Brochure
Hydro-Brake Flood Brochure
Find about how the Hydro-Brake® Flood can help protect business and homes from flooding.
Flow control and flood protection
Hydro-Brake Flood
Download the brochureReliably protect homes, business and infrastructure from flood damage, now and in the future.
The Hydro-Brake® Flood flow control provides consistent, reliable large-scale flood protection at the watercourse level, preventing costly damage and disruption to people, businesses and essential infrastructure and services.
Capable of managing flows of up to 11,500 l/s, the Hydro-Brake® Flood enables engineers and local authorities to design site-specific flood alleviation that meets today’s requirements while also future-proofing against increasing flood risks caused by climate change.
Hydro-Brake® Flood provides large-scale protection at the watercourse level, using precisely engineered vortex flow control technology to manage flood water, preventing costly damage and disruption to downstream residents, businesses and essential services.
Already successfully protecting thousands of properties across the UK, Hydro-Brake® Flood provides reliable flood risk mitigation in a no-power, low-maintenance system with no moving parts.
Only Hydro-Brake® Flood:
- Has a legacy of more than 30 years
- Has a proven track record of flood protection
- Is designed and delivered by the leaders in flow control technology
Design schemes to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure from flood damage
The Hydro-Brake® Flood flow control enables engineers to deliver large-scale flood protection projects at the watercourse level, effectively managing flood waters and preventing floods from reaching homes, business and critical downstream infrastructure such as roads and railways.
Design site-specific flood protection
Each Hydro-Brake® Flood flow control is designed according to the specific requirements of the site, ensuring that each system is precision engineered to deliver exactly the right level of flood protection. Our experts have decades of experience in designing flow control solutions, and will be happy to work with you to understand your requirements and to develop a flow control to provide precisely the level of protection that you need.
Future-proof your flood alleviation
Hydro-Brake® Flood flow controls may be designed to allow for future variances in fluvial flows, meaning that riverine flood alleviation systems can be designed to meet future flood prevention requirements. During the design phase our experts can incorporate a facility for future adjustment to allow for climate change without necessitating new engineering or additional future construction works.
Get low-maintenance flood prevention
With no moving parts and no power requirement, the Hydro-Brake® Flood flow control is designed to ensure consistent, reliable operation with minimal maintenance.
Hydro-Brake® Flood flow controls are often installed in remote locations, however, so for peace of mind we recommend periodic inspection to ensure that the system has not been compromised in any way. We are happy to manage this on your behalf via our inspection services.
Hydro-Brake® Flood flow controls are self-activating, relying on upstream hydraulic head to generate an air-filled vortex within the middle of the casing. This air-filled core occupies the majority of the outlet, restricting the flow.
The Hydro-Brake® Flood flow control moves through three distinct phases of operation:
Low Flow
Under low flow conditions the flow control behaves like an oversized orifice. The flow is gentle, with minimal turbulence inside the volute of the flow control or the outlet pipe. As the water level starts to increase above the soffit of the outlet, air becomes trapped in the volute. This exerts a back pressure against the water and begins to restrict the cross-sectional area available for water flow.
As the water depth continues to increase, a vortex begins to form within the unit and the entrapped air forms the central core. At first there is not enough energy in the water flow to sustain a stable vortex, so the vortex will continually start to build and collapse.
The head at the end of this phase is the point at which there is sufficient energy within the flow to sustain a stable vortex.
High Flow
A stable vortex is maintained within the flow control. High peripheral velocities around an aerated core create a back pressure, which effectively chokes the flow through the outlet aperture. Following initiation of the vortex, the flow control restricts the flow in a similar fashion to an orifice, but with clear openings up to 600% larger, significantly reducing the risk of blockage.
Drain Down
As the water level subsides, the energy within the flow reduces and the vortex collapses. Air is drawn into the volute and the flow control returns to operating in a similar manner to an oversized orifice. This drains the system quickly and more effectively, so that the flood storage reservoir is ready for the next event.
Maximum flow: 11,500 l/s / 182,278 gpm
Maximum head: 11 m / 36 ft
Approximate maximum storage area: 5,750 ha*
*Assuming 2 l/s / 31.7 gpm per ha
£3.2 Million Project to End Flooding Misery in Northallerton, UK
Two Hydro-Brake® Flood vortex flow controls, installed in discreet, newly-refurbished culverts on the outskirts of the town, reduce…
Hydro-Brake Flood protects over 600 properties in Wigan
Two Hydro-Brake® Flood flow controls provide flood protection to over 600 properties in Wigan, cutting flood risk to 1%. Situation …
Hydro-Brake® Flood protects Doha industrial project
The catchment-level flood mitigation system protected a major Qatari industrial development from the damaging effects of flooding. …
A 6.5 ton Hydro-Brake Flood Prevents Flooding in the Upper River Nene valley, UK
A Hydro-Brake® Flood controls flows along Weedon Bec preventing flooding of the villages around Weedon, Northampton, UK. Problem The…
Hydro-Brake® flow controls protect Ottawa basements from CSO flooding
Hydro-Brake® flow controls eliminate CSO overflows and protect Ottawa from basement flooding. Situation Ottawa, Canada receives…
Two Hydro-Brake Flood Units Relieve Industrial Estate Flooding in Yorkshire, UK.
Hydro-Brake® Flood flow controls on Blackburn Brook prevent flooding on the Thorncliffe Industrial Estate just outside Sheffield, in the…
Hydro-Brake Flood protects Somerset homes and critical infrastructure from flooding
Hydro-Brake® Flood flow controls protect 200 homes and critical infrastructure in Cannington, Somerset.SituationSituated between the…
Q
What type of maintenance does the unit require?
A
Maintenance will be dependent on the site, the size and characteristics of the flow control, the nature of the influent and any physical characteristics of any control chamber.
Q
How many flow control units will I need?
A
Each site has different existing and future flood alleviation and protection requirements, so the size, design and number of flow controls will depend on site-specific design parameters. We are able to provide design, guidance and advisory support in this area.
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