Guest Column | November 13, 2014

ECS Service And Repair Archimedes Screw Pumps North Of The Borders For Scottish Water

By Jamie Wesley, Commercial Manager - Water Control Division, ECS Engineering Services Ltd

With over 200 Archimedes screw pumps in operation across its sites, Scottish Water is one of the largest operators of this type of equipment in the UK. Recently, following a review of its current support network, ECS Engineering Services has been working alongside WGM Engineering in maintaining and extending the service life of these assets. With its extensive experience in Archimedes Screw Pumps and the support of its partner Landustrie, ECS is very well positioned to deliver on this agreement.

ECS has been providing extensive refurbishment works to the existing fleet to extend the service life of these traditional pumps

The Archimedes screw pump is still one of the most efficient ways of moving large volumes of untreated sewage through elevations under 6 meters in height and as such, it is used on the inlets to a large number of waste water treatment sites across the country. Its popularity is mainly due to its ability to cope with varying flows and suspended solids whilst producing a vastly extended service life compared to other typical pump types in this application.

In many cases the screw pump is expected to operate 24 hours per day, so reliability is always an essential quality; periodic maintenance, particularly of the upper and lower bearings and gearbox are required to ensure continued service. ECS has been providing extensive refurbishment works to the existing fleet including complete hand re-screeding of concrete troughs, replacing lower bearings for upgraded, fully stainless steel units and full drive train refurbishments with a view to extending the service life of these traditional pumps.

Full support services are available including electromechanical site services, contract lift crane services and retrofitting of stainless steel eco-type lower bearings which provide extended service life

ECS will be working closely with WGM Engineering, which already has a close relationship with Scottish Water and together they will deliver a proactive maintenance and upgrade programme for the screw pump assets. While preventative maintenance is always preferable, the partnership of ECS and WGM will also have the capacity to react to breakdown situations to ensure continued operation of the affected site.

ECS is able to provide UK wide turnkey engineering support for all Landustrie screw pumps and those of other manufacturers, including Jones & Attwood, which was originally manufactured by Landustrie. Full support services are available including electromechanical site services, contract lift crane services and retrofitting of stainless steel eco-type lower bearings which provide extended service life. Refurbishment of traditional lower bearings is also offered, alongside other relevant services such as screeding to address worn channels, blade refurbishment, performance upgrades and drive-train refurbishment.

About ECS Engineering Services

ECS Engineering Services has over 20 years experience in delivering high quality, reliable and cost effective engineering solutions, specialising in bespoke design and construction of water, energy and environmental processing and management projects.

In partnership with Landustrie Archimedes screw pumps and Waterfront Fluid Controls, ECS has the expertise and capacity to design and install a wide range of water control engineering projects. With in-house fabrication services, which have CE Marking approval to EXC3, well equipped and highly skilled engineers can also complete structural steelwork, bespoke fabrication work and access metalwork to the highest standard.

With a complete range of site services available, ECS offers a full turnkey project managed service for mechanical and electrical installations including managing civils contractors and supplying pipework, control and automation work to ensure that every installation is installed and commissioned to the highest standard. Existing clients include the majority of the UK Water Utility companies, Government Agencies and Internal Drainage Boards.