S Jones Conversions, the specialist container conversion division of S Jones Containers, engineered several bespoke mobile containerised pump enclosures in partnership with Grundfos to support Severn Trent Water’s clean water resilience project.
Severn Trent Water needed a system that could be deployed quickly to address water supply issues and ensure that, in the event of an emergency or planned maintenance works, customers’ water could be restored quickly. Grundfos, Severn Trent Water’s framework supplier for vertical multistage pumps, designed the bespoke mobile booster pump systems capable of delivering high‑volume water transfer exactly when required.
S Jones Conversions supplied six modified shipping containers to house the specialist equipment securely and accommodate safe storage off-site so that the mobile pumps could be redeployed across the network as required. The project encompassed two separate mobile pump systems; one with six pumps arranged in pairs across three adapted shipping containers and the other with three containers, each with its own pump.
All six 20ft containers were modified by S Jones Conversions at its in-house workshop in the Midlands. Each container included side-opening access doors to improve accessibility and the internal space had to be carefully configured to safely house all the required components including pumps, pipes and control panel. In addition, as units had to be mobile rather than static, the team had to factor this into the container design to reduce any risk of damage to the equipment during loading and unloading of the roll-on roll-off trailer.
Following a detailed Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study as part of the initial design phase, a potential issue relating to the manual handling of the piping equipment onsite was identified. This was addressed as S Jones reconfigured the pipe inlets and outlets on the mobile units – lowering their position to reduce the manual lifting of pipes, which, owing to their size and weight, were a potential risk to the safety of operatives using the equipment.
Mark Braithwaite, Senior Project Sales Specialist at Grundfos Operations A/S said: “Safety was paramount so as well as providing a secure space to store the mobile pumps, especially during transit, it was also really important to make sure that the units were safe for operational staff on site. The team was very knowledgeable and took time to understand our exact requirements to create a solution that perfectly fitted our brief.”
Andrew Nicholls, Head of Conversions at S Jones Containers, added: “Our team worked closely with Grundfos to refine the design for these mobile pump units, ensuring each container provided the perfect fit for the specialist equipment. We are proud to have played our part in delivering a practical solution that supports the long‑term resilience of the region’s water network.”
For more information about containerised plant and engineering solutions from S Jones Conversions, please visit: https://www.sjonescontainers.co.uk/container-conversions/
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