Improvement of Water Treatment Plant

Refurbishment Provides Clean Water and Hydroelectric power

Hydro Governor
Hydraulic power unit after being finished in the paint booth.

Since 1926, hydroelectricity provided some of the energy required to power Simms Water Treatment Plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. In recent years, the hydro generation equipment experienced various maintenance issues and fell out of service. The plant owners made a commitment to reactivate energy recovery through refurbishment and upgrading of the facility. In 2010, the plant broke ground on a $30 million improvement project. As part of that plan, Sorensen Systems provided the systems of the project associated with the treatment systems and energy recovery.

The improvement project for the plant ensures the sufficient long-term water supply. As you can probably guess, ample water is essential to supporting quality of life and the local economy in Spartanburg. It serves 200,000 people as the principal and wholesale water supplier for Spartanburg and surrounding counties.

Hydroelectric Power Generation for Water Treatment Plant

Spartanburg county utilized its own the water treatment infrastructure for power generation. The Simms Water Treatment plant operates two 500kW turbine generators that provide water treatment and hydroelectric power. As a result, the plant is able to provide safe drinking water and environmentally sound wastewater treatment while offsetting costs.

Electrical Control Panels
The refurbishment included unit control systems, one per generator, which were programmed and tested at the Sorensen Systems fabrication facility.

Unit Control System
Sorensen Systems engineered and supplied the complete Unit Control Systems (UCS) in support of a major hydroelectric overhaul. This is important to reduce plant downtime and optimize filtration. Sorensen Systems fabrication facility programmed and tested the systems. The scope of supply included:

  • hydraulic power units
  • hydraulic cylinder actuators for turbine wicket gate control
  • Basler digital excitation and rectifying system
  • turbine control panels
  • balance of plant control panel
  • system programming with field start-up services