Welcome to the Terminal Pumping Station at Crankley Point!

This part of our project is getting bigger and more exciting day by day so we have decided to dedicate a whole page to update you on its progress.

End of October Update - Commissioning About to Start

It has been a while since the last update and since the last one back in early September a vast amount of work has taken place by the Civil, Electrical and Mechanical Teams down on site at Crankley Point - as a result, next week sees the start of the TPS commissioning process.

Commissioning is basically the process of testing everything that has been installed on site - from the big 4.2 tonne storm pumps within the shaft down to the small wires and relays installed within the new Control Panel on site.

One of the main challenges facing us this next couple of weeks is filling the new shaft with water to test the 10 submersible pumps that have been newly installed. We require around 3 and a half million litres (1 and half Olympic Swimming Pools) of water to fill the shaft and to do this we are going to pump from a large well that is part of the final sewage treatment process (final effluent). This well is over 300 metres away however so a fair amount of pipework is required!

The final flooring sections have now been installed and photographs of these can be seen below. There is also a photograph of the Dry Weather Flow Pipework and Valves from above...despite a few materials still on the valve slab, the photograph is still quite impressive.

7th September 2018

Mechanical Installation in Full Swing....Electricians Ready to Start

We are still seeing a broad selection of trades down at the Terminal Pumping Station but the main focus this last couple of weeks has been concrete finishing works and major steelwork installation. This week in particular saw the lifting of the main support steelwork frame for the mesh flooring above the storm pump discharge bowl.

Weighing just under 4.5 tonnes it was built up at ground level by the team of Mechanical Fitters before being lifted into place in one complete section.

With it's finish of galvanized silver, it resembled a flying saucer as it moved across site suspended from the large mobile crane.

The Mechanical Installation is now running at full speed and we have a team of 5 skilled mechanical fitters on site full time. Next week the focus will shift onto pipework completion as well as continuing the open mesh flooring works above the main pumping shaft.

Next week also sees the first full week of the main Electrical Installation where a team of 4 Electricians will begin installing and terminating cables. Although the Electricians have already spent time on site prior to their main start next week, most of this work has been preparation and planning works ready for their own big push.

Below - Centre Column Flooring -Ground level view, in flight and finally, in place.

27th July

Mechanical Installation in Full Swing....Electricians Ready to Start

We are still seeing a broad selection of trades down at the Terminal Pumping Station but the main focus this last couple of weeks has been concrete finishing works and major steelwork installation. This week in particular saw the lifting of the main support steelwork frame for the mesh flooring above the storm pump discharge bowl.

Weighing just under 4.5 tonnes it was built up at ground level by the team of Mechanical Fitters before being lifted into place in one complete section.

With it's finish of galvanized silver, it resembled a flying saucer as it moved across site suspended from the large mobile crane.

The Mechanical Installation is now running at full speed and we have a team of 5 skilled mechanical fitters on site full time. Next week the focus will shift onto pipework completion as well as continuing the open mesh flooring works above the main pumping shaft.

Next week also sees the first full week of the main Electrical Installation where a team of 4 Electricians will begin installing and terminating cables. Although the Electricians have already spent time on site prior to their main start next week, most of this work has been preparation and planning works ready for their own big push.

15th July

Concrete Finishing Works

The mechanical and electrical installations have taken a slight step back over this past 2 weeks to allow the final concrete finishing works to be completed.

The finishing works include the final detailing on the concrete benching in both the storm and dry weather sections of the shaft. This benching plays a critical role in how the sewage and storm flows approach the pumping equipment and it is imperative that this is completed accurately as per the final design as if installed wrong it may have a detrimental effect on the hydraulic performance of the Pumping Station.

The benching has to be installed with the correct angles and falls to ensure all flow coming into the station is dealt with efficiently.

2 photographs show the dry weather flow pump area with numerous sections of wooden shuttering set ready for concrete pouring.

The other picture shows one of the 2 storm sections of the shaft which has now had all of it's sloping channels cast from the centre column to the storm section floor.

6th July

15th June

The mechanical and electrical installations have taken a slight step back over this past 2 weeks to allow the final concrete finishing works to be completed.

The finishing works include the final detailing on the concrete benching in both the storm and dry weather sections of the shaft. This benching plays a critical role in how the sewage and storm flows approach the pumping equipment and it is imperative that this is completed accurately as per the final design. If installed wrong it may have a detrimental effect on the hydraulic performance of the Pumping Station.

