Largest Medium Pressure UV Disinfection System

Each of the four UV chambers disinfects up to 1,060 m3/hour (SAC value** of 6.5/metre) of ground water adjacent to the Ruhr River. Providing a log-3 microbial reduction, the Berson UV system is installed following chlorine dioxide treatment and provides an enhanced level of disinfection during flooding situations.

Mr Langenberg, Head of Procurement at Wassergewinnung Essen GmbH commented that one of the main reasons for installing UV was to provide extra disinfection capacity in the event of the Ruhr flooding over onto the drinking water catchment area. Due to the space requirements and long term operational costs, low pressure UV was ruled out. "We chose Berson's closed vessel medium pressure technology as it not only offered a technologically advanced, DVGW-approved disinfection solution with a small footprint, but will also prove to be the most economical in the long term. The very short lead-time for delivery was also a decisive factor."

The Essen-Horst water treatment plant supplies drinking water to over 475,000 people in a very large urban area including the cities of Gelsenkirchen and Herne and parts of Bochum, Hattingen, Spröckhovel and Velbert-Langenberg.

The InLine 15000 DW-DVGW chambers feature Berson's MultiWave medium pressure UV lamps, which are orientated perpendicular to the water flow to achieve optimum UV exposure. Unlike conventional UV lamps, MultiWave lamps produce a broad spectrum of wavelengths which act on the whole microorganism, rather than its DNA alone. This provides permanent deactivation by ensuring photoreactivation and dark repair of the microorganisms' DNA cannot occur.

Integral sensors monitor UV light intensity in each treatment chamber, while a custom-built control panel provides communication between the UV chambers and the control room.  Also incorporated in each UV unit is an automatic DVGW-approved wiping mechanism which cleans the quartz sleeves surrounding the lamps and keeps them free of any deposits. A major benefit of automated wiping means no chemicals are required for cleaning, especially important for drinking water.