Heathrow's Most Intelligent Pilot - The Wastewater Pumping System

And it’s one which, until a pilot installation, was bringing operations down-to-earth with a bump on a far too frequent basis.

Next to Heathrow’s Terminal 1 stands the central Area Sanitisation Unit – a receiving station for waste pumped from aircraft toilets. This is no ordinary sewage waste, but waste containing a high level of non-biological solids such as plastics, wipes, nappies and even clothing.

This material is often difficult to pump as it catches easily on the impeller, which can lead to partial or complete pump blockages.

Experience plus intelligence

Heathrow has been using Xylem equipment for 25 years, so naturally turned to their trusted partner to help them find a solution to the clogging problem.

The Flygt Concertor is the world’s first wastewater pumping system to combine built-in sump and pipe cleaning functionalities in a single integrated solution. It not only handles sump floating debris but also pipe sedimentation. In addition, the pump cleaning function together with Adaptive N-hydraulics effectively detects and solves clogging by large debris.

No fat, and leaner bills

The Xylem Flygt Concertor system was installed in November 2015, and since then, it has gone from two to three clogging incidents each quarter to zero. Not only that, but the wet well environment has also markedly improved.

The Flygt Concertor has an Energy Minimiser function, which works in association with the patented Adaptive N-hydraulics and the IE4-efficiency motor. These three features together ensure the pump always runs at its most efficient duty point. The pump also operates without the need for ventilation, cooling or heating of the cabinet, which is another energy saving measure.

The result in the Heathrow Central Area Sanitation Unit was a staggering 53% saving.