ABB Helps Yorkshire Water Reduce Electricity Costs

A renewable energy method based on an Archimedes screw and an ABB motor and variable-speed drive is saving Yorkshire Water more than GBP127,000 a year in electricity costs. The application, designed by Archimedes screw manufacturer Spaans Babcock in conjunction with civil contractor JN Bentley and installed at Esholt treatment works near Bradford, uses two Archimedes screw turbines in series. Each turbine is connected to an ABB 110kW standard AC induction motor and an ABB industrial drive used in a generator mode.

The two generators produce a total of 180kW of power and operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The electricity generated from the hydro turbines is used to reduce the imported power demand of the treatment works, saving GBP350 a day in imported electricity costs. Set between the inlet work's grit collectors and the new primary settlement tanks, a flow of more than 2,600 litres per second is directed through a 1.8m-diameter pipe to the screw generators. The installation to use untreated sewage for hydro power generation has now been operating at the site for more than six months.

Screw generators can be used in any situation where water flows from one level to another, such as rivers, industrial effluent plants and within, or at the outlet of, water treatment plants. ABB was involved in the development of the application, helping Spaans and JN Bentley to design the electrical side of the generator. The application uses an ABB industrial drive that is widely used in the water treatment industry, making it familiar to engineers. Steve Moore of ABB said: 'This is a fantastic application that helps the water industry improve and extend its use of green energy.

'Our role was to provide a matched package of variable-speed drive and motor, guarantee the efficiency and provide the best technical advice for the application. 'We are still working on the Esholt installation, finding the best way to optimise the power output and monitoring the performance data to get the most out of the system,' he added. ABB is working on 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.

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