PSC 2007, China’s No. 1 International Exhibition on Fluid, Air & Gas Handling Systems is coming once again. More than 500 exhibiting companies from over 40 countries/areas and national/ group pavilions from Finland, Germany, Korea and Singapore…..

ITT Flygt pumps are being used to keep the water supply flowing at Britain’s largest grower of root vegetables. The pump and fluid handling specialist has supplied a three-pump system at Albert Bartlett & Sons, in Cambridgeshire, who produce potatoes, carrots, parsnips and onions.

In many process plants, a shut-off valve in a safety loop is the preferred device enabling operators to shut down process lines in the event of an emergency, a function regarded as ESD (Emergency Shutdown).

Powerful, fast, economical and versatile are among the key features of the new Finish Thompson SP series magnetic drive, self-priming centrifugal pumps, now available through Michael Smith Engineers.

Two of Saudi Arabian Amiantit Company’s manufacturing facilities in the Eastern Province wound up 2006 with contract awards amounting to a total of over US$ 33 million received between them in the last quarter of the year. The total amount is made up of 26 orders for various projects across the Kingdom adding up to US$ 33 million.

Glass Reinforced Epoxy Pipes and Fittings
The majority of the orders are for GRE (Glass Reinforced Epoxy) pipes and fittings that are being produced at the Amiantit Group’s manufacturing facility Bondstrand Limited (BSL), while the remaining orders are GRP (Glass Reinforced Polyester) pipes and fittings that are being manufactured at Amiantit Fiberglass Limited (AFIL).

"These contract awards enabled Bondstrand and AFIL to start 2007 with full order books and it is gratifying to see that most of the orders come from within the Kingdom, which is and always has been our core market, " said Eng. Fareed Al-Khalawi, President & CEO of the Amiantit Group. "Furthermore, since most of these orders are for the Bondstrand plant, it totally justifies the investment that we made in researching and developing GRE pipes specifically for the gas and oil industries."

Eng. Fareed went on to say "With the Kingdom and other GCC countries enjoying a boom similar to the early 1970s, there is renewed activity in upgrading existing infrastructures and initiating new projects for the oil and gas industries and municipal water and sewage networks. With this in mind, I am confident that this year will continue as it started and we shall see 2007 close with excellent results."

Corrosion Resistant Pipes
Amiantit GRP and GRE pipes are corrosion resistant, as well as being strong and durable, yet light in weight, easy to install and environment-friendly. The world patents for Flowtite, the technology used in the manufacture of fibreglass reinforced pipes, is exclusively owned by Amiantit.

While GRE pipes are supplied to countries with oil and gas reserves, Amiantit’s environment friendly GRP pipes are in demand worldwide for transporting potable water and in sewage systems. Because they are corrosion resistant, GRP pipes also have industrial uses including transporting highly corrosive seawater for cooling systems. To meet increasing global demand Amiantit has GRP manufacturing facilities strategically located in countries as far apart as Germany and India, and South Africa and Brazil.

The sixth edition of the Forum PCVEXPO/ Pumps. Compressors. Valves will be held on October 15 – 18, 2007 in Moscow.

Eight years after the National Water Policy was formulated, with the commissioning in April 2007 of the Gaba III treatment plant ‐ part of an ongoing improvement scheme ‐ Uganda took a major step towards its stated goal of ensuring sustainable water resources for the future. Designed to complement the two pre-existing plants at Gaba, the new facility increases the capacity by 80,000m³/day, bringing the total daily output up to 200,000m³ ‐ meeting the needs of the area up to 2015.
"Designed to complement the two pre-existing plants at Gaba, the new facility increases the capacity by 80,000m³/day."

Although the effects will be felt immediately in many areas of Greater Kampala, the next element of the programme ‐ the construction of new large diameter mains ‐ which is due to begin in June 2007 will enable the more distant parts to gain the full benefits in time.

In addition to the plant itself, the work included the construction of the necessary transmission mains, pumping stations, a sludge treatment system, buildings and site infrastructure.

At &uro;13.8m, the Gaba III plant accounted for a little over half the total project budget of around &uro;25m.

