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[...]In many respects, water is an indispensable basis of life for humans and nature, because without water there is no life and no economic progress. However, increasing population density as well as developments in the industrial, commercial and agricultural sectors pose ever greater challenges for a secure water supply. Increasingly, seawater and river water are being extracted to meet the growing demand. Water extraction from surface waters: removal of pollutants by mechanical purification gaining in importance Due to the increasing extraction of water from surface waters and the simultaneously rising level of pollution of these waters, the removal of pollutants by means of mechanical cleaning with the use of screens and coarse and fine screening machines is becoming more and more important. As the first treatment stage, mechanical screening determines the efficiency of the subsequent process steps as well as the economy and safety of the overall plant during operation. HUBER has successfully completed several water intake projects HUBER has been facing this challenge for several years. Building on decades of experience in municipal and industrial solid/liquid separation in the wastewater sector, HUBER has already implemented several projects of water extraction for industrial customers. Examples include companies from the paper and chemical industries that require water for steam generation and other production processes, as well as plants for drinking water production or the provision of cooling and process water for thermal power plants. Newly created Water Intake unit: HUBER expands activities in the field of water extraction Based on these positive experiences, HUBER is expanding its activities in the field of water extraction and bundling its expertise with the newly created Water Intake unit. The focus is on the worldwide distribution of the wide range of innovative products and services for water extraction and on supporting customers in finding the right solutions for their specific requirements. To ensure optimum results and smooth plant operation in the long term, HUBER always considers both technical aspects and the optimisation of investment and operating costs as well as sustainability issues in equal measure when developing solution concepts. In addition to design, manufacture, installation and commissioning, our service portfolio also comprises the complete after-sales service, including the supply of spare parts and system maintenance. The main areas of application are new plants and the modernisation of existing plants in areas such as: Thermal power plants Hydroelectric power plants Pulp and paper industry Chemical industry Oil and gas industry Drinking water plants Irrigation canals Plants for desalination of sea water[...]

[...]New pressure doors? Hasn't HUBER successfully manufactured a large number of pressure doors for a long time already? That's right – since the early eighties about 250 to 300 a year. What new features would make them better? The pressure doors (TT7) we have produced by now are laid out for a limited static load of up to 10 m water column. The feedback we get from the market, from suggestions, predictions or even concrete inquiries, we know that this pressure resistance will not be sufficient any more for many future building projects. A pressure resistance of up to 30 m water column could be required for some projects, such as for pumping stations, pressure increasing plants in drinking water supply projects, locks or stormwater overflow tanks. Reason enough to work on a solution! The solution has the internal name "TT7-30" – a pressure door that is absolutely tight up to 30 m water column. The development phase for the new door started at the beginning of 2012 and held a lot of challenges for everyone involved in the project. The HUBER product management together with the construction department designed a new door based on the long-term experience with manufacturing pressure-tight doors. A special construction had to be developed which, due to its distinctive design and appearance (see picture), offers a substantially improved resistance to high water pressures. The construction was statically calculated and tested to meet the diverse relevant standards, regulations and guidelines. After a prototype had been manufactured and successfully tested, the first order could be realized: As part of an order placed by Gelsenwasser AG for the water works Echthausen we delivered three doors of the new, innovative type with size 800x1200 mm. The new product impresses with numerous innovative features: Absolutely tight up to 30 m water column. The central lock allows for easy and quick operation of the door. Due to its special design the door can easily and hygienically be cleaned in the course of regular elevated reservoir cleaning. Especially robust seals have been developed with regard to dead water zones. The seals of the TT7-30 doors are certified to KTW and DVGW W270 standards which are of fundamental importance in the field of drinking water supply.[...]

[...]For the protection of our most valuable resource – water Sustainability is of greatest importance in the field of water supply when investments are planned to modernise and refurbish elevated reservoirs, wells and pressure increasing plants. HUBER has convincing solutions to offer, one of them is the technically mature and high-quality safety door RC3. Many of this type of door have meanwhile been installed on a number of sites. Customers appreciate particularly its functionality and attractive appearance. In most cases, the doors can be installed without problems by the customers' qualified personnel themselves. Some plant operators have developed their own standards and design versions of HUBER RC3 doors. Leibnitzerfeld Wasserversorgung GmbH for example has equipped the exterior surfaces of all its HUBER doors with a steel sheet panel to protect them against sunlight. Where possible, a stainless steel frame is added to the RC3 safety doors to cover the wall. Also the process of project handling has been recognised as positive, including the field measures taken on site and the questionnaires for doors that have been worked out by the HUBER field service together with the responsible water masters. HUBER RC3 safety doors not only fit perfectly into the overall picture of each individual smaller or larger project, they significantly improve the protection of our most important resource, our water. Leibnitzerfeld Wasserversorgung GmbH - pumping station Kaindorf 1 Stainless steel frame as wall cover[...]

