reasons for this improvement included improvements introduced by Utilis which allowed for digital navigation to points of interest, digital logging of results, and improvements in field operators’ resource skill level. STW also did a good job of explaining how the service worked, making the satellite imagery less magical, identifying an innovation champion from the rank and file that was able to promote the service to the rest of the operations staff.

Using the Utilis satellite image STW found that productivity was increased, the time to find a leak was significantly reduced, and, the cost per leak found was also lowered.

The results of the two trials will be further analyzed by STW to document technical efficacy and the value proposition of the Utilis leak detection methodology. utiliscorp.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Detecting leaks from space Saving time, money, energy, and water!

After scanning your area via satellite, Utilis identifies locations of probable leaks, increasing field crew efficiency by 400%. Now you can focus your investigative efforts and eliminate wasted time.

Let us tell you where to look!

utiliscorp.com

inquiry@utiliscorp.com

Leak Detection and Repair

Echologics Team listening for leaks on site

Echologics field technician

Rethinking leak management / leakage - a new approach

Every drop of water lost is a missed opportunity. Each drop lost could have been put to good use, quenching our thirst, irrigating crops or facilitating one of the everyday tasks we take for granted.

Given the water supply is under increasing pressure and water companies face more stringent leakage targets, effective leak management is crucial. The challenges posed by an ageing infrastructure, changing environmental factors and increased demand add to the complexity. Finding an effective method of detecting and managing leaks is paramount.

Traditionally, the water industry has taken a reactive ‘find and fix’ approach to managing leaks and the broader water network. The problem with that is as quickly as leaks are found, more are forming.

Condition assessments offer an alternative, proactive approach to leak and network management, comprising of a physical inspection of a pipe. This means water companies can make informed decisions about their maintenance and replacement work.

Some assessment approaches rely on excavating and examining a small section of pipe. This data is then extrapolated to present the overall condition of the pipeline. However, these findings are often unrepresentative of the true asset condition.

Echologics® ePulse® technology from Mueller Water Products takes a different approach, employing acoustics to establish the actual condition of a pipe. Completely non-invasive, ePulse condition assessments are completed above ground, using valves or fire hydrants as contact points, so there’s no need to dig up the road. The pipe continues operating; water services are uninterrupted and neither customers or road users are inconvenienced.

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A sound wave is introduced into the pipeline, travelling along the pipe between two acoustic sensors. The time the sound wave takes to travel between the sensors is measured, with the sound velocity indicating the condition of the pipe wall. How so?

As the sound wave travels, the water molecules expand against the pipe, creating a microscopic flex on the pipe wall — the greater the flex, the weaker the pipe. Thereby measuring the actual structural integrity of the pipe wall and accurately reflecting the pipe’s overall condition.

These measurements are considered in the context of data that shows how the pipe’s condition has changed over time, taking into account its original thickness, age, dimensions, material, loadings and soil corrosiveness.

Together, the intelligence provides actionable data that can be used to forecast asset failure, allowing preventative action to be taken and enabling better network management. ePulse condition assessment technology can be applied to both specific sections of pipe or to assess an entire water network.

What marks ePulse technology out from its competitors is that leaks can be detected simultaneously with the condition assessment, meaning the cost of the assessment can be offset by the savings inherent in reducing leakage. Leaks can be identified earlier and fixed more quickly.

Utilising the LeakFinderST™, an advanced leak noise correlator technology jointly developed

by Severn Trent Water and Echologics, a full

leak detection sweep of an entire network is possible alongside collecting data for condition assessment, meaning leakage can be directly and significantly reduced.

Such is the high regard in which this technology is held; LeakFinderST won both the Water Industry Achievement Awards’ Most Innovative New Technology of the Year and the overall Outstanding Innovation 2014 award, upon its launch. Since then, it has gone on to be utilised in the industry worldwide.

Anglian Water chose Echologics’ ePulse technology to determine if a main in an environmental protection area needed rehabilitation. As Fionn Boyle, Optimisation Project Engineer for Anglian Water explains, “Using ePulse technology, we were able to spend on the assessment and still have a business case that showed a benefit, as well as ensuring we had a positive environmental impact.”

