Technical guidance on hydraulic engineering, pipeline design, and water treatment — written for practising engineers.
Hazen-Williams vs Darcy-Weisbach: Choosing the Right Friction Formula
Both methods predict head loss due to friction in pressurised pipes, but they differ in applicability and accuracy. Darcy-Weisbach is dimensionally consistent and works across all fluids and flow regimes; Hazen-Williams is empirical, valid only for water at typical temperatures, and breaks down outside turbulent flow.
Pipeline DesignHow to Size a Pipeline: Flow Range, Velocity Limits and Standard Diameters
Selecting a pipe diameter means balancing minimum and maximum flow against velocity limits to avoid erosion, surge risk, and sedimentation. This article covers the standard velocity envelopes for water, wastewater and sludge mains, and how to land on the correct nominal diameter.
Engineering PracticeWhy Water Infrastructure Calculation Tooling Is Still Stuck in Excel in 2026
Walk into most water and wastewater consultancies in 2026 and the calculation tooling looks like 2006 — a shared drive of spreadsheets named some variant of "final." This article examines why the industry hasn't moved on, what the real risks are, and what better tooling actually looks like.
Chlorine Dosing: Residual Management in Distribution Networks
Maintaining a disinfection residual throughout a distribution network requires balancing contact time, decay rates, and regulatory minima. This article covers CT values, booster dosing strategies, and the interaction between chlorine demand and hydraulic residence time.
Hydraulic Pressure Testing: Standards, Acceptance Criteria and Common Failures
Pre-commissioning pressure tests verify pipeline integrity before handover. This article covers the difference between strength and leakage tests, the BS EN 805 and IGN 4-01-03 acceptance methods, and the most common causes of test failure on new installations.
Cryptosporidium in Drinking Water: Health Risks and How UV Dosing Protects Supply
Cryptosporidium is a chlorine-resistant parasite that can cause serious illness even at low concentrations, making it one of the key risks driving treatment design. This article covers how it enters supply, why chemical disinfection alone isn't enough, and how UV dose is sized and validated to provide a reliable barrier.