DUBAI, UAE, March 5, 2008 -- West Midlands-based process engineering company Enpure Ltd has won the contract to provide sludge belt dryers and ancillary handling plant for Dubai's new large sewage treatment works at Jebel Ali worth £7m.
Dubai is one of seven Emirates that make up the UAE. The 2005 census put Dubai's population at 1.2 million of which approximately 85% are expatriates with some 100,000 from Britain. The existing sewage treatment works at Al Aweer is currently receiving flows well beyond its original design capacity of 260,000m³/d and is undergoing a series of extensions to cope with demand currently at 460,000m³/d. This includes an additional drying stream based around the Sevar technology.
A new works under construction at Jebel Ali, near the new international airport, will receive flows from the new industrial parks and developments toward the south western end of Dubai. The project will be constructed in 4 phases and will ultimately treat 1.1 million cubic meters of wastewater per day. Phase 1 is due for completion in 2009. The main contractor, Al Ahmadiah -- Aktor LLC (UAE -- Greece joint venture) fought off stiff competition and was awarded the scheme in the spring of 2007.
Dryer safety and the need for robust / reliable operation meant that the Dubai municipality in conjunction with their advisor MWH had underlined the need for a low temperature belt drying facility. The low temperature belt drying technology is being provided by Sevar Entsorgungsanlangen GmbH, Germany. Sevar have been designing low temperature belt dryers since the late 1980's and have references throughout Europe.
The technology's high level of reliability afforded by their simplicity and materials of construction (316StSt) means that most of their reference sites are still operating with their original components and require only minimal manning despite operating 24 hours per day. The gentle handling of the material and low drying temperatures implicit in this type of Belt Dryer means that the machinery is also inherently safe to operate. Unlike more complex, higher temperature systems they do not require oxygen depletion as a basis of safety and thermal incidents are a rarity. The project at Jebel Ali recognises that belt Drying, historically applied at the smaller end of the market typically upto 3.5 tph evaporative capacity has a part to play at larger works.
The final design incorporates centrifuge dewatering, cake silo storage with outloading facility to wagon, three streams of low temperature belt drying each to treat 3.5 tonnes water evaporative capacity, followed by granule transfer, storage and a 20-25kg highly automated bagging facility
Subcontracts for the Dryers and ancillary plant are currently being placed and equipment will arrive at the works in Dubai in the Autumn for installation and commissioning over the winter period for anticipated completion in spring 2008.
Enpure (formerly Purac Ltd) is a process engineering company providing design, technologies and design and build solutions in the water and waste sectors.
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