[...]Houten, Netherlands It is an ideal location for advanced wastewater treatment: HUBER, through its Dutch representative Dutch Spiral B.V., supplies proven stainless steel equipment from its Safe Access Solutions (SAS) business unit for the Netherlands' first wastewater ozonation plant. The scope of supply includes five HUBER Access Covers TT8a and three HUBER Pressure-Tight Doors TT7. Residues of chemical substances in drinking water Dutch drinking water is among the world's best due to its intensive purification. However, increasingly precise analytical methods show that residues of chemical substances such as medicines are present in the drinking water. A report published in 2021 by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment RIVM shows that substances that should not be present in drinking water in this quantity were found in more than 60% of the drinking water samples. Demographic change, use of medicines and quality assurance for drinking water The drought of the past years has led to an increased concentration of pollutants, but the demographic change in society and the accompanying increased use of medicines also play a role. The quality of drinking water in the Netherlands remains very good, but there is growing concern about future quality due to the factors mentioned above. Advanced wastewater treatment: Houten gets first wastewater ozonation plant in the Netherlands Advanced wastewater treatment is an important key to reducing pharmaceutical residues in surface waters. After a nationwide analysis, the wastewater treatment plant in Houten, a small Dutch town in the province of Utrecht with about 50,000 inhabitants, was determined to be an ideal location for the installation of the first water ozonation plant in the Netherlands. The most common techniques have shown that ozone is a suitable means of reducing the amount of pharmaceutical residues that enter surface waters via wastewater. It is planned to equip several wastewater treatment plants with this type of system in the future. Image Gallery Project Photos One of the installed stainless steel HUBER Pressure-Tight Doors TT7 Sight glass with wipers and LED lighting integrated into the pressure-tight doors - outside and inside view Round Access Covers TT8a with Screwed Joints Round Access Cover TT8a - detail view WWTP Houten receives five HUBER Access Covers TT8a and three HUBER Pressure-Tight Doors TT7 Ozone treatment in Houten takes place in a concrete ozone reactor equipped with aeration elements. These elements must be easy to inspect and easy to reach. A pressure-tight door is the best choice for safe and at the same time easy access. Thus, HUBER’s pressure-tight door type TT7 was chosen for the ozonation plant in Houten. The doors are located seven metres under water and are equipped with sight glass, wipers and LED lighting for easy observation of the effect of the ozone. It is a customised product with adaptations made to the sealing and glass type to prevent corrosion by the ozone. The HUBER Pressure-Tight Door TT7 is an all stainless steel, ready-to-install tank access door specifically designed for drinking water supply. The rectangular HUBER pressure doors are pressure-resistant up to ten metres, open to the pressure side, are ready-to-install, can be covered on both sides (wall thickness ≥ 280 mm) and are statically tested. The reactor consists of different chambers. In order to be able to carry out correct sampling from each chamber, pressure-tight HUBER Access Covers TT8a were installed on the ceiling of each chamber, which are resistant up to a gas pressure of 40 mbar. The HUBER access covers, specially developed for drinking water supply, are maintenance and inspection openings made of stainless steel, pressure-resistant up to 5 metres water column as standard. The round types are ready for installation, can be covered on both sides and include an interposed seal according to their field of application. A blind cover serves as a closure, to which two handles are attached for lifting, connected to the frame by screw connections.[...]

