WRc invests in Swindon pilot plant

WRc has recently completed a major programme of investment to upgrade facilities at its water treatment pilot plant at Swindon. New equipment includes: a 30,000 litre raw water storage tank, recirculation pumps, temperature control, pilot filtration columns and chemical dosing facilities. A range of instrumentation has also been installed including: particle counters, turbidimeters and associated datalogging.

The two stream pilot plant consists of coagulant dosing and pH control followed by floc blanket clarifiers and rapid gravity filters. There is flexibility to include additional chemical dosing such as flocculant aid, ozone and chlorine. Past pilot plant studies include: evaluation of a natural product coagulant; assessment of the impact of pre-oxidation on particle removal efficiency; comparison of the efficiency of Cryptosporidium removal under optimal and non-optimal conditions of coagulation and obtaining technical data, including headloss and backwash rates for a range of sand products.

The pilot plant which is currently being used for a major collaborative project which is evaluating a range of alternatives to sand and anthracite for rapid filtration. Promising alternatives, that offer cost or performance benefits, will be tested further by water companies either at pilot or directly at full scale.