Cement plant’s mains water use is cut by 93 per cent

Monthly consumption of mains water at Ketton cement works in Rutland has been reduced by 93 per cent following a comprehensive programme of monitoring and improvements.

In 2015 Ketton was the highest water consuming site within the Hanson portfolio, using on average just over 180 cubic metres of water every day.

A data logger was installed at the mains water meter to record hourly consumption, but it was difficult to establish exactly which areas were over consuming due to the sheer scale of the site. It was decided to split the site into sectors and monitor water consumption in each sector. Estimated consumption was calculated based on water-consuming processes and by using these figures, areas of over consumption were identified and investigated for leaks.

The leaks were repaired, but further leaks quickly appeared and it was discovered that the water pressure across the site was far too high. To resolve the problem a variable speed drive was fitted to the main water pump, which had been operating constantly at full speed. This lowered the pressure from nine bar to 2.8 bar.

Once the pressure had been reduced, all the leaks were repaired with new pipework fitted where it was more cost effective and obsolete pipework isolated. In addition, flow reduction devices were installed in toilets. The upshot was to reduce average daily consumption to 12 cubic metres, giving an annual cost saving of £96,000 including energy savings from the reduced speed of the water pump.