[...]Ruggell, Liechtenstein Due to ever increasing surface sealing high amounts of rain water occur suddenly and flow into the sewer system along with domestic wastewater. As the stormwater amounts which occur are very high therefore, the flow capacity must be regulated by means of stormwater tanks to relieve the sewer system. The municipality Ruggell therefore commissioned the engineering office Wenaweser+Partner Bauingenieure AG in Ruggell (Liechtenstein) to plan the stormwater tank "Kirche". Now as the stormwater tank has been erected the combined water (stormwater and domestic wastewater) from the sewers can be stored and passed on to the sewage treatment plant after storm events. At the tank inlet the stormwater is treated at first with HUBER HSW screens. If the stormwater tank capacity is exceeded, the water passes a second treatment stage before the overflow is discharged to the receiving water course. In this way the pollution load the receiving water course has to cope with is reduced to a great extent. Depending on their mode of operation one distinguishes between different types of stormwater tanks: tanks designed to retain the first amount of discharged stormwater and stormwater tanks with overflow for settled combined sewage and tank overflow. The combination of both types is called a compound basin. The water in the stormwater tank designed to retain the first amount of discharged stormwater is very polluted as it contains the sediments in the sewers that are washed away with the first flush. The stormwater tank with overflow for settled combined sewage and tank overflow does not only store the rain water but also retains floating material and provides for additional clarification of the stormwater overflow discharged to the receiving water course. The stormwater tank "Kirche" is such a compound basin. Several HUBER products were supplied under this joint project between Picatech Huber AG and Helmut Breschan AG: two high-performance HUBER screens, pressure doors TT7 and TT7.Z and manhole covers SD7. The TT7 pressure doors are designed to be tight up to the upper tank edge and withstand the water pressure. The doors with locking levers are easy to operate. The manhole covers which were selected are pedestrian bearing manhole covers type SD7. As a gas pressure spring is installed as standard the cover can easily be opened and closed. We wish to take this opportunity to thank the municipality Ruggell for their cooperation and confidence in our products. It has been a pleasure for us to work with them and develop this solution. Facts and figures: Length 28.4 m, maximum width 16.5 m, maximum depth 8.4 m Maximum tank volume (compound basin): 250 m³ Maximum pump sump volume (pumping station): 200 m³ Installed capacity of the surplus pumping station: approximately 1,800 l/s[...]

[...]Echthausen, Germany Wickede-Echthausen waterworks in the Ruhr Valley was built in 1942. About 35 hectares are available there for drinking water production. The waterworks belong to Wasserwerke Westfalen (WWW), a subsidiary of DEW21 and GELSENWASSER which produce drinking water for 1.5 million people with their about 138 employees. Six waterworks between Wickede and Witten treat the water of the river Ruhr and make it available as drinking water. The supply area includes parts of the southern Münsterland region, the central and eastern parts of the Ruhr Valley and the northern Sauerland area. In 2014, Wasserwerke Westfalen produced about 100 million cubic metres of drinking water. About 25 million cubic metres of it are the per year capacity of the Echthausen waterworks where an additional building (80 x 35 m) is under construction presently to complete the drinking water treatment plant and provide for additional technical water treatment steps (fig. 1). This plant consists of oxidation with ozone to break up persistent compounds, quick filtration for the removal of particles, and an activated carbon fixed-bed filtration for the removal of organics. Moreover, the existing chemical deacidification system with caustic soda is being replaced by a physical process that works without any addition of chemicals. In advance of the overall project, Wasserwerke Westfalen started already in 2010 to change the drinking water disinfection systems on their waterworks to systems that use UV light. This technology is even more efficient against potential pathogenic germs than the previously used chloroxide. HUBER is involved in the project as supplier of a TT7.30 pressure door, a new model of our common pressure doors. This new type of door extends our product range and can be used for applications with up to 30 m water columns, whereas our previously manufactured pressure doors withstand water columns of 'only' 10 metres. We supplied three of these pressure doors for this project, they were needed as inspection openings for the ozone reaction chambers. The water volumes flow through the plant with overpressure. The three pressure doors must be able to withstand that pressure. Easy access is ensured by the easy-to-operate central lock. Start-up of the water treatment plant is planned to take place at the beginning of 2016. We confidently look forward to the completion of the project and are sure our TT7.30 pressure doors will be doing their job excellently and reliably.[...]

[...]Basel, Switzerland HUBER products for one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Switzerland: Together with its Swiss partner company Helmut Breschan AG, HUBER is involved in the expansion of the Basel wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The Berching-based company is supplying over 200 SD7 manhole covers in various designs, including accessories. The expansion of the Basel municipal wastewater treatment plant is progressing: one of the largest wastewater treatment plants in Switzerland is being expanded and adapted to the provisions of the new Swiss Federal Water Protection Ordinance. The plant is to comply with the latest legal requirements and regulations and, amongst others, is to eliminate micropollutants. After the expansion of the WWTP by ProRheno AG and the participating companies, the aim is also to largely remove nitrogen and organic trace substances from the wastewater in the future. For this project in the border triangle Switzerland-Germany-France, HUBER is supplying more than 200 SD7 manhole covers in various designs , including accessories such as fall protection grates. The high-quality and very durable equipment is to ensure safe and reliable access to the manholes, which are frequently found on wastewater treatment plants. Planning since 2008: commissioning expected in 2024 In 2008, ProRheno AG had decided to upgrade the municipal wastewater treatment plant ARA Basel (270,000 connected inhabitants and 520,000 population equivalents). These plans had been driven primarily by the new Swiss Federal Water Protection Ordinance: the planners recognised that the wastewater contained more and more micropollutants because an increasing amount of substances were finding their way into the wastewater. So far, these micropollutants could not be completely eliminated in the treatment process. The total investment costs amount to more than 295 million Swiss francs. The contract value for HUBER is about 1.1 million euros.[...]

