What Are Water Towers For?

nc6000

Having seen the water tower going up along the M50 near the N2 junction lately, I was wondering what exactly they are for?

Apart from holding water! Is it to do with improving water pressure?

Victor

Keeping water higher increases the pressure, which in turn increases the distance and height where that reservoir can serve.

There is resistance in every section of pipe and fitting / junction the water passes through, so while a low level reservoir may suit a locality, it won't adequately serve someone (on the same network) that is further away.

AFAIK the Ballymun tower is there to serve the areas along the Dublin City / Fingal boundery from Finglas to Baldoyle.

Typically water is pumped overnight (low demand for water and electricity) and used during the day (high demand).

Vorsprung

Bit of a random/OT question from a non-engineer type who hasn't got much of a clue , but could the water flowing down the tower be used to generate electricity during the day, when it comes down the tower?

yaledo

There are several problems which would not make this viable:
- There's not enough water involved to make a particularly useful amount of electricity
- To make electricity, presumably the water would turn a turbine on its way down. The whole point of the water tower is to give the water source sufficient height to overcome the 'friction' in the piping it has to travel through to get to your kitchen sink. An electricity generator along the way would increase this friction massively.
- We already used electricity to get the water pumped up into the tower.

SeaSide

bigjimthefirst wrote:

Bit of a random/OT question from a non-engineer type who hasn't got much of a clue , but could the water flowing down the tower be used to generate electricity during the day, when it comes down the tower?

There is a pump/storage power station near Glendalough which does this.

If you were to do this at a water tower you transform the ?kinetic? energy that the water needs to reach afar and transform it to electricity.

Vorsprung

Makes sense I suppose!

Carry on!

johnnyrotten

Why the irregular shape>?

Victor

johnnyrotten wrote:

Why the irregular shape>?

I'm not sure what you mean. There are all sorts of shapes used from ground level circles and rectangles to inverted cones to "lollipops".

SeaSide

johnnyrotten wrote:

Why the irregular shape>?

Is this to me?

The ?kinetic? was to show that I was uncertain that kinetic was correct could have been some other mysterious universal force

Irjudge1

johnnyrotten wrote:

Why the irregular shape>?

If you mean the "wine glass" type shape this is to maximise the top water level in the tower for the volume. So as the tower empties although there is a much smaller volume the height or "head" of water maintained is still reasonable.

Victor

http://www.dublincity.ie/press_news/press_releases/new_dublin_landmark_to_improve_water_service.asp

Press Release

Dublin City Council is pleased to announce the Official Opening of the Sillogue Water Storage Facility by Mr. Noel Ahern T.D., Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, on the 1st May 2007 at 3 p.m.. The Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Vincent Jackson and Meara of Fingal County Council, Councillor Joe Carr, will also be present. The Sillogue Water Storage Facility is the final element of the North Fringe Water Supply Scheme constructed between 2004 and 2007, which also includes 23km. of new water main.

The new watermain stretching from Cappagh to Baldoyle serves the rapidly developing areas along Dublin’s North Fringe and connects arterial watermains from the South City to North Dublin. This will allow the redistribution of water from the various water sources around the pipe network for the first time. A further 10km ring main along the coast from Clontarf to Baldoyle will be constructed next year to complete the ring main around Dublin.

The Storage Facility includes a 39m high water tower holding 5m litres of water and a ground level reservoir holding 30 million litres of drinking water.


The necessary reconfiguration of the existing network to allow the full commissioning of the new storage facility will take place over the next three to six months.

“The height of the tower will boost water pressures in the adjacent high level areas, from Ballymun across to Beaumont” says Adrian Conway, Dublin City Council’s Senior Engineer “ Together with the newly completed trunk mains, this Project has facilitated the development of extensive areas of new housing and commercial development along the M50 and the ongoing Regeneration of Ballymun and is an example of the integration of infrastructure provision with the developmental needs of the city”

The location of the Tower presented an opportunity to provide, not just an essential piece of engineering infrastructure, but an attractive new landmark in North Dublin. The Consulting Engineers McCarthy Hyder Consultants worked closely with architects Michael Collins and Associates to come up with a design that includes a double parabolic curved stem integrated with the massive bowl the diameter of which is just one metre less than the overall tower height. Floodlighting at night will further enhance the overall effect of this unique structure, which will grace the Dublin Skyline for many years to come and has already become a landmark structure due to its location beside the M50 and close to Dublin Airport.

The project is funded by the two Local Authorities and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government through the National Development Plan. The project is project managed by Dublin City Council and is a joint project with Fingal County Council.


Further Information
Sillogue Water Tower - Technical Details
Capacity 5,000m³ / 5 million litres
Overall Height 39m
External Shaft Diameter varies between 8m and 16.8m
Bowl External Diameter varies from 17.2m to 38m
Roof Free Span 15m
Concrete Volume 4,950m³
Reinforcing Steel 580 tonnes
Formwork 6,300m²
External Coating/Painting 3,700m²

Reservoir Details
Capacity 2 no cells of 15,000m³ each
Internal Height 6m
Overall length 92m
Overall width 66m
Concrete Volume 5,600m³
Reinforcing Steel 770 tonnes
Formwork 12,200m²

Consulting Engineers McCarthy Hyder Consultants
Architects Michael Collins Associates
Civil Contractors John Cradock Ltd.
Mechanical & Electrical Contractors Earthtech Ireland

gurramok

Here's the one at Ballycoolin owned by Fingal CC

Quite spectacular close up, maybe they could turn it into a tourist trap

SeaSide

gurramok wrote:

maybe they could turn it into a tourist trap

Might give the water a funny taste

Seth Brundle

The water tower in UCD is IMO a nicer lookoing one:

http://www.johnpaulconstruction.com/projects/educational/14.htm

Solair

There's quite a few of them around Cork. The reason being that various parts of the city are at different heights, so to make sure that everyone gets water at a reasonable pressure water towers are used.

Benster

All the M50 one needs now is a big "McGurk's Golf" banner hanging off it...

westtip

Benster wrote:

All the M50 one needs now is a big "McGurk's Golf" banner hanging off it...

What a great idea for public private partnership now what else could be avertised on a water tower......surprised the PDs didn't insist the water tower wasn't made to "wipe its face commercially" and have it sponsored in some grotesque fashion...talking of grotesque is fatso going to get the health job?

flogen

Ever since the tower went up in Finglas/Ballymun, I always wondered what the point was.

They seem to serve a worthy purpose - they are a bit hideous though (or at least the aformentioned one is). Shame they couldn't be more inventive like the UCD one (although that does look a bit out of date!)

Capt'n Midnight

johnnyrotten wrote:

Why the irregular shape>?

The vertical side is curved for strength.

It might even be Hyperboloid http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperboloid_structure

Some Russian dude came up with the original idea - a continuous curve so there would be no weak spot built some massive towers with very short lengths of steel

HonalD

Speaking of PPP options for the watertower...how about a revolving restaurant around the rim at the top (like St. James's Gate) - should get to see most of the city from there....plus will keep the plane spotters happy and out of harms way;)