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Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd 2012 Independent Water Industry Consulting Engineers Company Brochure Mr G E Findlay B Sc., LLB., C Eng., C Env., M I C E., M I Mech E., M C I W E M., M W I S A, Managing Director Page 2 of 26 Table of Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................... 3 Abu Dhabi - Review of the Island Drainage .......................................................................... 4 Abu Dhabi - Post Project Appraisal of Key Pumping Stations Abu Dhabi Mainland ...... 5 Ail Ain, United Arab Emirates - Review of Key Pumping Stations .................................... 6 Suweimeh WwWT, Jordan - Review of the feasibility Study and the Preparation of Transaction Documents for a BOT Scheme ......................................................................... 7 Mauritius Waste Water Management Authority - Review of St Martins Wastewater Treatment Works ...................................................................................................................... 9 Severn Trent Water International Ltd .................................................................................. 10 Severn Trent Water Ltd - Audit Experience ........................................................................ 13 Copa Ltd United Kingdom RBC Business - New RBCs ................................................... 14 Copa Ltd United Kingdom RBC Business - RBC Remediation ....................................... 15 APPENDIX A - CURRICULUM VITAE ................................................................................ 16 APPENDIX B - PRINCIPAL PAPERS ................................................................................. 20 APPENDIX C - AWARDS ...................................................................................................... 23 APPENDIX D - COMPANY PROFILE ................................................................................. 24 APPENDIX E - REFERENCES ............................................................................................ 26 Page 3 of 26 Foreword I have for many years been responsible for the design and construction of water industry schemes with both consulting engineers and United Kingdom Water Companies reaching a senior position in Severn Trent Water Ltd. I retired from Severn Trent with a wealth of experience in a variety of roles and gained valuable experience with Copa Ltd as a supplier of mechanical sewage treatment equipment. In 2006 I decided to open my own Company, Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd to provide a quality service to overseas companies as well as at home. This brochure summarises some of the recent schemes. I hope you find it interesting. Eric Findlay February 2012 Page 4 of 26 Abu Dhabi - Review of the Island Drainage Abu Dhabi Island Pumping Station Details: The Abu Dhabi Mainland is extremely flat, consequently there are over 150 sewage pumping stations delivering sewage to the main treatment works. Many of these occasionally flood to almost coping level. Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd was appointed to review the master plan for the Abu Dhabi Island sewerage system and to report on certain key pumping stations. Our report identified the key areas for improvement including a strategy to reduce the sewage flooding as quickly as possible. This entailed modifying the key pumping stations by installing additional pumps at the head of the system, duplicating part of the existing sewerage system and providing additional terminal pumping station capacity. Client: Berlinwasser Page 5 of 26 Abu Dhabi - Post Project Appraisal of Key Pumping Stations Abu Dhabi Mainland New Pumping Station Details: The Abu Dhabi Mainland is currently being developed by housing, industry and Embassy Buildings. Consequently a number of new Pumping Stations have recently been, or are in the course of being constructed. Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd was appointed to post appraise the Engineering Design and Construction and to report on improvements. Our report identified the key areas for improvement including a management system to improve the situation. Client: Berlinwasser Page 6 of 26 Ail Ain, United Arab Emirates - Review of Key Pumping Stations Typical Pumping Station Details: Ail Ain is a small Emirate in the UAE. It operated a number of sewerage pumping stations which are believed to have been installed in the 1960s. Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd was appointed to investigate their condition and to report on improvements. Our report identified a number of structural defects and highlighted the need to improve Health and Safety matters. Client: Berlinwasser Page 7 of 26 Suweimeh WwWT, Jordan - Review of the feasibility Study and the Preparation of Transaction Documents for a BOT Scheme New Hotel Construction on the Dead Sea Coast Details: Suweimeh is a small village on the N E Coast of The Dead Sea in Jordan. Twenty five large Hoteliers are developing along the coast line. New sewage treatment facilities are required to collect sewage from the hotels, treat it, and return the treated effluent, for irrigating lawns, a golf course and grassed areas. Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd was appointed to review the feasibility study and to provide Transaction documents including an Information Memorandum, Request for Proposals and a Marketing Strategy. Our report pointed out the need to provide a process which was not only environmentally friendly and cost effective but could be easily concealed. It also would eliminate the risk of typhoid from Helmand Eggs. We suggested an MBR which a Discounted Cash Flow Analysis suggested was cost effective. It could be placed in a building which would be architecturally in keeping with the five star hotels. Client: Sachsen Wasser, Leipzig Page 8 of 26 Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) - Preparation of a request for International Companies to tender for an Operation and Maintenance Contract for the Cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. Details: The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) appointed Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd to prepare an Operational and Maintenance Contract for the Cities of Tripoli and Benghazi. The document had to be completed in 4 weeks. Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd were appointed to assist them in the preparation of the document working as part of their team. We were responsible for investigating the sewerage and sewage disposal aspects. We completed our work on time. Client: Parsons Brinckerhoff Ltd, Bristol, Wiltshire, UK Map of Libya Page 9 of 26 Mauritius Waste Water Management Authority - Review of St Martins Wastewater Treatment Works St Martins WwTW Mauritius Details: Berlinwasser have secured the operational contract from The Mauritius Wastewater Management Authority to operate the sewage works at St Martins near Port Louis. Berlinwasser wanted to establish the condition of the civil, mechanical works and the process capability and to carry out a detailed inventory, Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd worked with Berlinwasser Staff compiling: - An asset management report. - A report on the condition of mechanical plant. - A report Health and Safety at Work matters. Our report identified the key areas for improvement and included an inventory of all plant. Client: Berlinwasser Page 10 of 26 Severn Trent Water International Ltd Typical RBC Site in Severn Trent Details: Severn Trent Water Ltd decided they wished to standardise on Rotating Biological Contactors and Reed Beds for all sewage works serving from 50 - 2000 people. Eric Findlay was asked to take over the additional responsibility of ensuring the success of this process. The process performance was excellent but the structural integrity left much to be desired necessitating a review of the mechanical integrity. Eric in association with a team from Cranfield University reviewed the mechanical integrity and produced a plant defect free for a minimum of 20 years, The process created a great deal of interest worldwide particularly in Spain and Portugal Client: Severn Trent Water International Ltd Page 11 of 26 Severn Trent Water Ltd, United Kingdom - Core Business Aeration Ditches Details Severn Trent Water Ltd (STWL) is a large Multi – Functional UK Water Company supplying water and treating sewage to 9 Million customers and industry in the Midlands Area of the United Kingdom. They also have interests in the USA and in other Countries. Eric was one of their Principal Engineers managing civil and mechanical engineering design teams implementing a major proportion of STWL’s Capital Works Programme totalling several hundred million pounds. This included, Aeration Plants, Percolating Filter works, Rotating Biological Contactors, Nutrient Removal Schemes, Sewerage Schemes, Water Mains, Water Treatment works, Reservoirs, Sludge Disposal and Incineration schemes. These ranged in value from approximately £100,000 to £40M. Client: Severn Trent Water Ltd Page 12 of 26 Severn Trent Water Ltd - United Kingdom - Small Works 3 New RBCs in parallel serving 750 population with reed beds Details In addition to his normal Capital Works responsibilities Eric Findlay was asked to take overall responsibility for the Company’s