Hydro-Demolition Timescales Slashed With Launch of Unique HD Unit

Siltbuster Limited (UK) has developed a new, transportable hydro-demolition unit which radically reduces the time and cost of treating high pH, sediment-laden water from hydro-demolition projects. The unique Siltbuster HD integrated unit was developed in response to requests from hydro-demolition contractors, including Sabre Jetting, the UK’s longest established hydro-demolition specialist.

Dan Pampols, Operations Manager at Sabre Jetting, explains what the company was looking for: “We regularly hire Siltbuster’s larger units, and really rate them. However a lot of hydro-demolition work is on roads and bridges, where we’re removing concrete for repair. We told Siltbuster that in an ideal world we’d have a smaller and nimbler unit for these projects - a system we could easily move.”

Siltbuster’s technical team got to work and the result is the Siltbuster HD. The compact, lightweight, low maintenance and easily transportable unit is ideal for use on road works, or for hydro-demolition projects in areas with limited access, such as multi-storey car parks. The Siltbuster HD can work at ground level or can be operated direct from a road-going trailer or works van. This means it can be easily moved around once on site and can be removed at the completion of each working shift. The HD unit can continuously operate at flow rates of up to 5m3/hr. It can either be powered from an external 110 V power source, or more commonly, its own internal battery, making the unit ideal for use in remote locations and short jobs without the need for an additional generator.

Impressed by these benefits, Sabre Jetting has bought two of the new Siltbuster HD units. It is already using one on a project to remove concrete as part of bridge repair works on the A47/A15 Paston interchange near Peterborough.

With the work on the bridge resulting in lane closures and a 50mph speed restriction on the A15 which runs underneath the bridge, such a time saving has huge implications. Dan Pampols: “On a job like this, where every delay imposes a huge inconvenience on the motoring public, contractors and subcontractors are under tremendous pressure to get the job done quickly. So, a hydro-demolition unit that cuts potentially 10 days off a 35 day job, but still treats the excess blast water to the highest of standards, is a very big deal.”

The mobility of the HD brings other benefits. It means the Sabre Jetting team can take the unit off site each night, a key issue on road works jobs where there is little room for storage. This mobility also eliminates both the cost of storing the treatment unit, and the cost of hiring a crane which would be required to move a bigger treatment system into and out of position. It also means that Sabre Jetting can have two teams, with two men in each, working at once where required – again accelerating the time it takes to get a job done.

Jonathan Goldsmith, Principal Environmental Scientist at Siltbuster Ltd says: “It has only just been launched yet we’re already getting tremendous feedback for the HD. All the signs are it’s is a great addition to our blast water treatment range and could transform the way hydro-demolition companies work in more challenging locations.”

Although the Siltbuster HD is compact and easy to operate, it is still sophisticated in terms of its technology. The unit contains a reusable geotextile bag which captures larger solids in the excess blast water. Using carbon dioxide contained in onboard cylinders, the unit then safely adjusts the pH, with a control panel which automatically regulates this accurately. An integrated Siltbuster lamella clarifier settles the fine blast water particulates. The unit even has its very own compact flocculant dosing system to enhance the settlement of microfine particles and precipitates, if required. The treated, pH neutral, solids-free water is then automatically discharged from the unit via an outlet weir.