NCS Fluid Handling Systems Inc - Serving all of Canada

Iron removal, hydrocarbon removal, heavy metals removal and sediment controls.

Year-Round Dewatering and Well-pointing services provided by NCS Fluid Handling Systems Remember: Well-point Dewatering is just the process, soil stabilization is also part of the objective. While well-pointing is used to dewater during construction activities such as pipeline installation or integrity digs, an excavation also requires soil stabilization in soils with low permeability with some silts or sandy silts. Well-point dewatering also can be incorporated into applications where shoring or sheet piles are used to reduce hydraulic ground pressure. Dewatering and stabilization are achieved by using Vacuum, generated by pumps in most cases and simply put the vacuum generated increases the hydraulic gradient casing flow to the well point / header and is useful to drawdown more than 18 to 25 feet of ground water in low permeable soils. But other than having an excavation with water in it why does “NCS Fluid Handling Systems” design, engineering and technicians focus on all the ground and site-specific conditions to stabilize soil and deliver a dry excavation. NCS Fluid Systems engineers may also recommend the use of deep well submersible pumps and to understand the proper application call NCS Fluid Handling Systems Innovation and Design center in Langley BC at 778-846-4988 the call is free so why not. In general, dewatering means modification of ground water by redirecting seepages, lowering the ground water table and simply reducing the water content in foundation soil to completely dry and stabilize the soil within an excavation ensuring the successful long-term use of assets such as water, gas or oil pipelines. Any professional engineer who deals with soils should have good knowledge about the soil-water relationship. This is where “NCS Fluid Handling Systems” has gained customer trust and a solid reputation for delivering dry excavations. “NCS Fluid Handling Systems” designers consider ground water hydrology with an emphasize on water flow characteristics in respect to directions and quantity as well as sub-surface soil conditions. “NCS Fluid Handling Systems” designers and technical products representative work to ensure that our customers are aware of benefits derived from reduction of pore water pressure and respective increase in soil stability and strength. The net results are improved in slope stability and the required increase in bearing capacity which is required for the long-term utilization of such assets as water and oil pipelines. Well point dewatering is not only required for on civil engineered projects, but systems are also deployed / installed in other applications such as mining projects. The benefits of a properly designed, installed and operating dewatering system are as follows: • To reduce or prevent excavation and installation from frost heaving, this can be seasonal changes but not limited to. Heaves put additional stresses on piping installations. •To stabilize natural or constructed slopes • To reduce surface erosion • To treat granular soils by reducing their compressibility • To decrease lateral pressures on retaining walls or foundation, even when items such as sheet piles are installed reduced ground water pressure add benefits to safety and stability. • To provide increased bearing strength and capacity of compacted foundation soils • To keep working place dry like excavation for dams, building foundations and tunnels. • To prevent piping a phenomenon of migration of soil particles in groundwater • To improve the transportation characteristics and/or the workability of borrow pit materials If we focus on a couple variables, then the techniques used to dewater soil vary. NCS Fluid Handling Systems designers use different techniques for coarse-grained soils versus that for fine grained soils. It may be that Coarse grained soils can be dewatered through the simple use of gravity which allows drainage into ditches, slump and wells and then discharge of accumulated water using pumps to designated discharge location. Remember to consult with the “NCS Fluid Handling Systems” engineers if additional filtration (such as discharge rule of dissolved iron, regulated in various parts of Canada) is required, this may also include holding water for sampling. However, gravity drainage is not suitable in situations where there are fine grained soils. Drainage will be adversely affected and very is ineffective or very slow. This type of soil dewatering process requires forced consolidation and therefore the selection of the appropriate dewatering techniques for ground water control requires the expertise that NCS Fluid Handling Systems engineers have. These vary from electro- osmosis, to large casing bore holes with submersibles or well point dewatering aka sand point dewatering. In some situations, these may be used in combination or separately with good success. Along with drainage and seepage NCS Engineers additionally consider the benefits of filtration of geosynthetics in our system designs providing longer term success and cleaner water disposal. This was exampled in some recent projects that the NCS team installed and operated in Eastern Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the ground water was extremely turbid and the NCS installed system removed all solids without any additional filtration of the discharge water. To summarize the above the traditional dewatering techniques are mainly gravity flow methods using open ditches, etc., gravity flow well including bored wells and submersible pumping, well point or sand point systems and other vacuum dewatering applications. In this article we will focus on the well-pointing system technique. When using this technique, the vertical wells are spaced closely together 1 meter (3’) up to 3 meters (10’) and are single pipes attached to a common header pipe which is then attached to the vacuum pump, in many applications it is also recommended that a standby or backup vacuum pump be onsite for unforeseen or planned maintenance situations. The pipe wells may range from 35 cm (1 1/2”) to 50 cm (2”) in diameter. Well points are installed by high pressure water jetting or augured by use of the newly designed NCS Fluid Handling Systems auguring system elimination the use if high pressure pumps and on-site water storage making sites less conjected, cleaner, reducing heavy equipment support and safe, fast and easy well point installation. In either situation once, the bored wells are established to designated depth, specifically sized filler materials are installed into hole. This process may also be referred to as sanding in. To start the flow water to wells, a vacuum is created on the entire system. The vacuum is applied at filler section of wellpoint tip, which is sealed off maintaining the vacuum condition. Atmospheric pressure forces the water to flow toward well increasing seepage. This inflow water may be very low and intermittent pumping of well may be required to discharge accumulated water, this is known as tuning the points. In other situations, such as the “NCS Fluid Handling Systems” installations in the “Lower Mainland of British Columbia” the well pointing system runs non-stop continually pumping water to surface and through “NCS Fluid Handling Systems iron removal filters”. NCS engineers calculate the net vacuum used at well point by subtracting lift in riser pipe from vacuum generated in header pipe. “NCS Fluid Handling Systems skilled technicians” take extreme care to ensure all connections of the vacuum system are airtight and maintain this situation throughout the project. In some applications NCS designers will incorporate additional well sealing materials, such as bentonite at the top of the well point riser pipe, ensuring the long term required seal around is maintained.

