Suttons upgrades wash bay

TAKE A BATH

TANK CLEANING • SUTTONS IS PLANNING A MAJOR UPGRADE OF THE WASH BAY FACILITY AT ITS WIDNES DEPOT, THE RESULT OF A LENGTHY PLANNING PROCESS

ROAD TANKER AND tank container operator Suttons has announced a £0.5m investment at its Widnes depot wash bay, bringing sustainable, reliable and safety-focused improvements to its own operations and third-party business. The project, the result of more than four years of planning and identifying areas that could be improved, will deliver significant upgrades to many of the wash bay’s core systems, futureproofing it for many years to come.

The work will include the replacement of all electrical control systems and all pump sets and high-pressure pumps, alongside a new effluent plant complete with dual dissolved air flotation (DAF) units. The work will significantly reduce Suttons’ carbon footprint and water usage, and the electricity usage of the wash bay will be significantly reduced, while also becoming more reliable, and time- and cost-efficient.

The existing 48-bar pressure pump system will be replaced with a 100-bar variable system, which Suttons believes will be one of the first of its kind to be installed in a UK wash bay. This will allow it to save water and time when operating, while also providing a higher quality wash and a significant reduction in confined space entry.

The new control systems will also allow for bespoke wash cycles to be created depending on the product being washed, ensuring only the necessary amount of water and time is used to fully clean a tank.

SUSTAINABLE WATER The upgrades to the effluent plant will dramatically improve the sustainability of the wash bay. This will allow Suttons to remove more grease and oil from water than ever before, which in turn allows more water to be treated for future use and reduces the volume of waste water. The wash bay will adhere to effluent tests from United Utilities and remain ahead of the curve for environmental standards for many years, Suttons says.

These improvements to the effluent plant will allow the wash bay to tackle a wider range of products than previously possible and the improved automated effluent system will reduce the downtime and hours spent completing maintenance cycles, ultimately driving uptime and increased volume capability.

The loaded tank heat bay will also receive a much-needed upgrade. The supply steam pipework will be completely renewed, insulated and clad to minimise thermal loss. The addition of a bespoke condensate return system will provide a significant energy saving and CO² reduction, Suttons says.

The hot water heating system will be expanded to supply ten bays. Steampowered heat exchangers will be installed to deliver highly accurate hot water on demand. Each heat bay will also be installed with remote temperature monitoring. The software platform will provide customers with access to real-time telemetry data, secure cloud-based historical data and the ability to receive pre-defined alerts via email. Suttons says it is not aware of any other UK cleaning depot providing this level of insight or high-quality data.

This overall investment reflects Suttons Group’s commitment to the reliability, safety and efficiency of its operations, as well as its ever-increasing focus on reducing its carbon footprint and impact on the local and wider environment. www.suttonsgroup.com

THE SUTTONS DEPOT IN NORTH-WEST ENGLAND