[...]Magdeburg, Germany The sewage treatment works Magdeburg/Gerwisch was officially commissioned in 1999 after a construction period of two and a half years. It is designed for 426,000 PE and operates with 90 percentage utilisation. An annual average of 17 million cubic metres of wastewater and stormwater is treated on this sewage treatment plant. All coarse waste material is retained in the three-line and two-line screening plant. When the sewage treatment works was planned 15 years ago for the installation of three fine screens, additional space was already planned for the later installation of three upstream coarse screens. In order to prevent the operating troubles which especially occurred with increased screenings volumes after storm events the plant operators Städtische Werke Magdeburg GmbH recently decided to order the three coarse screens. The order for the coarse screens was placed with HUBER and we supplied and installed three RakeMax® screens with 20 mm bar spacing each. The channel width on site is 1,800 mm, channel depth is 1,500 to 1,900 mm. The type of coarse screen we supplied has an effective screen rack width of 1552 mm and a rack height of 1,650 mm. The screen design and hydraulic layout is based on 1,040 l/s per screen. The bar rack is designed to ensure the individual screen surface segments can easily and quickly be replaced even one against the other. The design with the bar rack divided into small segments instead of individual bars increases the static stiffness of the screen rack. Stability is increased even if the screen rack is exposed to higher loads. A total of six rake bars with screw-fastened screen combs are installed on the chain system. Also the screen combs are made up of individual segments for easy and quick replacement if required. Due to the hydraulic conditions on site tear-drop shaped bars are used, which have well proven in operation already. Due to the flow-optimised design of the bars a significantly lower head loss can be achieved than with flat bars. The rake tines, extending at least 20 mm deep and far through the bars at the narrowest points of the screen rack, ensure that all screenings are taken up very reliably. The chains are driven by an electric motor. Maintenance-free ceramic bearings are used in the underwater areas. The chain side bars and bushings are made of corrosion-resistant stainless steel. The rollers are made of special plastic material due to the low frictional resistances. An electro-mechanical overload protection system (spring assembly with deflection monitoring) reliably ensures that the process is interrupted when the preset overload is reached, or in case of a blockage. A wiper pushes the removed screenings from the rake shelf by into the feed hopper of the downstream wash press. Each wash press is designed for a throughput of 3 m³ screenings per hour and achieves a DS content of at least 35%. The compacted screenings are dropped into the customer’s double-screw conveyor which transports the screenings to the disposal container. The three coarse screens and the wash presses were installed line by line as two lines always had to be available to ensure reliable wastewater treatment on site. After the successful exchange of data with the process control system and functional test of all switching and control units the respective coarse screen was put into operation for a test period of on average 5 weeks. The test operation of all three screens went off without problems. They have also operated without disturbances since their commissioning in April 2012. On this occasion we would like to thank all parties involved in the project, especially everyone at the Magdeburg/Gerwisch sewage treatment works and PWU Planungsgesellschaft Magdeburg, for the trust placed in HUBER.[...]