Another Shipment of AquaFlex Enviromental Canada POM POM Snares for Early Detection of Hydrocarbons, Legionella & Other Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria to Help Preserve & Protect Human Health with our Partnership with the United Association of Plumbers, Pipefitters, Service Technicians, & Sprinkler Fitters.

NCS Fluid Handling Systems has deployed in a proactive situation the use of AquaFlex Canada boom and EelGrass on a marine side construction project in order to offer proactive spill containment and hydrocarbon recovery. No active oil spill situation is anticipated but since accidents are not planned this measure was put in place as a protective measure.

Sewer Bypass and Sound Attenuation No doubt our post on sound attenuation and Echo Barrier caused some confusion in the pumping market and sewer bypass market. To clear up this confusion the sound attenuation package we selected on that project in the lower mainland was the Echo Barrier product and was sourced as a result of the sound attenuated pump rented not being able to achieve the mandated decibel requirements. Echo Barrier was the best option and overachieved the requirements. However, to clear matters up this particular project was a WellPoint dewatering project in an urban setting in the lower mainland and not a sewer bypass. While the Echo Barrier product is always available to NCS and the market as an option for low sound, privacy fencing and light control NCS Fluid Handling Systems has also been very successful in urban settings achieving the mandated lower decibel requirements using Selwood super silent pumps. As on our last four projects in Vancouver, (two in) Victoria and Richmond, British Columbia NCS Fluid Handling Systems has successfully incorporated these industries specified Super Silent S150 pumps into our engineered bypass plans and operated successfully exceeding the decibel requirements and without any noise complaints. With new pumps arriving this month into the Port of Vancouver NCS has been able to advance book these new units on several upcoming projects in 2019 in British Columbia as well as new sites in south Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Manitoba and one in Fort McMurray, Alberta. With the in-house ability to professionally engineer and design sewer bypass plans NCS Fluid Handling Systems can immediately serve municipalities on planned upgrades or emergency response to existing sanitary system lines. City services must remain open and operational, so the flow can't simply be turned off. If the project is to rehabilitate an existing sewer line the flow needs to be diverted and the residents in the area need to have continued services. This means efforts also are made to minimize overall impact such as; not closing off roads, minimize disruption to nearby communities and businesses, reduce the overall sound levels and negative impact of operational equipment in these residential areas and community safety while the contractor is performing rehab or replacement work. When the decision is made to perform sewer rehabilitation, it is typically to replace aging or insufficient pipelines. The solutions require that the waste products be diverted, and a temporary system is put in place. NCS Fluid Handling Systems designers accomplish this by deploying sound attenuated pumps to temporarily bypass piping and valves upstream from the sewer pipes that will be replaced and then to re-enter the sanitation system downstream of where the work is being performed. The size of the system is calculated based on peak flow which varies depending on the number of homes and businesses along the section of a line. The amount of waste material moved can exceed thousands of liters per minute! NCS Fluid Handling Systems engineers and designers have years of systems design and experience, which is needed when properly sizing the lines and pumps. Since the amount of waste material required to be bypassed varies from time to time throughout the day, the temporary system must accommodate this changing flow. Typically, the peak is calculated using flow meters, and peak flow is usually early in the morning