On 27th of August 2019 one of the largest failures of sewage collectors took place at Wastewater Treatment Plant Czajka in Warsaw causing sewage to spill into the Vistula River at the alarming rate of 3 to 3,5 cubic metres per second.
In response to that, an emergency meeting was held by the Polish Prime Minister. Effective tackling of the crisis and stopping the spillage in the shortest possible time quickly became the highest priority. As a result Wody Polskie (“Plish Waters” – government institution) and ETP S.A. company with co-operators were put in charge of the operation. It was decided to build a temporary floating bridge and place two DN 1000, 1km long pipes on top of it to cross the Vistula River. Klaudia sp. z o.o. was asked to provide assistance in terms of selection and delivery of pump sets including accessories. Another task was to assembly and supervise the installation.
One of the most difficult aspects of the project, was to organise and set the devices in the matter of 2 -3 days. Klaudia sp. z o.o. managed to deliver the pump sets not only by using its own fleet but also by effective cooperation with other companies such as Drial Poland and Carier Rental Systems (UTC HVAC).
Working together almost 24/7 the bypass was finally ready and operated at the required flow rate of 40%. At that time the installation contained of several centrifugal pumps with D200 to D300 connections range couple with box strainers. The biggest challenges still remaining included: a limited size of intake reservoir and the lack of space in which the pump sets could be put.
Another problem was the fact that the sewage contained a large number of solid parts including cloth and handkerchiefs. In light of that a decision to further modify and optimise the installation was made.
Therefore, in order to reach the maximum flow rate, Klaudia sp z o.o. teamed up with its European partners. Shortly after a new ultra efficient set of pumps was organised including 6 Hidrostal Superbetsy/Betsy with D300+ connections and non-clogging impellers at the heart of it. Thanks to that the box strainers were no longer needed.
In addition Wody Polskie purchased 2 highly efficient BBA Diesel Pumps (BA-400 and BA-500), and Xylem Water Solutions came up with extra efficient submersible Flygt pump.
Such complex installation was quickly able to reach its maximum flow rare of 2 – 3.5 cubic metre per second which means 11000 cubic metres per hour.
To sum up, the final installation comprised of:
Na finalny pracujący układ pompowy realizujący zadanie składają się poniższe zespoły pomp:
- The set of 6 Hidrostal Betsy 300 and Superbetsy 300 diesel pumps (supplied by Klaudia Sp. z o.o.) with non-clogging impellers, that allows the pumps to work freely without strainers. It is worth noting that the capacity of 1 cubic meter per second can be easily reached by such a set, even when hydraulic losses are taken into account. Moreover, with the exception of submersible pump the set only requires a minimum maintenance while remaining its high efficiency (in relation: power to fuel consumption). The sewage bypass in Warsaw proved just how reliable and fit for purpose the Hidrostal pumps really are,
- Two high capacity efficient BBA BA-400 and BA-500 diesel pumps purchased by Wody Polskie with the maximum flow rate of up to 1,5 cubic metre per second with losses taken into account, depending of actual situation (rpm, airlock of the pipe, clogging etc),
- One electric (generators driven) submersible 340 kW Flygt pump supplied by Xylem Water Solutions with maximum (measured) flow rate of up to 1,5 cubic metre per second.
- Six additional Pioneer Pump diesel driven pumps 300SM and 300SLC (supplied by Klaudia sp. z o.o.). The pumps were used partly as a support and partly placed aside in case of emergency..
It is worth highlighting that the management, supervision and maintenance of the pump sets is provided by Klaudia sp. z o.o. The company does so while constantly optimising and upgrading the installation when needed.
Taking into account the size and the given time, the aforementioned sewage bypass with its total flow of 11000 cubic metres per hour is described by experts as one of the most complex and difficult projects not only in Poland but also in Europe. It therefore needs to be appreciated that government institutions and private sector companies including Klaudia sp. z o.o. were able to come together and provide the solution. Klaudia sp. z o.o. would like to take this opportunity and thanks its partners for all the hard work.
According to the government the entire installation will be working for the minimum of 2 months.
