BERMAD Waterworks

Located in the city of Hadera, one of Israel's largest and advanced desalination plants plays a key role in transforming seawater into fresh, drinkable water. From here, the desalinated water is lifted to an operative reservoir at Mekorot's Hadera Pumping Station, then pumped into the "Israel's National Carrier" pipeline, which runs from the north to the south of the country, providing millions of residents with an essential drinking water supply.

Located in the heart of Israel, Jerusalem is a capital city with a rich history, culture, and profound spiritual significance. The Holy City is considered a sacred site by three major world religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This unique blend of religious heritage and historical depth draws visitors from across the globe each year, excited to explore the city's iconic landmarks. Beyond its role as a global pilgrimage destination, Jerusalem is also a thriving city, home to over a million residents.

Large-diameter control valves are essential components in municipal water systems and key water supply infrastructure, such as dams, reservoirs, and large-scale irrigation networks. These control valves are designed with specific features that enable them to handle substantial water flow, making them essential for efficient water distribution and management. Their role is pivotal in maintaining reliable operations, ensuring smooth maintenance, and upholding the overall integrity of water supply systems. The use of large control valves ensures that these vital systems can handle high-volume demands and prevent disruptions in service.

A well-known fact is that in many municipal networks, water loss may reach alarming levels of 40% or higher, turning into non-revenue water, leading to a significant waste of water and financial resources.

In our recent webinar, we discussed the advanced pressure management solution that tackles this issue. We introduced our full modulation controller DELTA, and EPSILON data logger, both designed to establish a highly efficient approach. Many interesting questions were raised during the webinar, so we chose a few to answer and share.

Severn Trent Water is undertaking a comprehensive program to improve air valve performance in high grease and fat conditions across their network. This is part of a wider work program to ensure that all the Sewage Air Valves on the Severn Trent network meet a minimum and maintainable standard. This case study explores the implementation of BERMAD C50 air valves, focusing on their operational efficiency and the challenges faced during the upgrade process.

Tapping Into Efficiency: The Unseen Potential of Non-Revenue Water - In the vast and intricate world of water utilities, a significant challenge persistently affects the efficiency and sustainability of water systems worldwide. This challenge is known as non-revenue water (NRW). 

Despite the problems of corrosion, weight, and appearance, in the realm of the waterworks industry, ductile iron has long held its prominence due to its ability to withstand high nominal pressure levels and its relative reliability.

In our recent webinar “BERMAD Air Control in Sewage & Wastewater Applications”, our waterworks expert, Wes Caudle, discussed the importance of air valves in sewage & wastewater systems for efficient operation and protection from vacuum conditions and surge pressure. Our discussion covered the design, selection, and operation of air valves in sewage & wastewater systems. If you are interested in learning more, you are welcome to watch the webinar recording.

From its inception 57 years ago until today, BERMAD, a world leader in water flow management and control, continues to operate its business with a strong focus on sustainability.
The company develops and manufactures unique standout products and solutions, in terms of their quality and suitability for customers' needs, long service life and minimum cost of ownership as well as in terms of their hydraulic and energy efficiency.

In our recent webinar “BERMAD Large Hydraulic Control Valves - Specification and Selection”, our waterworks expert, Micha Baer, talked about the History and the need for Large Control Valves, discussed the Various types, Pros and Cons, Requirements and Specifications, Features and Benefits, and presented Case Studies of Large Hydraulic Control Valves Projects.

Proper valve sizing is a vital factor in water system design. Accurate sizing is critical to achieving optimal efficiency, stable operation and system/valve longevity. That said, choosing the right valves can be a complex and time-consuming task as water system designers need to take multiple factors into account. In this webinar, we learned how to use BERMAD's Sizing software.

In a recent BERMAD webinar on Smart Metering with Electromagnetic Flow Meters, Elad Orenstein, Smart Metering Product Manager talked about the benefits of using electromagnetic flow meters in collecting accurate data and making it available anywhere, anytime.