and again in the evening when residents return home. This design calculation of peaks is crucial to the project success. If the flow is not calculated correctly and the system is undersized, the pumps or piping may not be able to keep up and sewage spill may be the result, which leads to many problems for everyone. NCS Fluid Handling System engineers, project managers and installation crews consider project specific situations such as the residential impact, depth of the sewer system or distance of bypass, as this quite often determines the size and type of pump(s) and ancillary valves, pipe, and other equipment needed. For instance, when a sewer line is buried deeper than 7.5 metres or approximately 25 feet, the designers may select a submersible pump to handle the added head pressure. In contrast, for systems not as deep, an above-ground centrifugal pump with a suction hose lowered into the manhole may be selected. Flow calculations are only a part of the overall operational considerations that NCS Fluid Systems designers review. Other considerations include: Are there municipal noise ordinances? Road access - NCS Fluid Handling Systems offers engineered road crossing to accommodate traffic flow and 24-hour system monitoring by specially trained technicians in system setup and operation. In today's market, a sewer system upgrade project may be an open cut replacement or a trenchless lining technology rehabilitation, but the one thing that won’t change with any rehabilitation is the need for a properly designed bypass system that incorporates the proper pumps, piping, and support equipment. Learn more about how NCS Fluid Handling Systems' complete sewage bypass services and equipment can be perfectly adapted to your project or contact us for a sewer bypass service quote.

Have a Plan and understand the risks Across Canada during the spring the potential for flooding is higher in many areas. Floods develop or are caused by a variety of factors or potentially a combination of any of these, heavy rainfall, highly accelerated Springtime or unseasonal snow melting, High winds over water bodies or melting Ice, possible Breach or water release from peak capacity dams, Full retention ponds, Rivers at capacity prior to run off or structures that retains water. Flooding can be also being seasonally influenced because of previous year natural hazards such as wildfires, which reduce the supply of vegetation that can absorb rainfall. Also known low lying areas, many of which can be found in the Prairie regions of Western Canada or low-lying mountain passes where water may gather, periodic flooding may occur in area rivers, forming a surrounding region known as the flood plain. In cases of high rainy season or regular precipitation, some of the water can be captured retention ponds or captured by the soil, some water is absorbed by vegetation or simply evaporates, with the water that is not retained traveling across the land as surface runoff. Flooding is likely to occur when these above ponds, rivers, and vegetation cannot absorb all the water. This unabsorbed water can rapidly gather and run over land in quantities that exceed capacity of streams, channels or other retention areas both natural ponds, lakes, or man-made reservoirs. It is estimated that approximately 30%1 of all precipitation will become runoff of some nature, also that during times of snow melting the amount of water will increase. Since a flood typically rises rapidly and may come with little or no warning, having a plan is essential to minimize damage. Government of Canada and the various Provinces provide guides for the creation of such plans. https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/flds-wtd/index-en.aspx NCS Fluid Handling Systems and its partnered suppliers may be able to provide pro active solutions and emergency response for temporary water retention systems, skilled technicians trained in various pumping system designs and activities. Visit us at www.ncsfluidsystems.ca and request further information on how the combination of resources may be able to help in a proactive manner. 1- "Flood Control", MSN Encarta, 2008.