“As a result of the acoustic assessment performed by ePulse, Anglian Water was able to make the most appropriate investment decision,” explains Echologics Area Sales Manager Joseph Finn from Mueller Water Products. “This led to significant cost savings, along with the added benefits of reducing its environmental impact, carbon footprint and impact on local customers.”

In short, carrying out leak detection simultaneously with condition assessment means the water network can operate more effectively for the benefit of customers, water companies and the environment. echologics.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

The less you lose, the more you gain.

The more water you keep in the system, the more revenue you keep in as well. And Mueller Water Products is the one company that has solutions to address water loss from every angle – detection, monitoring, control and repair. Just a few of the many ways we can help guide you confidently into the future.

To learn more about Mueller® non-revenue water solutions, visit www.muellerwp.com/NRW or call +44 1438 487410.

BELOW THE GROUND

ON THE STREET

IN THE CLOUD

MUELLER® | ECHOLOGICS® | HYDRO GATE® | HYDRO-GUARD® | JONES® | MI.NET® | MILLIKEN® | PRATT® | SINGER® | U.S. PIPE VALVE & HYDRANT Copyright © 2018 Mueller Water Products, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The trademarks, logos and service marks displayed in this document herein are the property of Mueller Water Products, Inc., its affiliates or other third parties.

GEOSPATIAL AI

FOR WATER NETWORK OPERATORS OUR SOLUTION Rezatec’s Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (AI) solution for water network operators combines remote sensing and data science to identify the conditions under which network failures occur and to quantify the Likelihood of Failure across the network.

• IDENTIFY AREAS WITH HIGHEST LIKELIHOOD OF FAILURE • OPTIMISE THE DEPLOYMENT OF LEAK DETECTION & MAINTENANCE TEAMS • IDENTIFY THE 30% OF YOUR NETWORK WHERE YOU CAN EXPECT 70% OF LEAKS TO OCCUR By identifying which sections of the network have a higher likelihood of failure, network operators can concentrate their ground survey teams and IoT sensors on those high-risk areas and optimise their repair and monitoring work therefore reducing cost and time to find leaks.

Rezatec Portal: Pipeline Likelihood of Failure Risk Map

CALL US 01865 817 500 To find out more or to discuss a trial

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Leak Detection and Repair

Geospatial AI - fresh insights into water network failures How satellite data and artificial intelligence are revolutionising water network management Leaking pipes are both a financial and environmental concern for water network operators worldwide. Global estimates from the International Water Association (IWA) suggest 126 billion m3 of water is lost every year at a cost of £30 billion.

The importance of reducing water losses for customers is evident especially in parts of the world facing water supply challenges. But leaky pipes have a significant impact on both water companies and consumers alike. With high levels of ‘non-revenue water’ (NRW) – defined as the difference between the amount of water put into the distribution system and the amount of water billed to consumers­ – water network operators face excessive operational costs, service interruptions, and customer dissatisfaction with costs that are often passed on to customers.

Many operators are turning to innovative new technologies to reduce costs, increase efficiency and improve reliability. One such cutting-edge approach that can assist operators in meeting these challenges head on is Geospatial AI. By combining network and satellite datasets, and analysing historic failure event data, and then applying artificial intelligence techniques, a retrospective risk analysis can be derived. When this is applied to current data an accurate likelihood of failure risk map is produced.

One company leading the way in Geospatial AI is a UK-based company called Rezatec working with water utilities around the world. According to Rezatec, the information

Geospatial AI provides has significant realworld impact. Using just two years of historic data to train Geospatial AI algorithms, areas of the network more likely to be at risk from failure can be prioritized for investigation to enable efficient asset management. As a representative example, Rezatec reports that by using a Geospatial AI approach, typically it can highlight the 30% of the network where a water company can expect 70% of leaks to occur. The degree of optimization achieved can be higher and depends upon the quality of the data supplied by the customer.

