Addressing water issues through portable treatment plants
April 2016System Integration & Control Systems Design
By Strini Perumal, water and wastewater industry specialist for Festo.
South Africa’s recent drought – the worst in 23 years – has highlighted more than ever the importance of the efficiency of our water treatment plants. We are seeing increased efforts from government in this regard, however there are several challenges hampering the success of such efforts. One problem is that many rural locations are unable to support conventional fixed water plants, either due to remoteness or cost. Skid mounted plants offer a potential solution.
What is a skid mounted plant?
Skid mounted plants are also known as packaged, containerised or modular plants. These are pre-assembled, small-scale water treatment plants that can be transported to site, or assembled there, on a structure such as a container. The plants can be made up of conventional as well as advanced treatment processes.
These movable treatment plants were first conceived as a fast and cost-effective way of meeting the demand for treated water in temporary environments such as construction sites. Since then, they have become commonplace in the mining, energy, food and beverage, automotive and paper industries. We are also seeing them used more often to meet the needs of isolated communities where constructing a traditional plant is not feasible.
What are the differences between a skid mounted and a conventional plant?
Most small-scale plants consist of a series of conventional treatment processes, while some are able to offer more advanced and specialised functions such as membrane processes. Although the processes are often similar, the equipment used in skid mounted plants is of a different design to more conventional fixed plants. For example, conventional plants generally use gravity filters. Skid mounted plants by contrast use pressure sand filters. They tend to be more modular and also often come with electrical and control connections already installed.
These differences in design make it easier to erect, assemble and start up a skid mounted plant, resulting in shorter lead and assembly times and saving on time and labour costs. The ease-of-use and cost-effectiveness of skid mounted plants has led to their widespread use across sub-Saharan Africa.
Optimising skid mounted installations
Automation can make these already effective portable plants even more so by helping them save on energy and improving operational performance. This is especially important in the harsh environmental conditions in which many skid mounted plants must perform. Specialised components can provide a centralised control, which can offer protection in these conditions.
Festo worked closely with several companies across Nigeria, Angola and the DRC to provide fully-automated skid mounted plants equipped with pneumatic based filter control systems. Before we joined these projects, the existing actuator mounted solenoid valves were failing under the harsh extremes of heat and rain. Attending to these repairs was a costly exercise.
Through smart automation, we were able to develop a practical solution. Easy-to-retrofit MPA valve terminals were brought in to offer greater protection of the solenoid valves. Since their installation in 2008, no faults have been reported in these units.
The potential of portability
Water is poised to become an increasingly scarce resource in South Africa. We should see an increase in skid plant solutions as a means of conserving water, especially as these can easily be scaled up. To take advantage of the benefits of these portable plants, we advise plant owners to invest in the automation of these systems.
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