Tag Archive for: Water

Goshall pumping station control panel

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Client: JR Pridham Services Ltd
Location: Goshall, Stour Marshes, Kent, UK
Service division: Controls
Sector: Water

The Environment Agency (EA) are a public body whose aims are to protect and improve the environment. As part of this role, the EA are responsible for the operation of a number of pumping stations, one of which is Goshall pumping station, located in the Stour marshes in Kent. The EA have made a number of operational improvements at the pumping station, including the installation of a new remote monitoring station. As part of these upgrade works, the pumping station required a new control panel to be designed, built and installed on site.

JR Pridham Services are an EA approved contractor, offering a wide range of services that include electrical engineering, instrumentation and control. Pridhams were requested to design, build, install and commission the new pumping station control panel, the design and build component of which was subsequently awarded to AFECO to deliver on their behalf.

Due to space constraints on site the panel had to be built as two separate units, one housing the pump starter and the other housing the controls. The panels were designed, built and FAT tested to be fully compliant with the EA requirements and delivered within the allocated budget and timeframe.

The services provided by AFECO to this project included:

  • Design and build of two Form 4 panels in GRP
  • FAT testing
  • SAT testing
  • Documentation
  • CAD drawings (GA’s & schematics)

Basingstoke WwTW control panel

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Client: JR Pridham Services Ltd
Location: Basingstoke WwTW, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK
Service division: Controls
Sector: Water

Basingstoke WwTW is a sewage treatment works with a population equivalent of 100,000 and is owned and operated by Thames Water, the UK’s largest water and sewerage company, serving a population of 14 million across London and the Thames Valley. A number of process improvements have been made at the site by Thames Water, including the installation of a new sludge dewatering facility. As part of this process, the washwater system was upgraded and as a consequence a new washwater feed pump panel was required.

JR Pridham Services are a TW approved contractor, offering a wide range of services that include electrical engineering, instrumentation and control. Pridhams were requested to design, build, install and commission the washwater panel within a 6 week programme. AFECO had previously carried out a site investigation and prepared the project brief on behalf of the Client and due to the rapid turnaround required, AFECO were commissioned by Pridhams to undertake the project on their behalf, the scope of work for which included:

  • Design and build of a Form 4 panel in 316 stainless steel
  • FAT testing and documentation
  • Site installation and commissioning

The panel was designed, built and FAT tested to be fully compliant with Thames Water F15 Package Plant Specifications. The project was delivered successfully, within the specified timeframe and budget.

Pilmico pig farm anaerobic digestion

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Client: Pilmico Animal Nutrition Corporation
Location: Tarlac, Philippines
Service division: Optimisation, Engineering
Sector: Waste, Water

Pilmico Animal Nutrition Corporation own and operate a number of pig farms including a farm in the province of Tarlac in the Philippines which treats its own wastewater and slurry in dedicated anaerobic digester (AD) lagoons and uses the biogas produced by the process to generate electricity for use on-site. Since installation and commissioning, the performance of the AD and generating engines at one of the farms has been less than that anticipated by the design and Pilmico were keen to identify the reasons behind the underperformance and understand what measures, if any, could be taken to improve the situation.

AFECO were appointed to undertake a review of the pig farm operational practises, asset configuration, AD performance and generating engines to assess where possible improvements could be made and highlight any reasons for the underperformance. AF ECO carried out a site visit to the farm and used this visit together with background design information and operational data to fully analyse the plant performance. A process model of the site was composed and used to assess actual performance data and the original design data against the theoretical performance. The modelling highlighted that the original design significantly over-estimated the expected biogas production and that the current biogas production was, in fact, well in line with the theoretical expectations. As a result the generating engines were also over-rated and the down-turn required reduced the engine efficiency. A review of the engine specification also revealed their unsuitability to operate on biogas which potentially lowered the efficiencies even further.

The review highlighted a number of potential improvements that could be implemented to enhance the system performance. These improvements included modifications to the condensate trap to remove the moisture present in the biogas prior to entering the engines, improving their efficiency, and improvements to the existing sand/grit trap prior to the AD lagoon. A conceptual design and CAD drawings for the condensate trap and sand trap modifications were produced to accompany the report.

In summary, the review undertaken by AFECO avoided the need for costly modification works to the pig farm AD plant by demonstrating that the digester performance was in line with expectations and operational staff were carrying out their role effectively. The plant modifications recommended were simple and cost effective with the impact of sustaining the long term performance of the plant.

The services provided by AFECO included:

  • Site investigations
  • Process modelling
  • Process optimisation
  • Feasibility report
  • Conceptual design
  • CAD drawings