Environmentally Friendly Interchange Features Fullflow Syphonic Drainage System
Syphonic drainage specialist Fullflow has designed manufactured and installed a syphonic drainage system for the Liverpool South Parkway Interchange. The new interchange is designed to be eco-friendly with a sloping roof that collects and recycles rainwater. Liverpool South Parkway station is a railway station and bus interchange in Garston, Liverpool, England. The building joins together the two stations of Allerton and Garston with a bus station and taxi rank.
Fullflow’s syphonic drainage system provides design flexibility as pipework is routed horizontally due to the syphonic action, whereas pipework for a traditional system relies on a gradient to drain rainwater. Because there is no need for gradient with a syphonic system, pipework can be routed around obstacles and discharge location is not restricted, making the system ideal for rainwater harvesting.
The station has been designed to use environmentally-friendly techniques wherever possible. Some of the building's electricity is provided by solar panels. A rainwater harvesting system has been installed to reduce the use of mains water. All timber used has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as being from a well-managed forest. The station has won awards for its design and building techniques; the Innovation Award at Network Rail's annual Environment Awards and champion in the transport and freight category of the Green Apple Awards.
Fullflow’s system requires fewer downpipes than a traditional gravity system. This is due to the syphonic action which enables rainwater to be drained at high velocity and volume. Because of this benefit the interchanges design was uncompromised and the need for numerous unsightly downpipes removed. Additionally, far less underground work was required due to the reduction in downpipe quantity.
Unlike traditional roof drainage, which is designed to flow part full, the Fullflow syphonic system operates at full capacity, when water is sucked or syphoned from the roof down into the drain at high velocity. Whereas a conventional outlet is simply a hole set into the lowest point on the roof, into which the water pours, the syphonic drain incorporates an anti-vortex plate that acts as a baffle, allowing only water to be drawn of the roof. During heavy rainfall the outlet drain fills to above the anti-vortex plate, cutting off air flow into the pipe. This lack of air, coupled with the downward pull of the water creates a vacuum. The drainage pipes then flow at 100% full over the entire system.
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