George Leslie was delighted to welcome students from the University of Edinburgh School of Engineering to visit our Scottish Water site at Esk Waste Water Pumping Station.
This semester, the University have sixty students all studying within their department and site visits between Education and Practice promote links to these programmes and allow students to have some exposure to the construction site experience. It also allows for a ‘behind the scenes’ look at Scottish Water and how they operate.
Our Site Agent Danny Munn along with Scottish Waters Project Manager Richard, gave the students a tour, explaining the project of conducting a full refurbishment of Esk Waste Water Pumping Station (SPS), to help reduce the risk of sewer flooding and protect the local environment.
Due to access and flow isolation issues, it has been a gradual journey to understand the root cause of the SPS failure. The storm and fill submersible pumps require significant maintenance, and we have just completed a repair to the storm discharge pipework outside the SPS which also required ground remediation to support the coffer dam.
Other works include replacement of the Programme Logic Controllers (PLC’s) as they are beyond economical repair and out of current specification. There is also an opportunity to install Variable Speed Drives (VSD’s) that would also align with Scottish Water’s Net Zero ambitions.
The internal ventilation system requires refurbishment along with imminent revision of the Explosion Proof Document (EPD) that will assist in confirming additional scope.
To allow the SPS isolation, we are shortly to begin the deep dig excavation to construct a new manhole chamber with flow control, as the existing isolation penstock is damaged and underwater, therefore considered too risky to operate. To enable the deep dig, we previously undertook a borehole investigation to understand ground conditions and allow robust temporary work design of the coffer dam.
The timing is of the visit could not be better for future Civil Engineers to see the work in action as the next 2-6 weeks would be an interesting time to visit, certainly from a civils perspective.
Site Agent Danny Munn laid out the temporary works design of the cofferdam to the students and explained the challenges we have encountered and the sequencing of the activities that will allow us to get eyes on the pipe. Along with how we will undertake the hot-tap and temporary isolations to enable us to transfer the temporary pumps to the rear of the SPS and ultimately, the isolation of the wells.
After the visit, Dr Simon Smith CEng FICE, Director of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Edinburgh said:
This afternoon was one of the most welcome we have ever been made to feel on a site visit, and I’ve arranged many in my 28 years here. Also, very interesting and relevant to the students. So – as the Construction course organiser, but also as Director of the wider Discipline of Civil & Environmental Engineering – thank you. Oh, and never before have we been offered biscuits, thanks Danny!
Alastair Graham, Scottish Water Delivery Manager also passed on his thanks
thank you to all involved for supporting the site visit by University of Edinburgh students to Esk WWPS. Special mention Danny (Site Agent, George Leslie) and Richard (Project Manager, Scottish Water), you are both star performers!
The University students are invited back next month to see the cofferdam works; Danny is already refilling the biscuit tin for their arrival.
