Water Treatment Works

Power Control helps water treatment works clean up their critical power with a bespoke power protection installation

Located in the Severn Valley, the water treatment works purifies and treats water from the River Severn before it is stored in Chelmarsh Reservoir and supplied to Birmingham and the surrounding area.

The solution and results

In order to continuously treat and purify water, the plant relies heavily on its critical power infrastructure. Any loss of power from an agglomeration of reasons including power surges, failures, spikes, blackouts or other natural environmental factors could be disastrous and result in homes being without water.

It is therefore essential that the water works have extensive power protection systems protecting the plant from any downtime.

The project was awarded to Power Control by one of its long standing clients, Sentridge – a drives and controls company which has an impressive background of projects within the water treatment industry.

Working closely with one of its principle UPS manufacturing partners, Borri Spa, Power Control was able to supply, install and commission 18 custom built 100KW IP54 UPS units. Positioned as standalone units, the UPS systems are now providing essential emergency backup power across the entire water treatment site.

With extensive knowledge of the complex requirements demanded from the multifaceted utilities sector, Power Control was expertly placed to provide a future proof power protection strategy and essential technical guidance towards the development of the UPS systems. One of the key prerequisites was for the solution to be IP54 rated (protected from water and dust particles), with a sizeably reduced footprint.

Rather than issuing a standard IT grade UPS within an IP54 rated box, Borri was able to design and manufacture an IP54 UPS. The modified unites are 800W x 800D x 2000H and are all front access for easy access and maintenance. The air inlet and outlet fans are also on the front meaning the UPS systems can be pushed right up against a wall, which also contributes to space saving.

The battery boxes were also customised to provide IP54 with a built in DC isolator and housed in a matching 800W x 800D x 2000H front access box. In addition, the bypass switches have also been placed in IP54 enclosures.