Hydro-Brake Technology

‘Supersized' Engineering Solution which Uses the Proven Principles of Vortex Flow Control Technology to Deliver Carefully-engineered Flood Protection

Thousands of homes and properties in the UK could be protected from river flooding by a ‘supersized' engineering solution which uses the proven principles of vortex flow control technology to deliver carefully-engineered flood protection, while creating biodiverse landscaping and wetlands.

Holding back excess flood water with Hydro-Brake®Flood Alleviation vortex flow controls technology is an innovative and sustainable solution to protecting vulnerable areas, using a passive system that requires no power and minimum maintenance.

The Hydro-Brake®vortex flow control was invented and developed by Hydro International more than 30 years ago and has become an industry-standard method of flow attenuation. Increasingly it is being used as a lower-impact technology for upstream attenuation flood defences, with the largest schemes controlling flows in excess of 33 m3/s and holding back millions of cubic metres of water.

Alex Stephenson, chair of the British Water Sustainable Water Management (SuWM) Focus Group and Group Market Development Director for Hydro International said:

"Hydro-Brake®vortex flow control technology is used extensively to prevent surface water and watercourse flooding. It is well proven and completely scalable from small schemes protecting a few properties to giant fluvial dams that protect major urban conurbations.

"In the midst of media hype and misunderstandings of what it means to design a sustainable flood defence, the engineering community must provide judgement, professionalism and long-term vision. We should also be prepared to shout passionately about the best technologies that science and engineering can offer, many of them ‘home-grown' and proven.

"Tackling flooding requires a range of measures on an integrated catchment level, from holding back fluvial flooding in upland catchments to a range of at-source SuDS and surface water control for highways and in our towns and cities.Many of Hydro International's technologies are quietlynotmaking the news today because they are just doing their job protecting many thousands of homes and properties."

The opportunities offered by upstream temporary flood storage have attracted attention as a viable, lower-impact solution to flood risk management of river catchments. The Hydro-Brake®Flood Alleviation flow control holds back water without the need for power or mechanical intervention. The geometry of every Hydro-Brake®can be optimised and upstream storage areas fine-tuned ensuring vulnerable properties are protected.

The Hydro-Brake®Flow Control's internal geometry allows water to flow through it unhindered for as long as possible. A self-activating vortex is created when the water upstream reaches a pre-determined height, for example in a flood situation, throttling back the water, and releasing it at a measured, controlled rate.

The self-activating hydrodynamic vortex control technology was pioneered in the UK by Hydro in the 1980s and used extensively to prevent surface water and watercourse flooding ever since. Most frequently used in much smaller dimensions as part of new and retro-fit surface water drainage designs, the technology is completely scalable from small dispersed schemes with pass forward flow rates of a few litres per second, to giant schemes that protect major urban areas. 2013 saw the rapid acceptance of its most advanced design yet, the Hydro-Brake Optimum®.

Two major benefits of the Hydro-Brake Optimum®are that the water storage requirements are up to 30% less than for a valve or penstock controlled scheme, and that the maximum inlet design flow can be varied ± 20% to allow for climate change increases.

Source: Hydro International

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