Water transfer systems may appear simple in nature at first glance however, the real work is in the preparation, planning and execution prior to pumping hydrotest water. Canada has some of the most stringent guidelines for pipeline construction and integrity in the world and in collaboration with owners and constructors, NCS Fluid Handling Systems plays an integral supporting role in project success. In this picture the dedicated NCS Project management and technical team have installed a water withdraw supplying clean test water to pipeline Hydrotest in Western Canada. But, long before NCS Fluid Handling Systems crews arrive the project management groups from our customers teams and the NCS Fluid Handling Systems Technical designers and Engineering coordinate key activities. Items such as: Water analysis ensuring test water suitability and establishing baseline so when test water is returned it is cleaner than the original source analysis. Temporary Diversion License (TDL) and water meters in place ensuring that the requested amount of water on the TDL is withdrawn and returned. Crossing agreements in place ensuring all stakeholders have been consulted and have granted access for temporary test water supply lines to cross land and existing utilities. Water Filtration plan and system in place in when all pipeline hydrotesting is completed ensuring test water is all returned to source cleaner than originally withdrawn. Interesting note is that if test water was heated to prevent freezing during testing the water is cooled to source water temperature as it is released, preventing temperature shock to aquatic life or plants. Fish screens on suction inlets ensuring that no aquatic life is affected. FLHA such as - Safe entry procedures are followed with life line, access boat and life jackets mandated. And much more. In Canada, pipelines are mainly constructed of steel, although plastic (HDPE) and aluminum are occasionally used in the construction of natural-gas distribution networks. Steel pipelines are formed by welding sections of pipe together. After welding steel pipe joints together, the seams are X-rayed to detect any flaws in weldment, the pipe is the coated and / or wrapped with a protective coating and / or cement and then is buried. All pipelines, regardless of type, are inspected. NCS Fluid Handling Systems supports the important Hydrostatic pressure test. Hydrostatic testing is the process where the pipeline is pressured to a test pressure greater than the operating pressure, this pressure test is mandated before any pipeline is put into service. The NCS Hydrotesting support service may include the test water transfer for the pressure test, water filtration, suction inlet fish screens or specialized industrial water heaters during cold weather testing. The Team at NCS Fluid Handling Systems is proud to be working to support the growth and expansion of the Canadian Energy Sector and Municipal infrastructure construction. But, equally as important as a Canadian owned and operated business everyone at NCS is proud to be doing it by keeping Canadians employed. This NCS Fluid Handling Systems group of dedicated project managers, technicians, designers and administrators has stayed together and grown over these past two and a half years by supporting each other as leaders, mentors and having each other’s back! Proudly they continue to grow the excellent service reputation the NCS Fluid Handling Systems name is synonymous with.