BACKGROUND

The first Gaba water treatment plant was built in 1930, Gaba II being constructed in 1992 with financial assistance from the EU, the European Commission also funding urgent repairs to the original plant ten years later.

The first phase of the Gaba I refurbishment, which was completed in 2003, resulted in bringing pump capacity back up to 74,000m³/day, with &uro;2.4m of additional financing being made available in July of the same year to reinstate the plant&squo;s full treatment
capacity.

The raw water for treatment at the Gaba site is drawn from Lake Victoria&squo;s Murchison Bay. Heavy pollution in this area has taken a significant toll on water quality ‐ a problem further exacerbated by a period of drought which has led to receding levels in the lake, leaving the intakes collecting progressively dirtier water.

With an increased customer base ‐ up by 60% in only two years ‐ parts of the Kampala Water Service Area have experienced exceptionally high demand. This has led to ongoing water shortages in many areas, including Bweyogerere, Namugongo, Mukono, Kanyanya and Mpererwe, along with parts of Kasangati and Gayaza.

In addition, since Gaba I and II have been severely overstretched by the increased demands, the water supplied has contained quantities of algae and suspended matter at times.

"Since Gaba I and II have been severely overstretched by the increased demands, the water supplied has contained quantities of algae and suspended matter at times."

In 1999, the Ugandan government formulated a National Water Policy (NWP) to bring "integrated and sustainable management, development and use of water resources in Uganda for present and future generations". Something in the region of 20% of Uganda&squo;s urban dwellers do not have access to safe water and around half a million of them live in Kampala.

With adequate, quality water recognised as an essential component of both socio-economic development and the eradication of poverty ‐ one of the President&squo;s election pledges ‐ the issue of Kampala&squo;s water supply was a matter of great priority. Gaba III and the Kampala water supply and sanitation expansion programme arose in response.

PHASE I: THE GABA PLANT

Phase I of the expansion programme has three main components ‐ the construction of the Gaba III WTP, the provision of water supply to the urban poor and the construction of the necessary transmission mains.

Treatment at the plant involves a first stage of physical separation, consisting of coagulation and flocculation chambers together with clarifiers equipped with lamella inserts. Subsequently, a rapid sand filtration stage provides a second mechanical treatment, before the water enters the chlorine contactor/storage tank.

An associated treated water pumping station supplies water to the reservoirs at Muyenga and Nakasero, and contains the filter back wash blowers and the pumps for the chlorination system.

In addition to constructing these facilities, an intake and associated low lift pump station with a capacity of 92,000m³/day were built, along with pipe work to connect them to the Gaba II raw water abstraction pipe and a further delivery pipe to the treatment plant itself.

This part of the project also called for the provision of a sludge treatment system including sludge drying beds, a filter backwash water recycling system, transformer and switch gear, surge controllers for the pumping stations, staff housing and associated plant infrastructure.

The transmission mains required pipelines to be laid from the new plant to carry 50,000m³/day the 11km to the Gunhill reservoirs and 6.5km to the Muyenga reservoirs conveying 90,000m³/day. A third line then carries a daily 29,000m³/ of water over 5km from Muyenga to the Rubaga reservoir. These pre-existing reservoirs were also rehabilitated as part of this work.

ONGOING WORK

Small diameter pipes and the lack of service reservoir tanks form the main limitations on the distribution system, particularly in getting water to the further parts of Greater Kampala.

"The issue of Kampala’s water supply was a matter of great priority. Gaba III and the Kampala water supply and sanitation expansion programme arose in response."

To address this problem, the National Water & Sewage Corporation (NWSC) intends to construct larger bore pipelines, beginning with Mukono and parts of eastern Kampala. In June 2007, work begins on two large capacity reservoirs, pumping stations and a 500mm diameter distribution main to bring water from Mutungo via Kireka, Bweyogerere and Namanve.

NWSC also plans to install an offshore pipeline at a distance of 1.5km into Lake Victoria and at a depth of 11m, to enable the treatment plants to draw quality raw water. This will help to overcome many of the ongoing problems of algae and contamination.