Air valves are commonly used in sewage and wastewater systems to increase the system's efficiency by evacuating large volumes of air during pipeline filling and releasing entrapped air and gas pockets during pressurized operation. Air valves provide protection from vacuum conditions by enabling large volume air intake; protecting pipelines during draining or bursts; and providing controlled air relief to reduce potential damage during water hammers or surge pressure.

Air valves in sewage & wastewater systems are important for efficient operation as well as for protection from vacuum conditions and surge pressure. 

This webinar takes a look at an advanced pressure management application, specifically, how to combine two critical points in a water distribution network with pressure management and flow profiles. 

A GUIDE FOR SYSTEM DESIGNERS

The presence of uncontrolled quantities of air in water systems can seriously affect their performance, causing inefficient filling and draining procedures and flow reduction, while increasing energy costs. It also disrupts the operation of some of
the system’s components.

BERMAD’s 1000 series represents a breakthrough in the supply of drinking water. 

The new lightweight composite PN16 (250 PSI) valve is set to eliminate corrosion and deliver years of trouble-free performance. 

Learn from our expert’s 40 years of industry experience in design processes for pressure reducing stations, examples of installations and advice on how to best avoid past mistakes.

How can water utilities save 30% of domestic water consumption and still supply water to the public at the required pressure? With the help of BERMAD’s technological water-saving solutions.

Simple, smart, and robust hydraulic solution for Yara International in Norway

To solve complex challenges, simple solutions are required. Norwegian company Yara International, an industry leader in manufacturing agricultural fertilizers, issued a tender for a water pressure control system with strict requirements. They required a simple solution for high pressure reduction with 24/7 water supply with high flow rates — with no redundancy!

BERMAD developed a fully automatic pressure reducing system to deliver water supply 24/7 with high flow rates of 300-5,000 cubic meters to a Norwegian industrial plant. BERMAD's system ensures optimal water utilization and complete protection for the costly and sensitive systems in the plant.

Large control valves are used in a number of applications, for example, in systems that transport and distribute water to and in big cities, in the transfer of water from wet regions to arid regions for drinking and irrigation purposes, in water treatment plants (sewage and desalination), and for level control in large reservoirs and dams.

In this in-depth webinar, we examine the causes of pressure surge in hydraulic systems and under which scenarios, whether it’s possible to prevent surge from happening, and most important, review available surge solutions in the market. We also take a look at surge analysis procedures and show modelling of a large-scale system for a major Ethiopian project.

In recent years, rising awareness about energy savings and environmental protection has led to the design of more efficient systems that operate at minimum pressures, as well as the implementation of products from composite (polymeric) materials adjusted to reduced pressure rating system designs.

In a recent BERMAD webinar, “Managing Water Security Events with Emergency Control Valves,” Micha Baer, our Waterworks Application Engineer, talked about the types and causes of water security events, the measures that need to be taken to minimize the risks, and how emergency control valves can be used to manage such events.

Designing a turnkey water supply solution on for Mekorot, Israel's national water company proved to be a major engineering challenge for BERMAD. The Tzafit project involved connecting the Dead Sea to the national desalination system through a 46 km pipeline, beginning at Tzafit pools (450 meters above sea level) and descending to the Dead Sea (380 meters below sea level). This creates extremely high pressure of 83 bar, which needs to be reduced to 5 bar, the standard pressure for domestic use.

In a recent BERMAD webinar, “Air Valves Sizing and Positioning using BERMAD Air Software,” Tal Levi, our Waterworks Application Engineer, talked about the challenges of proper air control in water system design.

In a recent BERMAD webinar, “Air Control in Sewage & Wastewater Applications,” Eyal Geller, our Air Valves Product Manager, shared some insights regarding the use of air valves in sewage and wastewater applications.

In a recent BERMAD webinar, “How to Design & Implement a Pressure Reducing Station for Extreme Pressure Difference,” Micha Baer, our Waterworks Application Engineer, talked about the challenges in dealing with extreme high pressure in a water supply pipeline.

In a recent BERMAD webinar, “Smart Metering with Electromagnetic Flow Meters,” our Smart Metering Product Manager Elad Orenstein talked about the benefits of using electromagnetic flow meters to collect accurate data and make it available anywhere, at any time.

