First screw generator for water industry saves £127,000 a year22 June 2010

An unusual renewable energy system, based on an Archimedes screw an induction motor and variable speed drive, is saving Yorkshire Water more than £127,000 a year in electricity costs.

The equipment was designed by Archimedes screw manufacturer Spaans Babcock, in conjunction with civil contractor JN Bentley, and installed at Esholt treatment works near Bradford.

It harnesses two Archimedes screw turbines in series. Each turbine is connected to an ABB 110 kW ac induction motor and ABB industrial drive (widely used in the water treatment industry), applied in a generator mode.

The two generators together produce 180kW of power and operate 24 hours a day, every day, saving £350 a day in imported electricity costs.

Interestingly, this is the first installation in the UK to use untreated sewage for hydro power generation.

In fact, the hydro-turbines have been set between the inlet works' grit collectors and new primary settlement tanks, with a flow of more than 2,600 litres per second being directed through a 1.8 metre diameter pipe to the screw generators.

Mark Brown, sales director of Spaans Babcock, says: "We chose to work with ABB because of the high level of technical expertise it can offer. They have a great deal of experience in the field of power generation."

Steve Moore of ABB says that ABB is working on other similar installations with Spaans and JN Bentley, including a 200kW version for the Tees Barrage that will aid white water rafting training for the 2012 Olympics.

"This is a fantastic application that helps the water industry improve and extend its use of green energy," says Moore. .

Brian Tinham

Related Companies
ABB Ltd
Spaans Babcock Ltd

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