KEY PLAYERS

Kampala Water and the National Water and Sewage Corporation are the project sponsors, with Dywidag International as the main contractor on the Gaba III plant and GkW as design consultants, in association with Aqua.

Spencon and Sogea-Satom were responsible for elements of the plant and the construction of the transmission mains with HP Gauff as design consultants on this element of the work. Funding was provided by the German Government through the Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau and the Government of Uganda.

After decades of famine the world’s Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) system suppliers are now feasting with worldwide orders in 2006 reaching over $11 billion. The suppliers of these systems and the suppliers of components are struggling to deal with the demand. Delays of one year or more due to shortages in equipment or labor are now commonplace.

As the market leader in the low-pressure diaphragm metering pump segment, ProMinent is now strengthening its position as a supplier of process metering pumps.

Wastewater is often a difficult media to pump due to the high solid content and/or its abrasive nature. Understanding the problems in this industry Verder provides quality, robustly constructed pumps capable of carrying out this difficult application. Recent changes within the industry show that liquid chlorine is being used progressively more. For sodium hypochlorite, as well as lime dosing, pumps with accurate and repeatable dosing rates, low shear, and the ability to safely handle abrasive and corrosive media are needed. The solution provided by Verder for these specific issues is the Verderflex peristaltic hose pump.

The Verderflex peristaltic hose pump
The Verderflex peristaltic hose pump is used in the transfer of primary sludge to great effect: this application can often lead to costly downtime due to blockages and the need for repair. The Verderflex pump is ideal for pumping primary sludge because of its ability to handle liquids containing solids.

On the 3rd of May 2007, Cascal acquired 73.4% of the equity in Siza Water, a company providing water and wastewater services to approximately 50,000 people in the Dolphin Coast region of South Africa.

Siza Water commenced operations in 1999 and serves the coastal town of Ballito and its surroundings. Ballito is approximately 40km north of Durban, and is a fast-growing residential and holiday destination.

Cascal acquired the equity in Siza Water from Finagestion (part of the French Bouygues group), and three South African minority shareholders.

The acquisition of Siza Water is another milestone in Cascal’s growth strategy. Siza Water, together with Cascal’s current concession in South Africa, Silulumanzi, enhances our position as one of the major players in this market.

Call for Papers for Wallingford Software’s 8th International User Conference, 11th - 13th September 2007

The water industry’s foremost learning environment for hydraulic modeling and asset management professionals

Wallingford Software, the global leader in the development of data management and network modeling software for the water industry, has announced that its 2007 International User Conference will take place from 11th-13th September at Howbery Park, Wallingford in the UK. The annual event attracts water engineers from across the globe keen to share expertise, network and learn the very latest developments in modeling and network data management from Wallingford Software’s team of internationally renowned engineers.

Announcing an invitation to users to submit papers for the conference, Paul Banfield, Wallingford Software’s Sales and Marketing Director, emphasised the international breadth of the event:

"Each year the number of delegates from overseas and the number of countries they represent increases. This reflects our continuing growth globally both in established markets such as the United States, Asia and Australia, and in new and emerging markets such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Our International User Conference is now one of the premier events within the hydraulic modeling community and we know it is much anticipated by engineers both from the utility and consultancy sectors.

"This year the event is expected to prove particularly popular as we will have major new product launches planned for later in the year."

The packed three-day programme of user case studies and technical presentations will follow a similar structure as last year. The first and second days will be divided into three core streams covering the main water disciplines of collection systems (InfoWorks CS), water supply (InfoWorks WS), river systems and coastal engineering (InfoWorks RS) and flood management and forecasting (FloodWorks). The third day is dedicated to network data management and Wallingford Software’s InfoNet solution. Papers are expected from Europe, North and Central America, Asia and Australasia. Individuals interested in contributing a paper must submit their proposals no later than Friday 20th July.

The 8th International Conference will be held at Wallingford Software’s UK headquarters at Howbery Park in Wallingford, Oxfordshire. This prestigious site alongside the River Thames is the historic centre of hydrological research in the UK. In addition to Wallingford Software, Howbery Park is also home to HR Wallingford, the UK government’s Environment Agency and the Centre for Hydrology and Ecology.