Understanding API 650 and API 653 Hydro Testing Hydro testing and API 650 A common misunderstanding in the market is the purpose of Hydro-Testing or also known as Hydrostatic testing of new built API storage tanks. Many folks are of the belief that the hydro-test on a new built API 650 tank is just a leak tight test while others believe that hydro-testing is important to do for settlement measurement. Both are partially correct, but also demonstrate the inconsistency around a full understanding of what is involved in Hydrostatic testing a new built tank. In our next article will cover off the Hydro testing requirements of existing and / or repaired under API 653 and recertification. This article will discuss how hydro testing is not just simply water transfer and when done by experienced specialists a hydrostatic test can be made to suit several types of tank(s) services, testing of components and the elements of a tank that are evaluated when hydro testing is performed completely and properly. Without getting to involved in specific risk management guidelines in specific end users’ and owners’ specifications or considering the exemptions or the waivers that are granted within the body of the API-650 Standard the following are quite simply summarized that “the main reasons for Hydro testing a new built tank are”: Confirm that the tank is leak free and tight, nozzles, manways, shell seams, attachments etc. In the event a pontoon style floating roof is installed, confirm pontoons are leak free and manway access operational. Confirm weld integrity is suitable to withstand operational conditions Allow for confirmation of uniform settlement on the tank base. Perform full functional test of all working components of the tank accessories, such as: Check rolling roof stairways for full range of operation and self leveling functional test, floating roof drain range of operation, floating roof range of operation, floating roof seal may be elected to be installed and tested for range of operation, anti rotation devices etc.… In summary, Hydro testing demonstrates a tanks fitness for service by providing an integrity test, minimizing the risk of catastrophic failure by using test conditions that replicates operational conditions using test medium (water) with a specific gravity greater than the designed for cargo. Therefore, this hydrostatic test subjects the tank to a harsher condition than the tank would see during normal operation. Additionally, other testing steps may also be added to a hydrostatic test situation for items such as, uplift test of anchor bolts and chairs as well when tanks are designed for elevated internal pressures (lower than those in a API- 620) or in situations where a tank is designed to operate in a seismic zone, tests for uplift can be confirmed. As just mentioned above, in situations where a tank may be designed to operate at a small internal pressure, which is less than 2.5 PSI (above 2.5 PSI API-620 applies) or when the internal pressure does not exceed the weight of the roof plates and additional test is performed. In this designed for situation, this type of tank must be tested with water 51 mm or 2 inches above the top angle and a vacuum box test of all roof seams / welds is performed. Caution must be used when conducting the following test condition and strict operating test procedures must be followed. The code does allow test some pneumatic test procedures where design pressure exceeds the weight of the roof plates and additional pneumatic test of 1.25 times design pressure can be added. While there are many situations that may dictate this additional testing, this procedure is typically used on tanks having anchor bolts and chairs to test uplift as well avoid deflection of tank shell to bottom over pressurization and bottom deflection. It is not recommended that the cargo be used to hold the tank done as the shell to floor weld joint is still under stress which is not the preferential joint of failure should it occur. Many tank terminal owners do take the hydro testing portion of the tank out of the contract and manage the test themselves, in some cases the testing may be left in the scope of the tank constructor, who may elect to perform the hydrostatic test portion themselves or subcontract this out to specialists such as NCS Fluid Handling Systems. These same tank constructors may subcontract the water supply, transfer portion of filling and draining the tank(s), however contrary to what some water supply or management companies may advertise this is not performing the hydrotest, casting another area of confusion around expertise and capability of performing a proper hydro test. The team at NCS Fluid Handling Systems take the training and education of what a full Hydro test really is quite seriously and provides training sessions through various forums such as lunch and learns to any size team or group. We believe that through an ongoing education at the customer level we can help those designing or evaluating testing requirements to understand the whole process, not just water management or transfer and how by considering a few relatively simple requirements that do not add significant overall project expense we can provide comfort that operational risk is minimized and asset integrity is maximized. http://ncsfluidsystems.ca/services/hydro-testing-pressure-testing

NCS Fluid Handling Systems has one of Canada's largest dewatering pump fleets. The NCS Fluid Handling Systems pumps range in size and type. Rotary Lobe pumps with open or sound attenuated packages available.