Though Geospatial AI does not provide information on the precise location of leaks in a water network, it does provide valuable insights for proactive pipeline risk management and strategic investment planning, to optimise the deployment of resources, repair and maintenance, and capital expenditure based on the likelihood of failure at the whole network level or DMA level. It can also maximise the effectiveness of logger deployment, allowing network operators to place them in spots with the highest risk of failure thereby allowing operators to invest in fewer loggers, minimising not just capital expenditure but also operational expenditure.

Analysis can be further improved by incorporating additional Geospatial datasets

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and Earth-observation satellite data to mitigate high consequence risks and digitise general knowledge and understanding of the network. This information can be used by key stakeholders to help alleviate environmental impact, prioritise pipeline repair and maintenance around other utility works, and assess and manage risk to vulnerable buildings and other infrastructure assets.

“Our goal is to help water utilities become more efficient in managing their networks by identifying the highest risk areas of failure to support planning and investment decisions including inspection services, repair and maintenance, pipe replacement and sensor procurement and deployment”. Philip Briscoe, Chief Operating Officer at Rezatec At a time of growing demand and rising competition for scarce freshwater resources in many parts of the world, technologies like Geospatial AI can help water utilities become more efficient in their quest to reduce NRW in networks around the globe, with benefits for operators and customers alike.

For more information about Geospatial AI for Water Network Operators, contact info@rezatec.com or visit www.rezatec.com.

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Leak Detection and Repair

Reducing leaks: the rise of leak detection technology in water pipes The street washed out with water. Parked cars sitting partly submerged. Ground floor flats flooded. This was the scene in a south London street in early January.

It’s becoming an all too familiar sight.

According to data released last year, London has the largest concentration of leaks, with water pipes bursting 36,000 times over the last six and a half years.

For water providers, managing pipeline networks is a complicated business. In England and Wales alone companies are responsible for a network of 335,000km of pipes with some 24 million connections to homes and industrial properties.

The consequence of such a vast infrastructure is that water and sewage companies face a wide variety of challenges when it comes to monitoring and maintaining these networks.

Leaks are an extremely expensive problem to solve and water companies have strict regulatory targets to meet – and shareholders and customers to placate. As a result, many within the industry are turning to technology to help them rise to the challenge.

Importance of innovation

To meet targets, reduce leak failures and cut down on wastage, water companies need to both change their behaviours and innovate.

A recent report by Ofwat, the water industry watchdog, revealed that nine of the 20 water suppliers in England and Wales missed their leakage targets in 2017-18, with Thames Water being the worst offender.

Technological innovation is crucial for an industry that’s network is large in size and scope, spans the length and breadth of the country, and is suffering in part from the degradation brought about by age.

Leak failures are rarely without consequence — whether regulatory, financial or environmental — and two of the biggest

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challenges water utilities face is detection and location. The rate at which water providers can detect potential pipeline leaks has a direct influence on their rate of response.

Instead of reactive digging in order to locate leaks, water companies need to deploy solutions that provide proactive tracking and automated alarms at the first sign of a leak, before it becomes a full-blown disaster.

Detecting and locating leak events

A predictive and proactive understanding of pipeline activity has long been sought out by water utilities. In the event of a leak failure, it’s essential for operators to have access to reliable and actionable insights that allow them to coordinate an appropriate response.

One of the most advanced technologies that can be deployed to detect and locate leak events on pipelines is distributed acoustic sensing (DAS). This intelligent, networked solution can provide extensive support to water utilities, particularly when it comes to pre-emptive maintenance, pipeline integrity management and leak detection.

The technology converts fibre optic cables, which are run alongside pipelines, into an ecosystem of highly-sensitive, individual vibrational sensors. As a fully integrated solution — which combines cutting-edge photonics, advanced artificial intelligence and edge computing — it can monitor hundreds of thousands of kilometres of pipelines and identify a wide range of acoustic events.

These acoustic events are then processed by the solution’s sophisticated AI which maps the unique characteristics of the acoustic signatures to determine the exact nature of the integrity issue, such as a pipeline failure or leak event.