The benching has to be installed with the correct angles and falls to ensure all flow coming into the station is dealt with efficiently.

The 2 photographs below show the dry weather flow pump area with numerous sections of wooden shuttering set ready for concrete pouring.

The other picture shows one of the 2 storm sections of the shaft which has now had all of its sloping channels cast from the centre column to the storm section floor.

25th May

New Storm Screens Fitted

It has been another big week for the project, especially down at the Terminal Pumping Station, where we have seen the delivery and successful installation of the two new Mechanical Storm Screens.

The screens have been manufactured in Germany and have been fabricated from high specification stainless steel. Each storm screen will filter debris from the pumped storm flow down to 6mm in size and pass it through a chute into a channel to the sewage treatment works. The screened water will flow down a large outfall section into the River Trent.

Both screens are driven by a large motor have the capacity to screen flow up to 3000 litres per second - they are both over 9 metres long and each weigh 1.2 tonnes.

As you will see from the photographs below, they are impressive in size and form one of the key parts of the whole scheme.

11th May

New Pumps Delivered

It had already been a momentous week for the project in general with the breakthrough of the main tunnel machine at Millgate after its long journey under Newark.

But there was also a slight cause for celebration for the workforce tucked away on Crankley Point Sewage Works as on Thursday we accepted delivery of the 10 new submersible pumps that will be put into operation later this year.

The pumps have been specially manufactured in Sweden and will form a key part of the project once the sewage flows are diverted into the tunnel which then ultimately terminates at the new Terminal Pumping Station on Crankley Point.

The 6 large storm pumps weigh a massive 4.2 tonnes each and stand over 2 metres high. They are each capable of pumping 1000 litres per second and will prevent Newark from flooding during storm conditions.

The smaller 4 'Dry Weather Flow' pumps will be operating almost constantly, delivering the day to day sewage flows up through a section of delivery pipework to the Sewage Treatment Works. Dwarfed by the storm pumps but still large in the grand scheme of things, these weigh just over half a tonne and each can pump over 120 litres per second.

Due to the treatment works being only able to handle 350 litres per second, only 3 of the 4 pumps will be able to run during elevated flows leaving 1 as a standby in case of a pump breakdown or electrical fault etc.

The pumps have now gone into safe storage until their installation in July of this year.

The photographs show 2 of the 6 big storm pumps following delivery and 2 of the 4 Dry Weather Flow Pumps which are noticeably smaller.

Bank Holiday Update

Work on the major power upgrade at Crankley Point has continued this past fortnight with great progress made with the cabling works and installation of the new GRP Housings for the High Voltage Switchgear.

The HV section of the works is being carried out by Western Power Distribution Ltd and following completion of the upgrade works, they will be responsible for the management and maintenance of the High Voltage supply coming into and terminating at Crankley Point.

The HV to LV Transformers and all the cabling to and from the new Control Panel will fall under the responsibility of Severn Trent Water once the upgrade becomes live.

The photographs show the new HV Housings on their pre-cast plinths and a view on the HV (Red), LV (Black) and Earth (Yellow & Green) cables that have been installed within it's own trench from one of the two new Sub-Stations.

On the mechanical installation front, the 450mm diameter stainless steel pumping main has been lifted into place with the discharge end offered up to the launder channel within the new concrete screening chamber. Although some final support brackets require fitting to complete the installation, it looks very impressive and credit must be given to the fabrication and installation teams for creating a piece of quality work to very tight tolerances.

20th April

The Terminal Pumping Station is really starting to take shape now and this past week we have seen the stainless steel pipework on the 'valve slab' installed as well as the High Voltage Switchgear and associated High Voltage (HV) to Low Voltage (LV) Transformers.

The valve slab pipework has been manufactured up the road in Sheffield from high specification Stainless Steel that is amongst other things highly wear and corrosion resistant. The valve slab area is ultimately part of the Dry Weather Flow section of the Pumping Station which will manage the 'day to day' waste water flows from the town. Sewage will be pumped by up to 3 submersible pumps (with one permanently on standby) delivering up to a maximum of 350 litres a second to the Sewage Treatment Works.

The purpose of the valve slab is an arrangement of non-return and isolation valves with a flow monitor device between them that feeds back to Severn Trent the exact flow that is being pumped down that leg of pipework.