In a recent BERMAD webinar, “Optimal Air Valve Selection for Water Systems,” our application engineer Tal Levi presented tools to optimize the selection of air valves, parameters affecting performance, and premature kinetic closure. 

Function of a Pressure Reducing Valve

Designed to withstand even the toughest environments, the pressure reducing valve (or PRV) is a hydraulically operated, diaphragm actuated control valve that reduces higher upstream pressure to lower constant downstream pressure—regardless of the fluctuating demand or the varying upstream force. Essentially, the valve maintains a steady state of pressure downstream, heedless of flow.

In a previous blog post, we described how as a result of rising awareness about energy savings and environment protection, water supply and distribution systems need to be more efficient and be able to operate optimally at minimum pressures. While single-chamber control valves were traditionally used in these systems due to their cost-efficiency, their functionality is limited in such low pressure conditions.

Since the turn of the last century, hydraulic flow control valves that utilize line pressure as the energy source for their operation have been used in water supply systems. These valves are used for specific control functions that include pressure and flow control, water level control in tanks and reservoirs, remote open and close, and more.

Twenty-four/seven access to drinking water is something that most of us take for granted. However, this is not the case in many countries around the world. In India for example, factors such as rapid development, a growing population, and uneven resource distribution have made it challenging to implement a reliable and sufficient drinking water infrastructure for the large population.

Sewage (wastewater) is produced wherever people live and work and comes from residential, institutional, and commercial sources. Wastewater that comes from industrial processes such as the production or manufacture of goods is classed as industrial wastewater (not as sewage), but may also get sent to sewage systems. All categories of sewage usually carry pathogenic organisms, which can transmit disease to humans and animals and cause damage to the environment. For this reason, in most countries, sewage collection and treatment is subject to strict regulations and standards.

The Challenge

Jerusalem is the capital city of Israel, and it is located in the middle of the country. In addition to the large number of tourists visiting this historical city annually, Jerusalem also has a population of more than 900,000 people, and in 1994, the yearly drinking water consumption was approximately 60M cubic meters; 2,120 cubic feet. In order to meet the future demand of a rapidly growing population, as well as overcome the challenges posed by an ageing infrastructure, Mekorot (the Israeli national water company) decided to implement a new pipeline system. The objective was to deliver water from the national aqueduct and deep wells near the coastline to Jerusalem.

The Challenge

Faced with erratic pressure control and inaccurate leaching rate control, a Chilean mining company, Compañía Minera Lomas Bayas S.A., needed an effective solution. The company had been using manually-operated diaphragm valves and orifice plates to control the flow and leaching rate inside the leaching modules, which meant personnel had to be present at all times to manually open and close the diaphragm valves, which incurred high operational costs.

Cavitation, which can damage delivery networks, is a given in all water supply systems. However, it is a particular concern in Australia where water supplies are already limited. In systems with inadequate pressure controls, cavitation can lead to significant damage, including pipe bursts, and ultimately a pipe burst if pressure is not properly controlled.  

Monterrey, the capital city of Nuevo Leon state in Mexico, faces a number of challenges. With the current population of almost five million people, the city has had to develop new sources of water and now relies on surface water for about 60 percent of its water supply. Given its vulnerability to water shortages in the face of continued growth, the city continues to look for ways to mitigate water loss within its distribution system. Leakages, and frequent bursts in distribution lines continue to be a problem.

The Challenge

Yara International, a global company based in Norway, specializes in agricultural products and environmental protection agents. At Yara Norge AS in Glomfjord, Norway, the company needed a simple, fail-safe hydraulic solution for 24/7 water supply. With full redundancy, valves must be able to reduce pressure to required levels through two separate lines. This is true even in the case of a catastrophic failure.

How Bermad designed, developed and delivered a turnkey water supply solution for the Dead Sea region.

The Dead Sea in Israel is a natural wonder which attracts thousands of tourists every year. It’s one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world — so much so that you can float in it, but you can’t drink from it. As the quality and quantity of potable water sources in the area keeps decreasing, the demand keeps increasing —both from the burgeoning hotel industry as well as from agriculture. The Tzafit regional reservoir facility, located some 60 kilometers from the main Dead Sea resort area with the Judea desert reserve in between, was proposed as an alternative potable water source for the region.

