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Oct 22, 2024

Fast-acting relief valves for UK sludge treatment facility | Envirotec

This article contains paid for content produced in collaboration with T-T Flow. Government-backed funding saw a Stockport site become the first in the UK to be retrofitted with an innovative new

This article contains paid for content produced in collaboration with T-T Flow.

Government-backed funding saw a Stockport site become the first in the UK to be retrofitted with an innovative new technology that boosts biogas production by up to 20%. Valves play a critical role in its deployment.

The Stockport Sludge Treatment Centre in Greater Manchester processes over 600 m3 of sludge from local wastewater treatment facilities every day. Anaerobic digestion (AD) transforms the sludge into biogas that is used to produce electricity to power more than 1200 homes p.a.

As part of the retrofit, T-T Flow were asked to provide a complete valve package, including knife-gate valves, swing-check valves and fast-acting relief valves.

The supplied relief valves are set to play a crucial role in on-site safety. Given the pressure produced by the system’s AD processes, the need is all the greater to lessen the likelihood of surge events like water hammer occurring. Flow inefficiencies, damage to infrastructure and explosions are all potential consequences of not effectively managing system pressure. The self-acting relief valves mitigate the risk. Calibrated to maintain the desired pressure, they operate by opening when this pressure is exceeded and discharge excess fluid to avoid an over-pressure event.

T-T Flow have specified relief valves that respond quickly and reliably to pressure fluctuations, featuring fast-acting annealed springs and a smooth, lightweight internal profile that minimises operational resistance. To guarantee long-term operational reliability within the corrosive environment of the sludge treatment facility, the chosen valves are comprised of a high-strength/low-weight ductile iron body, a precision machined stainless steel seat, and A2-70 stainless steel fasteners.

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