When it comes to the two biggest challenges facing water utilities, detection and location, recent field demonstrations highlighted the solution’s ability to detect a leak and raise an alarm by the time only 30 litres of water had spilt from a pipe; Fotech’s DAS solution pinpointing the leak to within 10 meters.

This is a significant enhancement on current leak detection technologies and demonstrates the power of DAS-based solutions when it comes to both detecting and locating pipeline leaks.

Taking back control

By embracing digital technologies, such as DAS, and employing them in legacy infrastructures water utility companies can extract deeper insights on their pipeline networks and enhance operational efficiencies. Intelligent, networked systems will not only help companies tackle leaks, but can also improve operational tactics, promote conservation and help minimize consumption.

As leak failures become more commonplace, smart technologies are fast becoming a necessity for water providers. Under pressure from watchdogs and industry regulators, it’s vital that companies have both sufficient oversight and control of leakage performance.

When it comes to leaks, what the industry needs is networked solutions that allow water suppliers to effectively monitor pipelines in real time. By being able to identify the fundamental elements that make up a potential leak event, Fotech’s DAS technology can give companies a much-needed boost in their efforts to identify leaks before they become a major issue. www.fotech.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Leak Detection and Repair

Northumbrian Water leads the way in leakage battle at global event A North East water company has been leading the way in the global battle against leakage.

Innovation and leakage experts from Northumbrian Water chaired a pre-event workshop ahead of the 2019 World Water-Tech Innovation Summit, held in London on 26 and 27 February.

best practice, particularly around collection of leakage data.

They also discussed a water efficiency rating system for properties, similar to the energy rating system applied when buying houses, and up-skilling of the workforce implementing the water-equivalent of Gassafe certification.

The summit saw water utility leaders, start-ups, technology giants, engineers and investors from all over the world, come together to find solutions to the challenges facing the global water industry.

Attracting more than 250 water leaders, some of the key speakers included water regulators Ofwat, Oxford University, Lagos Water Corporation and Danone.

Northumbrian Water’s Nigel Watson speaking at the pre-event workshop

Leading the way, Northumbrian Water delivered a half day workshop, developed in partnership with the UK Department for International Trade, to explore the question ‘How can the global water industry realistically achieve the ambitious target of zero leakage?’

power of space satellites to help spots leaks here on earth and using sensors and data to monitor the performance of the water network and address leakage.

They shared some of the innovative approaches the North East based company is currently pioneering, including harnessing the

More than 80 people took part in the presummit workshop, which discussed unique ideas such as better collaboration to share

www.waterindustryjournal.co.uk

Information Services Director for Northumbrian Water, Nigel Watson, said: “We live and breathe innovation here at Northumbrian Water, so it’s been fantastic to host a workshop at this event which is dedicated to the subject.

“Together with some of the most innovative minds from all around the globe, we’ve been discussing ways that we can hit our ambitious zero leakage target. It’s all about keeping the ideas flowing, experimenting and looking for game-changers in the water industry that will help us transform the world.”

For more information on Innovative leakage techniques, see www.innovationfestival.org.

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Leak Detection and Repair

PermaNET+: Changing the economics of leak detection Clean drinking water is the world’s most precious resource and it is becoming increasingly scarce. Factors such as population growth, climate change and aging infrastructure are putting pressure on water suppliers.

Leak detection is a proven method of safeguarding water and at HWM we’ve developed PermaNET+ to change the economics of leak detection.

With over 3,100 million litres of water being lost per day (Water UK/Ofwat), the cost of nonrevenue water to the UK’s water companies is substantial. Ofwat has demanding targets for leak reduction and investment in cost-effective leak detection equipment will support water companies in meeting these targets.

PermaNET+ is our award-winning leak detection system. Combining a leak noise sensor with our versatile telemetry technology, PermaNET+ creates a fixed leak monitoring network.

Affinity Water, Britain’s largest water-only utility servicing 3.6 million people in South East England has partnered with HWM to target a significant reduction in leakage rates using PermaNET+ fixed network telemetry.