The bi-annual Bermad conference which took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from September 3-5, brought together all Bermad’s South American distributors for three days — two days of lectures and one full day of team building. Twenty four people, including CEOs and Commercial Managers from South America and managers from Bermad gathered to report on their progress over the last two years.

The UN estimates that by 2025, two-thirds of the world will live in water-stressed conditions, with 14% of the global population struggling with absolute water scarcity. Seawater desalination may be the answer to this problem. BERMAD Europe worked together with Acuamed at the Campo de Dalías seawater reverse osmosis desalination plant in Almeria, Spain, on a project that involved using desalinated water for irrigation.

Water hammer, or hydraulic shock, is a major concern in bulk water supply systems. It is even more of an issue when dealing with high pressure systems where failure may have a catastrophic impact. It is caused when fluid moving through the system is forced to suddenly stop or change direction, creating a pressure wave that can create vibration and noise, damage pumps and other system components, and even collapse pipes.

Air valves are essential for air control in water systems. They help prevent inefficiency caused by air that is trapped during filling and pressurized operation, as well as to prevent damage in vacuum conditions and pressure surges.

However, air valves are known to leak, especially when located at low pressure points in the water system. This can cause water wastage and interrupt the smooth operation of the water system.

What’s the connection between control valves and smooth take-offs and landings at Berlin Brandenburg Airport?

The Berlin Brandenburg Airport is a 14.7 km² airport that is situated 18 km south of Berlin, Germany, and is currently under construction. The 6.8-billion-euro project began in 2006 and includes two parallel runways, a six-floor passenger terminal, a 32-meter observation tower, and a museum and gift shop. The facility is designed to handle about 65 aircrafts, with a passenger capacity of up to 27 million per year. The airport is expected to open in autumn 2020.

The city of Manila is the capital of the Philippines and has a population of approximately 20M people in the metro Manila area. Manila is located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where two huge tectonic plates meet. Earthquakes are commonplace, and over two dozen moderate to severe earthquakes with magnitudes of 5.4 to 7.8 on the Richter scale have been recorded in the city since the turn of the 20th century.

Air control is a critical factor in water systems. Every water system contains entrapped air, which may reduce flow cross-section, increase energy costs during pipeline filling and pressurized operation, cause pressure surges, interfere with metering or even stop the flow altogether. In addition, there are cases where air cannot enter the network. This can cause vacuum conditions and may lead to pipes collapsing or other mechanical damage to system components.

Proper air control is a vital factor in water system design. Appropriate sizing and placement of air valves is critical to avoid water hammer, and head loss, as well as achieving optimal efficiency and system longevity. Choosing the right valves for the job is a complex and time-consuming task that requires the designer to take a wide range of variables and into account, not the least of which includes keeping system costs within budget.

Bulgaria’s capital and largest city, Sofia, is located in the center of the Balkan Peninsula at the foot of Vitosha Mountain. Domestic water for Sofia’s 1.26 million residents is supplied by Sofiyska Voda (Sofia Water), a subsidiary of Veolia.

Whether caused by pump start-up, shut-off, valve closure or unanticipated events such as abrupt power failure which leads to pump trip, unintended pressure surges can develop and wreak havoc on a water system. BERMAD offers a package of services and products to prevent water hammer damage to pipes, valves, and any other hydraulic components in potable water, seawater, and wastewater systems.

Water is becoming an increasingly precious resource. Governments and organizations everywhere are placing increasing importance on water management, both in an effort to reduce costs and to ensure adequate supply into the future.

It’s the world’s largest water quality exhibition, and BERMAD will be there. The Water Environment Federation's Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) takes place between September 30^th - October 4th in Chicago, USA. The show will provide unparalleled access to the most cutting edge technologies in the field of water quality.

For 50 years, BERMAD has been the recognized pioneer and world-leading provider of high quality hydraulic control valves, air valves, and water meters. Today, we’re announcing our new website and blog as a way for us to serve as an educational resource for municipalities and businesses wishing to improve the operational efficiency and reliability of their water management systems.