[...]Whether in the development of new machines, the production of a plant or in customer support by service staff: The areas of application of digital twins affect more and more areas in the company itself, but also in its environment. In general, a digital twin is understood to be the virtual representation of a physical object that reflects its properties and behaviour at all times. Even if this provides an initial indication of what a digital twin is, the lack of a uniform definition makes it difficult to imagine what a digital twin looks like, what benefits are associated with it – and why HUBER is concerned with it. Abstract representation of a digital twin To understand the abstract representation of the dimensions of a digital twin (see diagram), it is helpful to look at the path of a machine from development to operation outlined above: In each of the stages, data is created that belongs to a product and can be assigned to its digital twin. For example, during the development of a machine, 3D models, drawings, simulation data and parts lists are created first and foremost, while in the production phase the focus is on data such as NC programmes, work and time planning or the tools used. All this data is not a recent development, but has been created since the use of software programmes in the industrial environment. In addition to the data presented, which is mainly generated and used within the company itself, there is also data that is provided to the customer. This includes information about spare parts or instructions on how to operate the machine. From the time the machine is installed at the customer's site, no new data is added to the digital twin, with the exception of service reports. This is now changing due to the advancing digital transformation. With the help of IoT technology (Internet of Things), it is possible to collect and use data from the machine in real time during operation. Advantages of digital twins for the customer and why HUBER is dealing with this The collected data enables HUBER and the operator to predict in the future when the ideal time for maintenance is, in order to avoid unplanned downtimes. Furthermore, the performance of the machine can be optimised by adapting the parameters precisely to the prevailing conditions, thus supporting the operators in operating the plant efficiently. This is not only done on the basis of the implicit knowledge of the HUBER experts, but will also be calculated in the form of simulations in the future. HUBER machines tuned to the point In addition to these direct added values, customers also benefit from the efficient further development of HUBER machines, as more and more data is available for this process. By using the insights gained from analysing the data during development, HUBER machines can be precisely matched to the existing challenges already during this phase, so that the cycle of data, information and knowledge is closed. HUBER Cloud Solution HCS: maximising customer benefits from HUBER machines A digital twin has not only one dimension, but several. The example presented shows the typical case for HUBER of a machine and its digital twin, around which an ecosystem with digital services is developed. The digital twin provides the basic framework for this. The more data it contains, the more efficiently a machine can be used. And this is exactly where HUBER Cloud Solution HCS comes in: collecting and analysing data to maximise the performance of HUBER machines during the operating phase – and as a basis for their permanent further development. INFOBOX ”In general, a digital twin is understood to be the virtual representation of a physical object that reflects its properties and behaviour at all times.” (Source: Researchgate )[...]

[...]Gessen, Germany When membrane technology solutions appeared on the market for the treatment of municipal wastewater, the requirements on mechanical wastewater treatment systems changed fundamentally. Conventional screens with their bar spacings or perforations of 6 to 10 mm were no longer sufficient for the membrane bioreactors used today. The efficiency of one-dimensional screens such as wedge wire screens, especially the removal of hairs and fibres, turned out to be insufficient to guarantee the safe operation of membrane plants. It became necessary to develop a new type of two-dimensional mesh or perforated plate screen to improve the retention of fibres and hairs. As the apertures of the screen’s mesh or perforated plate are defined in two dimensions, the screen is able to ensure the maximum retention of hairs and fibres. On the basis of the worldwide known and well-proven system of HUBER ROTAMAT® fine screens with screening bars we developed the ultra-fine ROTAMAT® Perforated Plate Screen RPPS with perforated plate. This screen relies on the unique system of HUBER ROTAMAT® machines which combines screening, washing, transport, compaction and dewatering in a single unit. Screens with apertures ≤ 1.0 mm are primarily equipped with a mesh as this offers a very large free surface. Perforated plate is used for most screens with apertures ≥ 2 mm. HUBER ROTMAT® Perforated Plate Screens RPPS are equipped with perforations from 2 to 6 mm. The selection of the mesh size or perforation depends on to what extent hairs and fibres must be removed to meet the specific requirements of the type of membrane system used (whether hollow fibre modules fixed on one or both sides, or plate modules). Experience has shown that especially hollow fibre modules need a high removal of hairs and fibres to maintain reliable operation. As plate modules are less sensitive to blocking due to their plane surfaces, pre-screening with a ROTAMAT® Perforated Plate Screen RPPS with 3.0 mm perforation is sufficient in most cases. Two-dimensional mesh or perforated plate screens achieve a high removal of hairs and fibres, i.e. two to four times the amount of solids are removed than one-dimensional screens are able to separate. The significantly increased separation efficiency is accompanied by a high level of screen surface blinding and requires larger dimensioning of the fine screens compared to other commonly known screens. The channel system should be operated in a way to ensure that washing and load peaks are avoided as far as possible. The screenings separated by the fine screen can either be dewatered and discharged into a container or passed on to the sludge treatment system. As fine screenings contain much more sludge and fine particles (silt) compared to coarse screenings, fine screens must be designed to meet the increased requirements of wear resistance and screenings dewatering. If the screenings separated by fine screens are not directly dewatered but passed on to the sludge treatment system, the fine screen can be designed to provide for the possibility to pump the screenings into the sludge storage tank. Fine screenings in the sludge treatment system enhance the dewatering process due to the structural material contained within fine screenings. Improved dewatering results are achieved with even a lower specific polymer consumption compared to dewatering without fine screenings. Without any exaggeration, we can say that HUBER is a leading supplier in the field of pre-screening for membrane plants. Since 2004, we have installed more than 160 fine screens upstream of membrane plants, almost 50% of them with a screen basket diameter bigger than two metres! The extensive experience gathered from real size installations is reflected in the continuous development and optimisation of our fine screens.[...]