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Johnny McCollum – Northern Ireland

028 7954 9045      jmccollum@fpmccann.co.uk

Trevor Beddow – Great Britain

01530 240000      tbeddow@fpmccann.co.uk

Michael Hassan – Republic Of Ireland

07809 553040     mhassan@fpmccann.co.uk

Gary Donnelly – Scotland

07989 348045     gdonnelly@fpmccann.co.uk

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Vortex Flow Controls (VFCs) are commonly used in drainage schemes to regulate the stormwater runoff from urban areas.

Click here to visit our StormBrake™ Calculator.

Through the use of vortex flow technology FP McCann’s Stormbrake™ provides the solution to a variety of stormwater management problems. These include accurately controlling stormwater flow, minimising upstream storage requirements and reducing the risk of blockages compared to traditional orifice plates.

What is Vortex Flow Technology?

Vortex flow technology is based on the principle of a vortex hydrodynamics, where under sufficiently high upstream water levels a vortex is induced in the flow by the device. The vortex motion results in significant energy loss, creating a pressure drop across the device and restricting the discharge leaving the outlet. The geometric properties of the device control the amount of flow restriction and can be tailored to suit the design conditions for a specific site.

Benefits:

• Reduces the amount of upstream storage required, minimising the cost of providing attenuation facilites
• Minimal maintenance required after installation. FP McCann’s StormBrake™ is self-activating and function without any mechanical components
• Outlet clearances up to 6 times larger than an equivalent
  orifice plate, significantly reducing the risk of blockages and
  the associated maintenance costs

• Accurately designed to meet a wide range of design conditions:
  – flows up to 120l/s;
  – heads up to 3m
• Contains a bypass door which can be manually opened at ground level using a pull cable to allow easy access for inspection or blockage removal

Design

FP McCann’s StormBrake™ is manufactured using grade 304L / 316L stainless steel for increased durability, strength and resistance to corrosion and chemical damage. It consists of 3 main parts: an inlet section, a vortex chamber and an outlet. Each part can be configured to provide the most efficient solution to specific site requirements.
Each StormBrake™ is fitted with a pivoting bypass door on the front face in line with the outlet pipe. A stainless steel wire cable is attached to the bypass door and extends to the top of the manhole chamber. Upon pulling the cable the bypass door rotates and moves upwards, revealing a clear straight-through channel between the manhole and the outflow pipe. In the event of the StormBrake™ becoming blocked by debris, the bypass door allows fast discharge of water out of the chamber for maintenance.

TESTING

FP McCann’s in-house development team test the StormBrake™ using a full scale test facility. The test-rig is constructed of the same components that would be used on site, increasing the accuracy and realism of the tests. The team works closely with university researchers to apply state-of-the-art experimental methods and computational fluid dynamics to the development process. To date, over 2.5 million litres of water has been used to characterise the performance of the StormBrake™. This volume is constantly increasing, due to continual development and rigorous hydrodynamic characterisation, ensuring maximum product performance to meet the requirements of each specific site.

INSTALLATION

1. Position the StormBrake™ so that the inlet is at the bottom and the outlet surround is resting on the inside of the outlet pipe. Mark the locations of the mounting points on the chamber wall;
2. Using the marked locations, drill holes to the required diameter and depth for the supplied masonry anchors. Fix the anchors to the drilled holes.
3. Attach the StormBrake™ to the anchor points, ensuring the neoprene gasket is flush with the chamber wall, and fasten the device by tightening the bolts. This will compress the neoprene gasket to provide a watertight seal between the device and the wall.
4. Fix the stainless steel wire cable from the bypass door to the underside of the manhole cover, vertically above the device. A secondary bracket is supplied and should be fitted halfway up the chamber to guide the bypass door cable in deeper chambers.
5. Adjust the length of the bypass cable accordingly, so that it reaches ground level whilst ensuring the bypass door can open if required.