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All I Want For Christmas… Some Stability?

All I want for Christmas… Some stability?

All we want for Christmas may be quite different this year, compared to other years. We are in such a state of flux, with no clear picture of what will be happening around the world in the short term, or even in to 2021. Nothing seems constant and we don’t know what we can rely on.

Well actually, there are some things we can be sure of: rain still falls, rivers still flow, water still moves naturally and so still needs controlling, for us all to survive and prosper now and in the future. Strange, how something as mundane as flow control can be comforting in its very nature, and ongoing stability.

Over the last few months, we have looked at options for controlling the flow of water, starting with why we need to. For millennia, human beings have directed and controlled water for crop production, power, wastewater treatments and other projects important to us as a species. Many devices are in fact thousands of years old and even some of the most modern technologies mirror long-standing processes.

There was the mighty penstock which has progressed a long way from its humble beginnings. Penstocks are now used in wastewater treatment plants, industrial effluent plants, waterways, and Hydro-electric plants as well as many other flow control applications.

We considered the importance of valves – from those controlling the flow of blood in our body to the myriad of valves that can be supplied by IBS, which are essential to our customers. Some of the main valves used are: Gate Valves, Swing Check Valves, Knife Gate Valves, Butterfly Valves, Non-return Valves and – possibly the most significant – Flap Valves. It turned out that valves for preventing, channelling, starting, stopping, sealing – and sometimes even life-saving – are more important than anyone realised.

IBS also supply stoplogs: traditionally long boards – usually rectangular – placed together and lowered into slots, prepared in advance, inside weirs, channels, and gates.

The final item covered in IBS’s flow control armour was the Bellmouth. Again, it’s actually based on some much less high-tech, historical, everyday concepts.

The IBS group has been supplying Flow Control and Flood Defence products and services extensively throughout Europe since 1994, meaning that we have 25 years’ experience in their design and manufacture. We work closely with consultants, contractors, and government agencies to ensure that they receive the best possible advice when designing their projects.

IBS supply a range of flow control equipment designed and manufactured in strict accordance with the latest issue of DIN 19704 – Hydraulic Steel Structures, whilst also ensuring that our products meet the requirements of the most recent issue of BS 7775.

So back to what we want for Christmas. Some normality and stability, and an understanding of what will be important in the months to come? Like everyone, IBS hopes the pandemic eases, but when it comes to protecting our waterways and controlling their flow, we can offer a reassuring commitment that – like our predecessors over several thousands of years – we will continue to offer essential products, reliability and security, for Christmas, the new year, and beyond….

 

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