small works process. Severn Trent operate over 750 small sewage treatment works serving communities of 50 to 2000 population on average 600 – 700 people. Because the receiving water courses are tiny and the dilution low, Severn Trent are required to treat the sewage to a very high, nitrified, standard. A review suggested they would have to standardise on an RBC followed by a Reed Bed. STWL were aware of the hydraulic problems associated with small flows and the problems of poor mechanical integrity experienced in the USA. It was necessary to resolve these problems which was done in association with Cranfield University School of Mechanical Engineering. Client: Severn Trent Water Ltd - United Kingdom Page 13 of 26 Severn Trent Water Ltd - Audit Experience Carsington Dam Contract Consultants had been appointed many years before the formation of Severn Trent Water Ltd to provide a new impounding storage reservoir which would store water abstracted from the River Trent at periods of high water level and return it in a controlled manner, upstream of the main water treatment works Intake on the River Trent at periods of low flow. Problems were being experienced during construction and Eric was seconded to H Q audit department to investigate and report to Severn Trent Water Ltd’s Directors He rapidly, and correctly, predicted the dam would fail regrettably before corrective action could be implemented. He was then appointed to Post Appraise other schemes whilst occasionally assisting the legal department in technical aspects of the Companies litigation against the designers. Post Project Appraisal Prior to Privatisation of the Water Industry in 1989 Severn Trent Water Ltd were required to review (Post Project Appraise) a random sample of all schemes designed “in house” and by consulting Engineers with a view to establishing the quality of design and construction. The review was reported to Directors and a summary was forward to the then Department of The Environment. The purpose was to establish Severn Trent Water Ltd’s entitlement to a capital Investment grant (“The Green Dowry”) to bring sewage treatment works up to the new required legal standard and to identify improvements. Client: Severn Trent Water Ltd - United Kingdom Page 14 of 26 Copa Ltd United Kingdom RBC Business - New RBCs New Rotor leaving Factory Details Severn Trent Water Ltd’s success with RBCs generated a lot of interest and Eric Findlay was invited to Head up the RBC Division of an International supplier of sewage treatment equipment. During this time Copa Ltd sold RBCs to other Water Companies and developed the work started in Severn Trent even further. Initially Copa Ltd were able to confidently warrant plants defect free for a minimum of 20 years but work within the company resulted in plants which would last significantly longer. Consequently the problem traditionally associated with RBCs had been totally resolved. Copa Ltd reached the last four of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Mechanical Excellence Awards in 2003. They were commended for their Customer Focus Client: Copa Ltd Page 15 of 26 Copa Ltd United Kingdom RBC Business - RBC Remediation Rotors being built on site Details RBCs fail as a result of low cyclic fatigue stress. To ensure long life it is necessary to: 1. Size metal using the correct fatigue stress 2. Adopt the correct biomass thickness 3. Avoid unnecessary stress raisers 4. Adopt the correct speed of rotation 5. Do not mix metals. Understandably, this may not have been fully appreciated by all manufacturers. It is feasible and cost effective to install a new long life rotor in the existing tanks or, to build on- site where access is constrained, thereby maximising the life of the treatment process. Temporary facilities were provided by Copa Ltd to maintain compliance during installation and maturation and to reduce the overall contract period. Client: Copa Ltd Copa RotorCopa Rotor41 Page 16 of 26 APPENDIX A - CURRICULUM VITAE George Eric Findlay B Sc., LLB. C Eng., C Env., M I C E., M I Mech E., M C I W E M., M I W S A. www.rbcsewage.co.uk SUMMARY Sanitation and Water Supply Engineer- Expert on RBCs I have over 40 years experience within the Water Industry with consulting engineers and water companies and manufacturers. For 22 of those years I was employed by Severn Trent Water Ltd latterly based at Alpha House Warwick where, as a Principal Engineer, I was responsible to Directors for the implementation of a large proportion of Severn Trent’s Multi – Million Pound capital works programme. This included as acting as Engineer to the Contract on “in house” designed schemes and managing consulting engineers on civil as well as mechanical engineering