Transients terminate here. EDC’s M.D. Nick Brown, recently took to the stage with members of the Scottish Water Transients Team as the winners of the ‘Leading Award’ for ‘Pressure Transients’ at the Vision Awards.
EDC is Scottish Water’s Framework Supplier for Variable Speed Drives, which have been instrumental in helping to reduce leakage rates.
Committed to saving energy and cutting carbon emissions by making the most of the water produced, Scottish Water has invested in data logging, site interventions & the installation of variable speed drives. This has seen a reduction in bursts of 80% & a 35% reduction in complaints about low pressure & discolouration.
How do VSDs help? Pipe bursts have been proven to be caused by the direct-on-line (DOL) starting of pump motors. Using this method switching off a pump causes pressure spikes and shock loads as the moving water hits a dead end & surges back. Over time the stress and strain of negative & positive pressure causes pipes to crack. VSDs optimise pump pressure, keeping the flow steady and controlled, so protecting the systems from the stress of sudden start / stops. A classic example of this is Dollar pumping station, where the installation of two ABB VSDs has cut the burst rate from 9 in 2016 to zero.