The Switchgear and Transformers have been installed this past week onto their pre-constructed bases and are part of the major power upgrade that is required at the Pumping Station to keep it operational. The supply directly into site will be be from the High Voltage (HV) Network but will need to be stepped down to Low Voltage via the substations to power our pumping and screening equipment on site. The power upgrade is still in its infancy so there is still plenty of work to be done, over the next couple of weeks the transformers will be filled with oil and safety fencing will be erected around both transformers to prevent any unauthorised access.

5th April

It has been a couple of weeks since the last update and this write up covers the 2 short working weeks we have had that spanned the Easter Bank Holidays. Although progress continues to be good, we have had once again to battle the elements to keep on top of things and credit again goes to the team on site for carrying out their tasks in whatever seems to be thrown at them.

This long, cold and wet winter has created another cause for concern this week with the River Trent finally buckling under the strain and bursting its banks close to our work area. We are now having to undertake twice daily inspections of the river to monitor it's level in relation to our site and have had to also upgrade our emergency flood plan. I was able to tag along to one of the river inspections earlier this week and a couple of photographs can be found below showing the river in flood.

The final control and power area has continued to take shape over the last fortnight with the concrete works being completed on the Electricity Sub-Station Pens and High Voltage Switch gear Plinths.

Above: Transformer pens Above: High Voltage Switch gear plinths

Over the coming weeks the large electrical equipment will be installed onto these foundations as part of the major upgrade works which is needed to power all of the pumps and storm screens as and when required.

In a major storm event when all the pumps and screens are running together the power being drawn from the National Grid will be the second biggest in Newark behind the British Sugar Factory (which I have been told only works for 6 months of the year).

Within the shaft itself the Mechanical Fitters have began to install some of the support beams for the 'dry weather flow' pipework. The photograph shows one of the beams successfully installed and fixed securely into the concrete lining of the shaft. There will be 4 beams in total fitted in this area which will support the pipework in general terms whilst also offering protection against the trust and stresses created when the pumps are operating.

Above: River Trent burst its banks Above: Looking towards our site, public footpath flooded

23rd March

It has been another successful week at the Terminal Pumping Station where the fine weather has enabled the works to progress at a good pace.

With regards to the number of operatives on site carrying out their various tasks, this week has been the busiest as of yet for 'boots on the ground' with up to 30 operatives being on site at any one time spanning all differing skill sets such as - joiners, steel fixers, groundworkers, crane operators, electricians and mechanical installers. With an army of staff covering all those differing tasks it is no surprise that the site changes rapidly as each day passes.

The highlight this week at Crankley Point has been the delivery and safe installation of the new Intelligent Motor Control Centre. This is a huge control panel for the new pumping station that has been housed in its own kiosk close to the new pumping station shaft.

Manufactured locally in Nottingham at a cost of a cool £150k the panel is effectively the brains of the whole scheme. Amongst other things it will monitor the water level in the entire system and call the pumps and storm screens into operation when necessary as well as provide power for the lifting equipment and site lighting.

9th March

On Friday 9^th March I had an opportunity to visit Crankley Point to learn about the major part of the project. The Terminal Pumping Station is a part of the waste and water project currently in progress. All the repair, replace and upgrade work on sewers and pipes that is being undertaken throughout Newark will all flow into this to help prevent sewer flooding in storm conditions. Being new to the project, it has been a fantastic way to understand how the systems will work and why the project is so important to the town.

In the picture below you can see where the control panel for the whole system is going to be. This panel will be full of wires, controls and sensors. It will effectively be the brain of the pumping station. The panels are being delivered later this month. Talking to the engineers onsite this will be a key point of project.

During my visit Dave Greaves, one of the project Engineers, explained how the terminal pumping station (TPS) will work in normal and flood conditions.

For normal day to day flow the sewage will run from the newly constructed tunnel running from shaft one (below). It will enter the huge concrete column and flow down the middle section on and off into the pumps.

In storm conditions it will work a little differently. The water will overflow over the concrete weirs pictured top right. It will cascade through the openings around the outside into the storm pumps.

Below left, is the same openings pictured from the outside. Left is where the new storm pumps will be attached. Each section has a pump and can handle a huge influx of rainfall very quickly.

As you will see from one of the photographs below, we have completed the successful installation of the stainless steel benching within the storm section of the shaft. This unique benching design was a product of the hydraulic modelling that was carried out in the design phase of project and as well as looking a bit futuristic, it serves a special purpose too.