schemes. I am a Chartered Engineer. In May 2000 I was appointed a Visiting Professor assigned to Cranfield University School of Engineering and sit on their Industrial Advisory Committee .I am the author of several papers on Engineering topics mainly Rotating Biological Contactors (RBCs). I was responsible for the development of the Severn Trent RBC and Reed Bed Process including the Cranfield Initiative to resolve defects in mechanical integrity. I have expert witness experience and was in 2003 a Member of DTI Trade Delegation to Egypt. From June 2000 to February 2007 I was a Senior Manager with an International Manufacturer of sewage treatment equipment I have had overseas experience with Severn Trent International and more recently with Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd. In February 2008 I was appointed an Engineering Reviewer for the UK Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) and in June 2008 Chairman of the Qualifications Panel. I am a member of the Environmental Assessment team for Chartered Environmentalist status for the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Page 17 of 26 EDUCATION 1959 Ardrossan Academy, Ayrshire Scotland 1959 -1962 Kettering Grammar School, Northamptonshire ATTAINMENTS Ordinary Level GCE: French, English Language, Physics, Chemistry etc Advanced Levels: Physics, Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, Pure Mathematics Scholarship Level Pure Mathematics 1962- 1965 University of Manchester, B.Sc Second Class in Engineering 1979 -1983 Demontfort University Leicester, Law (LLB Hons) 1979 Institution of Civil Engineers Contract Law and Administration Course. May 2000 Appointed Visiting Professor, Cranfield University. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS Member Institution of Mechanical Engineers Member, Institution of Civil Engineers Member, the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management Member, Water Institute of Southern Africa EMPLOYMENT 1965-1966 Assistant Resident Engineer, Babtie Shaw and Morton, Glasgow, employed on water related schemes 1966-1970 Assistant Engineer, Ward Ashcroft and Parkman, Liverpool Responsible for designing the sewage treatment works at Rhayader in Wales 1970-1975 Section Engineer, John Taylor and Sons, Westminster I was employed as a team leader on Water supply schemes working in the Liverpool Office. I was promoted and transferred to take charge of the Plymouth office, responsible for the design and contract administration of a number of schemes in the West Country. Page 18 of 26 1975-1978 Principal Assistant Engineer, West Kent Drainage Division, Southern Water Authority - Responsible for managing two design teams employed on sewage treatment design and construction 1978 – 1984 Senior Engineer, Severn Trent Water Ltd I was responsible for the forward planning of schemes in Leicestershire and for the resolution of coal mining disputes. 1984 – 1988 Principal Auditor, Severn Trent Water Ltd I was seconded to Headquarters to initially undertake a technical and contract audit of Carsington Dam contract and from 1985 to post appraise the design and contract audit other schemes undertaken by Severn Trent Engineering and their consultants. These reports were forwarded directly to the Directors of Severn Trent Water Ltd and a summary sent to the then Department of the Environment. This was fundamental to the funding of new work in Severn Trent immediately after Privatisation of the Water Industry. 1988 – 1990 Principal Engineer, Severn Trent water Ltd Initially based at Headquarters I was responsible for upgrading a number of sewage treatment works through consulting Engineers to a very tight programme dictated by legal requirements associated with Privatisation of The UK Water Industry 1990 – 2000 Principal Engineer, Severn Trent Water Ltd I was transferred to Alpha House Warwick where I managed a number of design teams (both civil and mechanical) implementing a large proportion of the Company’s capital works programme. This included acting as Engineer to the Contract on schemes designed “in house” and representing the Employer on consultant-designed schemes. Although responsible for a large proportion of the Companies Capital Works Programme I was, in addition, responsible for developing the Company’s Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) and Reed Bed Process and for resolving the problems traditionally associated with defective RBCs including litigation against errant suppliers. This process was a new flow sheet for the Water Industry and proved to be highly innovative. It resulted in new techniques and design principles for which Severn Trent Water Ltd received a number of major Awards. It also