Drew Richie, Managing Director of Wholesale Operations at Affinity Water explained that “by using the HWM PermaNET+ solution we can continuously monitor 25 percent of our network, identifying leaks in a matter of hours, rather than the days it takes using conventional techniques and technologies”.

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PermaNET+ represents the next stage in the development of noise logging. Data generated by the noise logger is automatically sent to the user, removing the need to visit sites to carry out data collection. Data transmission is achieved through a combination of 3G, GPRS or SMS cellular communication.

The unit also sends an audio file for remote monitoring and correlation to localise the leak position. PermaNET+ is located entirely below ground, making it less intrusive and more practical for large-scale deployments.

Working in conjunction with Google Maps, PermaNET Web provides live on-screen tracking, allowing leakage teams to respond quickly to problem areas and bring them under control.

Fully waterproof and designed with the latest mobile technology to maximise dial in and minimise cost, PermaNET+ is a cost-effective remote leakage monitoring solution.

While many of the UK’s water companies including Affinity Water, Yorkshire Water and Thames Water are reaping the benefits, it is not just in the UK where PermaNET+ is helping to save customers money and water.

Danish specialist Leif Kock A/S has used PermaNET+ to save millions of krone for

Denmark’s largest utility company.

A project consisting of an initial deployment of 185 permanent data loggers was established in Copenhagen to detect leaks.

On just the second day of the project the leak detection team identified a leak. When the team dug down they discovered that the water from the leak was running directly into the sewer.

“If we had conducted a study of this particular area using our old method a week before the leak began” explains Kim Roar, team leader at HOFAR “it would have been three years before returning to this area and discovering the leak”.

“In other words, the leak would have been continuously running into the sewer for three years. By our rough calculations, this leak alone would have cost us 1.2 million kroner (approx. £116,000)”.

This project illustrates one of the many benefits of PermaNET+, as PermaNET+ drastically reduces leak run time. PermaNET+ is an effective leakage monitoring solution developed specifically to reduce non-revenue water, saving water companies time, water and money. www.hwmglobal.com

WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

- Global leaders in leak detection

PermaNet+ • Fixed network monitoring continually scans for leaks • Full underground installation with remote cellular communication • Auto-correlation functionality automatically locates leak position

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Icenta launches exotic turbine meter for large water injection project Large Overseas Contract New material options for LTM ANSI 1500 RF Weld Neck Flange for High Pressure Application Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK - Icenta Controls, A British manufacturer of high quality Turbine Flow Meters has introduced to its Metri Measurements range a customised High Pressure Turbine Meter made from exotic materials (Super Duplex & 6MO Body) for a Water Injection application.

Water injection is a method in the oil industry where water is injected back into the oil reservoir, to increase pressure and maximise production. Through conventional methods only around 30% of the oil in a reservoir can be extracted, however water injection increases the recovery factor and maintains the production rate of a reservoir over a longer period of time “The Metri LTM is a versatile meter with high accuracy performance and when combined with its low cost of ownership it’s easy to

see why the LTM Turbine Flow Meter is still a highly popular choice for many uses.” Stated Paul Gentle, Owner of Icenta Controls Ltd. “Icenta is constantly developing its Metri product range to encompass new materials, flow rates and connections to enable it to be used across many different industries A mix of chemical resistance materials were used to achieve application and product compatibility and long term service. 6 Mo (UNS S31254) is a super austenitic stainless steel with a high level of molybdenum and nitrogen, providing high resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion as well as high strength making it the ideal material for Oil and Gas - Water Injection applications. Other material were used for internal wetted parts. Each Turbine rotor and support being machined from exotic materials.

This type of water injection turbine flow meter has been successfully deployed in a variety of other applications where high pressure jetting or cleaning is required such

as clearing fatbergs in pipes and systems, an increasingly common problem today. The LTM Turbine Flow Meter, complete with display for ease of monitoring the flow rate of the water or chemicals in use, is connected to a high pressure pump to provide a solution that is highly versatile and effective. www.icenta.co.uk

iCenta.co.uk - Sales@iCenta.co.uk +44(0)1722 439880

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WATER INDUSTRY JOURNAL MARCH 2019

Securing National Infrastructure

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