Basically in each half of the outer storm section of the shaft will sit 3 massive storm pumps. In storm/ high rainfall conditions the storm water will cascade into this area and hit the stainless-steel benching - when it does all of the solids within the water will be forced up to surface level and be kept suspended before they are pumped away. It is important to keep the solids away as much as possible from the pumps when they start to avoid blockages.

As well as the benching works, the 6 big cast iron 'footstools' have all been installed in the storm section and each one has had the first section of 700mm diameter Stainless Steel Pipework fixed on top of it. Our 6 storm pumps will sit in a fashion where the outlet of each pump will line up with inlet of the footstool and when the pump operates the fluid will pass through the stool and up through the pipework. Each pump will deliver 1000 litres per second so it is important that these stools and pipes are fitted accurately and securely.

9th February

Shaft 7 (Terminal Pumping Station at Crankley Point)

David Greaves has supplied us with the latest update on the Terminal Pumping Station.

“On Monday and Tuesday of this week, a massive 350 tonne Mobile Crane was on site completing the final lifts of the concrete centre column sections, bringing it to its final finished height. It now sticks out 6 metres above ground level and is almost 24 metres long from top to bottom, the final weight is close to 400 tonnes and both the centre column and the associated screening chamber are now visible from the A46 bypass!

Although it looks slightly rough and ready at the minute, it will be finished with a thin layer of concrete at a later date to improve the final appearance.

The centre column is crucial to the design and operation of the Terminal Pumping Station in 2 different ways - firstly during storm conditions the big storm pumps will lift the storm water into the top of the column (effectively a big bowl) where then it will then flow through 2 large storm screens and then down a storm channel into the River Trent. The final height of the column has been specifically set to give the storm water the hydraulic push it needs to ensure all the storm flows successfully end up in the river rather than getting stuck in the outfall channel.

At the bottom end of the column (inside the shaft), a section of the column has been cut away to create a letterbox type arrangement which allows the 'day to day' flows from Newark approach the 4 smaller Dry Weather Flow pumps. The letterbox arrangement is complete with a curved face which when the water and sewage hits, it takes all the energy and force out of the water to allow it to approach the pumps slowly without any turbulence - which if not removed the pumps will not run efficiently.

The photograph below was taken when the TPS was physically modelled in a laboratory prior to construction commencing - it shows the inside of the centre column and the ports leading to the storm pumps - on the far left shows the letterbox arrangement where the normal flows will fall through.

The pictures above show the progress to the screening chamber, a model of the centre column (view from inside) and the centre column its self.

As mentioned briefly earlier, the screening chamber structure continues to rise from the ground and gets larger by the week, this latest photograph shows the back section of the structure with the shuttering removed along with the exposed reinforcement steelwork on its right-hand side.

Works will continue on the screening chamber for the next 3 to 4 weeks.”

2nd February

Shaft 7 (Crankley Point)

David Greaves and his colleague David Voller have provided us with an update for this week’s work at the Terminal Pumping Station (Shaft 7).

“It has been another positive week down at the Terminal Pumping Station with the relatively fine weather allowing the civil engineering and steel fixing teams to press on with the major structural works on site. Inside the shaft, work began on the 8 intricate chute walls. These chutes will carry storm water to the large storm pumps when the water level in the shaft rises. The photograph below shows completed walls, walls ready for a concrete pour and one in the early stages of construction with the reinforcement steelwork exposed.

Early next week a giant 350 tonne crane will be on site to lift further centre column sections into place which will elevate the column 6 metres above ground level.”

Away from site, BNM Alliance Electrical Engineer David Voller visited CEMA Ltd of Nottingham earlier this week to check progress on the manufacture of the new MCC (Motor Control Centre) which will be installed on site in the spring.

“The MCC or 'Control Panel' which is a term more commonly used, is 15 metres in length and is packed full of relays, switches and timers which will effectively be the brains of the pumping station once it has been installed. The MCC will switch on the new pumps and storm screens automatically as and when required and also provide power for basic items such as lifting equipment and site lighting.”

Work has also commenced on the pumping station stainless steel pipework which is being manufactured in Sheffield (by Alpha Plus Ltd). The particular piece of pipework photographed (see below)is to be installed on the 'dry weather flow' section of the pumping station and will carry pumped sewage away from the shaft towards the sewage treatment works for the treatment process.

5th May