attracted a great deal of International interest resulting in short term lecturing commissions at Oversees Universities and investigations / proposals I was from time to time employed assisting Severn Trent International on selected overseas schemes. Page 19 of 26 2000 – February 2007 RBC Manager Copa Ltd, I was responsible for all aspects of the Company’s RBC business both at home and abroad. This includes design, manufacture and all other aspects relating to the “Copa RBC”. During this time I was a member of DTI Trade Delegation to Egypt February 2007 – Present Self Employed Independent Consulting Engineer (Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd www.rbcsewage.co.uk) Projects include: 1. Acting as a Sewage Expert in the Review of the Master Plan for Abu Dhabi Island Drainage for Berlinwasser. 2. Post Appraising and reporting on new works on Abu Dhabi Mainland for Berlinwasser. 3. Reporting on the condition of pumping stations in Al Ain for Berlinwasser. 4. Preparation of a Feasibility Study and Transition Documents for the Dead Sea Waste Water Treatment works for an effluent re-use scheme for Sachsen Wasser. 5. RBC training for EIMCO Water Technologies Group UK sales staff. 6. Assisting in the Preparation of an RfP for Major Water Distribution and Wastewater Treatment and associated works in Libya. 7. Investigating the mechanical and civil engineering integrity, and preparing an inventory of a major Wastewater Treatment works in Mauritius 8. RBC training for EIMCO Water Technologies Group UK technical staff 9. Advising Adroit Group Plc on the Yorkshire Water Services Framework. PUBLICATIONS I am the author of several papers presented at International and Domestic conferences and to professional institutions on various engineering matters. Some can be downloaded from www.rbcsewage.co.uk .Details are included in Appendix B AWARDS Severn Trent Water Ltd and Copa Ltd received awards for their work on RBCs .Details are included in Appendix C Page 20 of 26 APPENDIX B - PRINCIPAL PAPERS The following papers were delivered at Major Conferences. The list is not exclusive and anyone wishing copies on RBCs should contact the Author. Papers can be downloaded from www.rbcsewage.co.uk/downloads Title Publishing Body / Event Summerton J D and Findlay G E (1972) “The design of a Trunk Main with particular reference to the long term effects of ground settlement” J Inst Wat E Vol 26, issue 7 Oct 1972 pp 359 - 367 Institution Of Water Engineers- Liverpool UK Black D W and Findlay G E “Coping with COPA 11: Actions to Improve Effluent Quality.” Water and Environment Journal Vol 5 Issue 4 August 1991 pp 425 - 438 Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management -West Midlands Branch Birmingham Findlay G E (1993) “The selection and design of rotating biological contactors and reed beds for small sewage treatment plants” Proc., Instn Civ Engrs, Wat.,Marit.,& Energy 193 101 Dec 237-246 Institution of Civil Engineers – Westminster Water Board Paper No 10249 Findlay G E (1998) The Severn Trent RBC and Reed Bed Process Water Institute of Southern Africa- Biennial Conference Cape town. April 1998 Page 21 of 26 Mba D, Bannister R H and Findlay G.E (1999) “Mechanical Redesign of the Rotating Biological Contactor” Wat Res V33 No 18 pp 3679 - 3688 (1999). Water Research Journal Mba D, Bannister R H., and G E Findlay (1999) “Condition monitoring of low – speed rotating machinery using stress waves – Part 1” Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 213 Part E Intuition of Mechanical Engineers - London Mba D, Bannister R H, and G E Findlay( 1999) “Condition monitoring of low – speed rotating machinery using stress waves – Part 2” Proc Instn Mech Engrs Vol 213 Part E Intuition of Mechanical Engineers - London Findlay, G.E and Elliott, I (2002) “Design principles to achieve a robust sewage treatment process using rotating biological contactors and reed beds” Int. J. Water, Vol. 2, Nos. 2/3, The Future of the Mediterranean Rural Environment : Prospects for sustainable Land Use and Management”. 