Paris wastewater plant to see upgrade

A new contract has been awarded that will see a global water company supply new technology to Europe's largest wastewater treatment plant. Xylem Inc has won the contract that will see it supply its Flygt brand submersible pumps to the plant near Paris France. The firm will also provide monitoring and control technology to the world's second largest wastewater treatment facility.

The upgrade is designed to modernise the Acheres Seine Aval wastewater treatment plant so the system meets with European Water Directives' regulations. The supplied pumps will work by re-circulating sludge and water through basins and will also feed the biological tanks. As well as helping the plant to meet with the directives and work at a more efficient level, the upgrade will also help to maintain the water quality of the Seine River.

For Xylem's stage of the upgrade, the company will install 64 of the Flygt Slimline propeller pumps. These smaller pumps will allow for more compact discharge column sizes to be used, helping to keep the costs of the pump station low. The company will also be providing the reinforced fibreglass column pumps with suction cones and straightening vanes. Lifting accessories and monitoring systems will also be installed by Xylem. 

Gael Biron, project director for the Veolia Water Solutions and Technology (OTV) and Degremont consortium responsible for overseeing the upgrade project, said: "We have been working with Xylem for several decades so we are well aware of their water and wastewater expertise and the quality of their technology. 

"It was important for us to be able to provide for our customer energy efficient technologies and to improve the operating costs of the plant. A majority of pumps we're using incorporates Flygt's N-technology which prevents the pumps from clogging, enabling sustained high efficiency. Premium efficiency IE3 motors also help to minimise the energy consumption."

The Acheres Seine Aval plant treats around 1.5 million cubic metres of wastewater from the Paris region each day. Under the upgrade project, it will also see an expansion of the biofiltration units that are already in place. A new membrane treatment line will also be constructed in the plant. Both of these stages will be developed by Service Public de L'assainissement Francilien (SIAAP), the municipal authority that is responsible for urban wastewater treatment facilities in the Paris area.