Archive for the ‘Filtration & Separation’ Category

A Drinking Water Plant Supplies Energy in Chiasso, Switzerland

January 25, 2010

The drinking water treatment plant in the district of Chiasso in the canton of Tessin in Switzerland not only produces clean water from the Sorgente Rovagina spring, which is located 70m above it, but since November 2009, also environment-friendly electrical energy generated by a turbine. This hydropower emanates from the kinetic energy of the water flow derived both from the difference in altitude between the plant and the spring, and pressure equalisation.

In 2007, WABAG Wasser Technology Ltd. refurbished and enlarged the San Giorgio drinking water treatment plant in the district of Chiasso. Since then 8,640 m3/d of raw water have been conducted to the plant from the Sorgente Rovagina spring along a 1,880 m pipeline and then turned into clean drinking water.

The pressure created during this descent is proportional to the geodetic altitude difference between the spring and the filter plant.  Moreover, as the pressure is several times that required for plant operation, a pressure reduction valve was previously needed to decrease it.  This meant that every hour 50 kW of kinetic energy was transformed into sound. This cannot be used, which meant that considerable energy potential was lost.

The use of renewable energy is funded in Switzerland:
With the introduction, as part of the Power Supply Act from January 1, 2008, of a decree regarding the provision of full cost coverage for the feeding of renewable energy into the grid, the use of such energy potential is being funded by the state. In view of this fact, during the autumn of 2008, the operator of the water treatment plant commissioned WABAG with the planning of a small-scale hydropower plant.

A pump turbine was selected from the three standard types of turbine (Pelton turbine with free outflow, counter-pressure Pelton turbine with closed outflow and reverse running pump turbine) on the basis of the natural and specific, plant-related conditions. This turbine is a modified centrifugal pump, which instead of a motor, is equipped with a generator that converts the kinetic energy of the water flow into electrical energy.  The resultant power is fed into the public grid on the spot and paid for in line with the new Power Supply Act.

Using this technology, the drinking water treatment plant has been expanded to include power generation, which not only represents an intelligent contribution to environmental protection, but also reduces plant operating costs.

The turbine at the Chiasso drinking water plant produces 250,000 kW of energy yearly, which is sufficient to supply some fifty 4-person households. The turbine does not cause any deterioration in water quality as the raw water is both cleaned and treated in the downstream filter system.

Arnold Gmünder, Managing Director of WABAG Water Technology Ltd., is optimistic that in line with the Chiasso model, in the near future numerous water treatment plant operators will start to utilise available energy potential, not just in Switzerland, but also other European countries: “This is because using small-scale power plants, the energy costs relating to water treatment  facilities can be reduced, and as the feeding of electricity into the grid is paid for, the ROI on the overall investment can be quickly shortened by an average of three years.”

Dutch Water Treatment Systems for Haiti

January 22, 2010

PWN in partnership with Norit X-Flow is supplying seven advanced Perfector-E compact water treatment systems to the Haiti region.

PWN is a water company located in the northern part of The Netherlands and is a world-wide trendsetter in new water treatment technologies. The Norit Group is a world leader in the supply of activated carbon and membrane ultrafiltration.

PWN and Norit X-Flow developed and deployed the Perfector-E immediately after the 2004 tsunami tragedy in Asia. The Perfector-E is a self-contained, easy to use, portable water treatment plant that addresses the needs of people desperate for a reliable source of drinking water.

Each Perfector-E unit has its own unique filtration system, a combination of membrane filtration with UVlight sterilization, based on Norit X-Flow technology. The Perfector-E is completed with a power generator to produce the required electricity and a pump with a floating hose to feed the unit with polluted water. The seven Perfector-E units to be utilized in Haiti will produce a total of 336,000 liters of reliable drinking water per day.

Six PWN engineers, who were extensively trained by Norit, are accompanying the units to assure that they will run properly and assist with the dispensing of water to the Haiti victims.