8 – 11 May 2000 Menemen, Turkey Findlay, G E (2002) “ The Production of High Quality RBCs for the UK Water Industry” Aquaenviro Waste Water Conference – Edinburgh 15 -17 April 2002 Mba D, Bannister R H and Findlay G E (2002) “Manufacturing High Quality Rotating Biological Contactor’s for the UK Water industry” Water Institute of Southern Africa- Biennial Conference Durban 19 – 23 May 2002 Mba D., Bannister R H., Findlay G E (2002) Manufacturing High Quality Rotating Biological Water Institute of Southern Africa Biennial Conference, Durban 19 – 23 May 2002 Page 22 of 26 Contactor’s for the UK Water industry Findlay G E and Scale D J (2003) Framework Contracts: One supplier’s view. Institution of Civil Engineers Risk and Reward Conference –London November 2003 Findlay G E (2003) RBCs: A cost effective solution for small communities Water and Wastewater Europe- Nice, France 4-6 March 2003 Findlay G E, Willis A (2003) Resolving the reliability issues of Rotating Biological Contractors WEFTEC Conference Los Angeles USA 2003 Findlay G E (2004) Technical and Financial benefits of Refurbishing RBCs Water and Wastewater Europe Conference – Barcelona Spain 25 – 27 May 2004 Findlay G E (2005) Advantages of, and improvements to, Framework Contracts for the supply of Mechanical Plant in the United Kingdom Water Industry Water and Waste Water Europe Conference – Milan, Italy FINDLAY G E (2005) The Evaluation of Mechanical Plant Tenders with Particular Reference to Rotating Biological Contactors Water and Waste Water Europe Conference - Milan, Italy Page 23 of 26 APPENDIX C - AWARDS The Severn Trent RBC and Reed Bed Process was a new flow sheet for the water industry and attracted a great deal of interest including from H R H The Princess Royal who visited the RBC at Avening in Gloucestershire in June 1993. AWARDING ORGANISATION AWARD Status YEAR Engineering Council The Environment Award for Engineers Highly Commended 1993 Royal Academy of Engineering The Hydro Award for Water Quality Improvement Highly Commended 1994 The Commerce Business Magazine Special Award for Innovation in the Environment WINNER 1995 Institution of Mechanical Engineers Mechanical Excellence Award for Customer Mx 2003 Finalist 2003 Page 24 of 26 APPENDIX D - COMPANY PROFILE Sewage & RBC Solutions Ltd www.rbcsewage.co.uk Mr G E Findlay B Sc., LL B., C Eng., C Env. M I CE. M I Mech E., M C I W E M., M I W S A Eric Findlay is a Chartered Civil and Mechanical Engineer. He has a degree in Engineering from Manchester University and a degree in Law from De Montfort University in Leicester. He is a Member of the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Engineering and the Chair of their Qualifications Committee. He is a Member of the Water Institution of South Africa and a Chartered Environmentalist. In May 2000 he was appointed a Visiting Professor at Cranfield University and sits on the Department of Engineering Industrial Advisor Committee. Eric Findlay has over 40 years experience on the design and construction of Water Supply, Sewerage and Sewage treatment schemes within the U K Water Industry and abroad with Consulting Engineers and Water Companies but primarily with Severn Trent Water Ltd (STWL) where he reached a senior position ultimately managing two civil and one mechanical engineering design teams. He was for 4 years employed in the Audit Department responsible for the Post Appraisal (Technical Audit) of “in-house” and consultant designed schemes including the Carsington Dam Contract. Part of his responsibility with STWL was to develop Severn Trent’s Rotating Biological Contractor (RBC) Reed Bed Process and was responsible for the STWL / Cranfield Initiative to produce robust defect free plants. In June 2000, he was invited to join Copa Ltd (an international mechanical supplier of sewage treatment plant) where he was responsible for all aspects of their RBC business. Page 25 of 26 During this time he improved the Cranfield design extending the life even further and regularly sold to UK Water Companies. In February 2007 he left Copa Ltd when they sold their business to EIMCO Water Technologies Ltd and set up Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd . Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd . Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd provides a short term reporting service to overseas Water Companies, Consulting Engineers and Contractors etc All technical work is undertaken by Mr G E Findlay who is the sole owner of Sewage and RBC Solutions Ltd and includes Feasibility Studies, Technical audits, Operational Contracts, Due Diligence reports etc. We can also provided expert advice on all aspects of the RBC process, including civil and mechanical audits, Remediation and onsite Training. We have worked in The United Arab Emirates, The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, The Republic of Mauritius and Spain and Portugal and on a contract in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Libya) from within the UK. G E Findlay February 2012 Page 26 of 26 APPENDIX E - REFERENCES We have no objection to potential clients seeking a reference from previous employers / clients. However, we believe it is important to be polite and courteous to everyone. Therefore we ask that we should be approached first so that we may advise our past clients that they should expect a request. G E Findlay February 2012