Pepperdine University Selects Tideflex Mixing System

A 1.6-million-gal circular ground level water tank was installed by Pepperdine University as part of the Drescher Graduate facility at its Malibu, Calif., campus. The tank supplies water to the 500-acre, 650-student facility, which includes student, faculty and staff housing.

California seismic regulations require inlet/outlet protrusions to be located at a tank's sides and attached to piping with special ball-and-socket joints that are flexible enough to prevent breakage during earthquakes. To fill and drain, the tank design requires two protrusions located at opposite sides of the tank and a costly and complex piping and valve system.

As a cost saving solution to a complicated installation, the university decided to install a custom-designed Tideflex Mixing System (TMS) manufactured by Tideflex Technologies of Pittsburgh, Pa. The TMS is designed to eliminate stagnation and dead spots by preventing hydraulic short-circuiting, improving mixing and circulation and optimizing the turnover rate and detention time.

Instead of two protrusions into the tank sidewall, there is only one in the center of the tank floor that connects to an inlet/outlet manifold pipe that runs the width of the tank. The manifold utilizes the patented Tideflex inlet valves near the center of the tank and at one end. The valves that function as outlet valves are located at the opposite end of the manifold from the inlet valves.

Most distribution reservoirs have a short-circuiting problem caused by a common inlet/outlet. This design keeps the newly added water from mixing with water already in the reservoir and leads to diminished water quality, such as loss of disinfectant residual, bacteria re-growth, disinfection byproduct formation, nitrification, biofilm, algae growth and unpleasant taste or odor.

As a result of the TMS installation, Pepperdine students and faculty are drinking better quality water while the university has conserved a significant amount of funds.