Flow Smarter Conversations: Your Hydro-Brake Optimum Questions Answered
In this blog, Craig Murray (Water Solutions Consultant) and Shajieuddin Khan (Applications Engineer) answer 12 common questions about Hydro-Brake® Optimum, exploring how optimised flow control can help reduce storage requirements, lower construction costs and improve overall drainage system performance.
What exactly is a vortex flow control?
Craig: A vortex flow control regulates discharge using hydraulic principles rather than mechanical components. As water enters the device, a controlled vortex forms and restricts flow to the required discharge rate. The key advantage is that this is achieved without moving parts or external power requirements, helping engineers achieve reliable flow control while optimising overall drainage system performance.
Why is flow control so important in drainage design?
Shajie: The flow control is one of the most influential components in any detention system because its hydraulic performance directly impacts how much storage is required upstream. A more efficient flow control can help reduce storage volumes, excavation requirements and construction costs while still achieving compliant discharge rates.
Why are more engineers looking beyond traditional orifice plates?
Shajie: Orifice plates achieve flow restriction by reducing the size of the opening. As discharge requirements become tighter, the opening gets smaller, which can increase blockage risk. Vortex flow controls can achieve the same discharge rate while maintaining significantly larger openings, helping reduce blockage risk without compromising hydraulic performance.
How does Hydro-Brake® Optimum help optimise storage requirements?
Craig: Hydro-Brake® Optimum has been developed to maximise hydraulic efficiency. By allowing more water to pass during the earlier stages of a storm event, less water needs to be stored upstream. Depending on the site, this can reduce storage requirements by up to 30% compared with an orifice and up to 15% compared with conventional vortex flow controls. That can create opportunities to reduce the footprint of detention systems and lower overall project costs.
Why does reducing storage matter?
Shajie: Smaller storage requirements can translate directly into project savings. Less storage often means reduced excavation, less concrete, smaller structures and lower construction costs. When storage and flow control are optimised together, consultants, contractors and developers can often unlock significant efficiencies across the entire drainage design.
What are Hydro-Brake® Optimum's design objectives?
Shajie: One of the unique aspects of Hydro-Brake® Optimum is that it can be configured around specific project priorities. Whether the objective is to minimise storage, minimise blockage risk, future-proof the system, fit an existing pipe size or fit a chamber size, the device can be tailored to suit the application's needs.
What does "future-proofing" mean in practice?
Craig: Surface water Hydro-Brake® Optimum units can be supplied with an adjustable inlet that allows flow settings to be adjusted as site requirements change. This can help accommodate urban creep, future development or changing drainage requirements without replacing the flow control , helping asset owners protect their investment over the long term.
How does Hydro-Brake® Optimum help reduce maintenance requirements?
Craig: The device is manufactured from stainless steel and has no moving parts or power requirements. Combined with larger openings than traditional control devices, this helps minimise blockage risk, reduce maintenance requirements and deliver reliable long-term performance.
How do Hydro and Civilmart work together?
Craig: Civilmart provides high-quality concrete stormwater storage solutions and Hydro provides market-leading vortex flow control technology. By considering storage and flow control together from the outset, we can help consultants, engineers and developers optimise drainage designs, reduce project costs and deliver efficient, compliant infrastructure.
How can engineers assess whether Hydro-Brake® Optimum is right for their project?
Shajie: We've made that process straightforward through Hydro's free Online Design Tool. Users can compare flow control options, explore different design objectives, generate hydraulic data and request technical support. It's a practical way to evaluate how Hydro-Brake® Optimum could benefit a project before construction even begins. Engineers can also book a complimentary Lunch & Learn session with our team to explore project-specific applications.
What makes Hydro-Brake® Optimum different from other vortex flow controls?
Shajie: Hydro-Brake® Optimum was developed to give engineers more control over the outcomes that matter most to a project. Rather than offering a single design approach, Hydro-Brake® Optimum can be configured around specific objectives, including minimising storage requirements, reducing blockage risk, future-proofing the system, fitting existing pipework or accommodating chamber constraints. This flexibility allows designers to optimise flow control based on project priorities.
Hydro has been manufacturing flow controls for over 40 years. Why is that experience important?
Craig: Every drainage project is different, and that's where experience matters. Hydro has been helping engineers optimise flow control solutions since the early 1980s, with thousands of installations worldwide. That experience has shaped the development of Hydro-Brake® Optimum and continues to inform how we support consultants, engineers and contractors today. For us, "Flow Smarter" isn't just a campaign message. It's the culmination of more than 40 years of vortex flow control expertise.