Micronics – Flow Measurement and Analysis services help Network Rail in their Survey of Water Services at Paddington Station

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Having been established for many years and subject to considerable development activity over the years the Paddington Station water supply network is understandably vast, complex and to some degree uncharted. So the task of surveying the site to establish what's flowing where is challenging. And further complicated due to the original footprint of the station being reduced over the years, replaced by commercial office development and numerous retail outlets on site, which draw their water from the station supply. However, faced with higher than expected water bills the Paddington Building Services Team of Network rail was presented with the daunting task.

Having considered various survey options the management team opted for the Flow Measurement and Analysis services offered by Micronics utilising Micronics expertise with their Portaflo 300 – Time of Flight – portable flow and logging instruments. Portable Clamp-On Ultrasonic flow measurement has clear advantages for survey work and Micronics were selected as the supplier due to a combination of their long-term experience with non-invasive, Clamp-On technology, product performance and pre-order assistance. Six Portaflo 300 – instruments were utilised in two surveys to gather 24 hour consumption/load profiles for selected Hot and Cold water services including supplies to public conveniences.

The project is the joint responsibility of Building Supervisor – Peter Rogerson and M&E Supervisor Terry St Ledger. Terry St Ledger says the task of identifying what's flowing where in a site like Paddington is an ongoing project. The two Micronics surveys have provided useful information and an insight into what's flowing where, we've made a start but we will need to continue with further investigations over a longer term to realise the benefits.

Its early days and there has been no direct cost-benefit to Network Rail as yet. However, the project has demonstrated the benefits of Portable Clamp-On Ultrasonic flow measurement and that the option to hire or purchase a service with the necessary expertise for projects of this type is a viable alternative to product purchase.

There is potential for replication on-site, and the project is an example of how Clamp-On – Ultrasonic technology could be successfully implemented to gather information as part of an overall Water and Wastewater management process on similar sites. For further information please visit www.micronicsltd.co.uk.

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