Irrigation
2019
Mexico
Mining / Industrial
Managing Pressure in Monterrey
Monterrey, the capital city of Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, is one of the largest cities in Mexico, and its rapid economic, and its ever-growing population has continuously stressed the water distribution networks. With the goal of becoming Monterrey’s top water provider in six years, the water utility, Servicios de Agua y Drenaje de Monterrey(SADM), turned to BERMAD Mexico to help improve its ability to maintain the minimum water pressure while reducing leakages and pipe bursts.
Pressure management is about dealing with pressure during low demand hours. Without adequate pressure management, pressure at the critical point.
Conserving Water Under Stress
Monterrey has faced mounting water management challenges as rapid growth pushes its supply system to the limit. Once reliant on local wells, the city of nearly five million now depends on surface water for 60% of its supply. With one of the poorest watersheds in the world, conserving every drop is critical. Despite progress through over 3,300 District Metering Areas, leakages and frequent pipe bursts remain a costly problem, largely due to inadequate pressure regulation. During low demand hours, excess pressure builds in the network, increasing leakage and failures. Monterrey needed a cost-effective pressure management solution to safeguard its system.
7PM Flow Compensated PRV Installation
Our solution to the Monterrey’s problems was to install pressure reduction valves (PRVs) at strategic points in the system to manage the pressure so that during low-demand periods, the minimum critical pressure dropped at low-demand times, such as the afternoon or at night. The utility conducted an hydraulic analysis and reviewed the sectorization of the entire system to determine where the new valves would have the greatest impact. Then, in addition to providing the necessary valves, BERMAD provided the training to utility staff to help them bring the valves online and teach them how to properly calibrate and operate them.
BERMAD offers wide range of Dynamic PRVs with fully hydraulic control systems or electrical control systems that can be connected to all types of pressure management controllers. For Monterrey, we recommended the 7PM Flow Compensated Pressure Reducing Valve – a hydraulically operated, diaphragm actuated water pressure regulating valve that automatically optimizes downstream pressure according to the water demand.
Some of the advantages of this model are:
Operational cost savings – The 7PM does not rely on electrical power, which saves on operational costs and ensures reliability in the event of a power outage
Easy to install and maintain – The 7PM requires no additional pipeline accessories and is in-line serviceable.
Greater protection – Its double-chambered design allows for moderated valve reaction, which provides better protection for the valve diaphragm and system piping
In addition to these benefits, the 7PM also features a V-Port Throttling Plug to provides a more accurate, stable and smoother response during pressure and flow regulation – particularly at low flow – while reducing noise and vibration and increasing valve travel to optimize performance.
The Results
For this project, SADM installed a total of 16 of BERMAD’s 7PM water pressure management valves over a period of about six months. Now, during non-peak hours, the valve automatically triggers a lower pressure regime to help avoid leakage and burst frequency.
Before the installation, the pressure was about 7-8bar , with a consumption rate of 27 lps.
After the installation, the average pressures fell to within 1.7-2.9 bar. The minimum flow range was also reduced by 50 percent while the maximum flow was reduced by 15 percent. And, with a better-regulated system, SADM has experienced fewer pipe bursts resulting in reduced repair costs.
The entire project only took about six months to complete, and in the areas where the 7PM valves were installed, SADM was not only able to reduce leakage by 50-60 percent – it also recovered its entire investment in less than one year.
With these dramatic improvements, SADM is now planning to install several more valves in more in eight additional areas of network sectorization.
The Monterrey project offers an excellent example of how a well-planned pressure management program can significantly reduce not only the volume of loss due to leakage, but also the costs associated with repairing pipes. The long term impact is expected to result in even greater savings by reducing the occurrence of bursts and thereby extending the life of the system.
For SADM and Monterrey, the benefits of installing BERMAD’s 7PM Pressure Management Valves pay for themselves again and again, long into the future as this city – and its thirst for affordable, high quality water supplies – continues to grow.
BERMAD offers a wide range of pressure reducing valves, providing cost-effective solutions for any pressure management issue. Contact BERMAD today to learn how to better manage the pressure in your system to reduce water loss and reduce burst frequency.
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Accurate volume tracking -
High-pressure tolerance
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Low-flow detection
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Maintenance-free design
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Remote data logging
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Long-term reliability
BERMAD Mexico
BERMAD Mexico is a wholly owned subsidiary of BERMAD, responsible for the marketing and distribution of BERMAD’s products to Central America. Located in Lerma, BERMAD Mexico’s 1600m2 office and logistics center is stocked with a wide range of products to enable fast supply to customers. In addition, the production hall is fully equipped to enable the assembly of valves according to customer specifications. Every valve undergoes advanced hydraulic laboratory for testing and quality assurance before it’s delivered to the customer.
The professional sales staff includes Application Engineers and Sales Engineers who support the customer from initial enquiry through to sales and service. BERMAD’s team advises customers on suitable options, tailors the optimal solution to meet their specific requirements, and implements the solution onsite. The goal is to ensure complete satisfaction at the completion of every project. BERMAD is committed to providing ongoing service and support for years to come.
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